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THE  LAST  VOYAGE, 

TO     INDIA     AND     AUSTRALIA, 

IN      THE      'SUNBEAM.' 

BY   THE   LATE 

LADY  BRASSEY. 

ILLUSTRATED   BY  K.  T.  PHITCHETT  AXD   FROM   PHOTOGRAPHS. 


The  full-page  plates  and  the  headings  to  the  chapters  are  printed 
in  monotone  by  E.  NISTER,  of  Nuremberg. 

The   wood    engravings   in   the   text   are   executed   by   EDWARD 
WHYMPER,  J.  D.  COOPER,  and  G.  PEARSON. 


miXTED    BY 

SPOTTISWOODE    AND    CO.,    NEW-STREET   SQUARE 
LONDON' 


OCEAN 


CHART    SHOWING 
TRACKoF  THE  YACHT"STTNBEAM" 

PROM   NOV.  1886  TO  DEC.  1887. 


4O       West  Longitude  2O 


"SUNBEAM"  R.Y  S.    CHRISTMAS  DAY.1886 


LONDON  :  LONGMANS,  GREEN,  AND  CO. 

NEW   YORK  :   15    EAST   16"'   STREET 


G 


0 


3 


All    rights 


IN  giving  to  the  reading  world  these  pages  of  the  last  Journal 
of  one  of  the  most  popular  writers  of  our  day,  no  apology  can 
be  needed,  and  but  little  explanation. 

A  word  had  better  perhaps  be  said,  and  said  here,  as  to 
my  share  in  its  composition.  It  is  now  twelve  years  ago  since 
my  friend — then  Mrs.  Brassey — asked  my  advice  and  assistance 
in  arranging  the  Diary  she  had  kept  during  the  eleven  months' 

cruise  of  the  '  Sunbeam.'     This  assistance  I  gladly  gave,  and 

& 
she  and  I  worked  together,  chiefly  at  reducing  the  mass  of 

information  gathered  during  the  voyage.  I  often  felt  it  hard 
to  have  to  do  away  with  interesting  and  amusing  matter  in 
order  to  reduce  the  book  even  to  the  size  in  which  it  appeared. 
It  was  a  very  pleasant  and  easy  task,  and  I  think  the  only 
difference  of  opinion  which  ever  arose  between  us  was  as  to 
the  intrinsic  merit  of  the  manuscript.  No  one  could  have 
been  more  diffident  than  the  writer  of  those  charming  pages ; 
and  it  needed  all  the  encouragement  which  both  I  and  her 
friend  and  publisher,  Mr.  T.  Norton  Longman,  could  offer,  to 
induce  her  to  use  many  of  the  simple  little  details  of  her  life, 
literally  '  on  the  ocean  wave.' 

The  success  of  the  '  Voyage  of  the  "  Sunbeam  "  '  need  not 


iv  PREFACE 

be  dwelt  on  here ;  it  fully  justified  our  opinion,  surprising  its 
writer  more  than  any  one  else  by  its  sudden  and  yet  lasting 
popularity.  Other  works,  also  well  received  and  well  known 
to  the  public,  followed  during  the  next  few  years,  with  which 
I  had  nothing  to  do.  This  last  Journal  now  comes  before 
Lady  Brassey's  world-wide  public,  invested  with  a  pathos  and 
sadness  all  its  own. 

I  venture  to  think  that  no  one  can  read  these  pages  with- 
out admiration  and  regret ;  admiration  for  the  courage  which 
sustained  the  writer  amid  the  weakness  of  failing  health,  and 
regret  that  the  story  of  a  life  so  unselfish  and  so  devoted  to 
the  welfare  of  others  should  have  ended  so  soon. 

On  his  return  home,  in  December  1887,  from  this  last 
cruise,  Lord  Brassey  placed  in  my  hands  his  wife's  journals 
and  manuscript  notes,  knowing  that  they  would  be  reverently 
and  tenderly  dealt  with,  and  believing  that,  on  account  of  my 
previous  experience  with  the  'Voyage  of  the  "  Sunbeam,"  '  I 
should  understand  better  than  any  one  else  the  writer's  wishes. 

My  task  has  been  a  sad  and  in  some  respects  a  difficult 
one.  Not  only  do  I  keenly  miss  the  bright  intelligence 
which  on  a  former  occasion  made  every  obscure  point  clear 
to  me  directly,  but  the  notes  themselves  are  necessarily  very 
fragmentary  in  places.  It  astonishes  me  that  any  diary  at  all 
should  have  been  kept  amid  the  enthusiasm  which  greeted 
the  arrival  and  departure  of  the  '  Sunbeam  '  at  every  port, 
the  hurry  and  confusion  of  constant  travelling,  and,  saddest 
of  all,  the  evidences  of  daily  increasing  weakness.  Great  also 
has  been  my  admiration  for  the  indomitable  spirit  which  lifted 
the  frail  body  above  and  beyond  all  considerations  of  self. 
I  need  not  here  call  attention  to  Lady  Brassey's  devotion 
to  the  cause  of  suffering  shown  in  her  unceasing  efforts  to 
establish  branches  of  the  St.  John  Ambulance  Association  all 


PREFACE  v 

over  the  world.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  last  words  of  the 
Journal  refer  to  this  subject,  so  near  the  writer's  heart. 

I  have  thought  it  best  to  allow  the  mere  rough  outline  diary 
of  the  first  part  of  the  Indian  journey  to  appear  exactly  as 
it  stands,  instead  of  attempting  to  enlarge  it,  which  could  have 
been  done  from  Lord  Brassey's  notes.  But,  unhappily,  the 
chief  interest  now  of  every  word  of  this  volume  will  consist, 
not  in  any  information  conveyed — for  that  could  easily  be 
supplied  from  other  sources — but  in  the  fact  of  its  being  Lady 
Brassey's  own  impression  jotted  hastily  down  at  the  moment. 
After  reaching  Hyderabad  there  was  more  leisure  and  an 
interval  of  better  health ;  consequently  each  day's  record 
is  fuller.  After  August  2Qth  the  brief  jottings  of  the  first 
Indian  days  are  resumed,  but  I  have  not  felt  able  to  lay  these 
notes  before  the  public,  for  they  are  simple  records  of  suffering 
and  helpless  weakness,  too  private  and  sacred  for  publication. 
They  extend  up  to  September  loth,  only  four  days  before  the 
end. 

No  one  but  Lord  Brassey  could  take  up  the  story  after  that 
date,  and  it  is  therefore  to  his  pen  that  we  owe  the  succeeding 
pages.  All  through  the  Journal  I  found  constant  references  to 
what  are  called  in  the  family  the  '  Sunbeam  Papers,'  a  journal 
kept  by  Lord  Brassey  and  printed  for  private  circulation.  With 
his  permission,  I  have  availed  myself  of  these  notes  wherever 
I  could  do  so,  and  I  believe  that  this  is  what  Lady  Brassey  would 
have  wished.  There  were  also,  with  the  MSS.,  many  interest- 
ing newspaper  extracts  referring  to  public  utterances  of  Lord 
Brassey,  but  of  these  want  of  space  compels  me  only  to  give 
three,  specially  alluded  to  by  his  wife,  which  will  be  found  in  the 
Appendix. 

Lady  Brassey  had  created  an  extraordinarily  intimate  and 
friendly  feeling  between  herself  and  her  readers  all  over  the 


vi  PREFACE 

world.  It  has  been  felt  in  accordance  with  this  mutual  and 
affectionate  understanding  to  give  little  personal  details,  and 
even  a  memoir  compiled  by  Lord  Brassey  for  his  children 
during  the  sad  days  following  the  I4th  of  September,  to  the 
friendly  eyes  which  will  read  with  regret  the  last  Journal  of 
one  who  has  been  their  pleasant  chronicler  and  chatty  fellow- 
traveller  for  so  long.  It  must  always  seem  as  if  Lady  Brassey 
wrote  specially  for  those  who  did  not  enjoy  her  facilities  for 
going  about  and  seeing  everything. 

I  must  express  my  thanks  to  Lady  Brassey's  secretaries 
for  the  kind  help  they  have  afforded  me,  not  only  hi  decipher- 
ing MSS.,  but  in  verifying  dates  and  names  of  places. 

M.  A.  BROOME. 

LONDON  :  March  1888. 


Contents. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

MEMOIR           .......  xiii 

INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER              .            .            .            .       .  1 

I.     BOMBAY  TO  JUBBULPORE       .  .  .  .  .9 

II.     HYDERABAD  AND  POONA              .            .            .  34 

III.     BOMBAY           ...                         ...  56 

IV.    BOMBAY  TO  GOA              .            .            .            .  73 

V.     COLOMBO         ....  97 

VI.     RANGOON  ........  120 

VII.     LABUAN          .                         .....  155 

VIII.     ELEOPURA             .             .             .             .             .             .       .  175 

IX.     CELEBES          .......  203 

X.    WESTERN  AUSTRALIA       .            .            .            .            .  229 

XI.     ALBANY  TO  ADELAIDE                                     .            .            .  251 

XII.     ADELAIDE              .             .             .             .             .             .  2G9 

XIII.  VICTORIA          .  .  .  .  .  .  .287 

XIV.  NEW  SOUTH  WALES         .            .            .            .                   .  309 
XV.     NEW  SOUTH  WALES  (continued]      ....  325 

XVI.     QUEENSLAND         ....                         .  339 

XVII.     THE  EAST  COAST       .  .  .  .  .  .367 

XVIII.     EAST  COAST  (continued)             .             .             .             .  391 

XIX.     PRINCE  OF  WALES'  ISLAND  .....  409 

APPENDIX             .                                                 ...  427 

INDEX                          ....  479 


%ist  of  Jllustvattons. 


FULL-PA  GE  ILL  VSTEA  TIOXS. 

'  SUNBEAM,'  H.Y.S.,  CHRISTMAS  DAY,  1886     .  .  .       .       Fruntispicce 

PORT  SAID  COALING-PARTY  .....    To  face  page  i 

ELEPHANTA  CAVES        .  .  .  .  .  .       .  ,,  18 

PESHAWUE  COAL-DEPOT      .  .  .  .  .  .  ,,26 

EN  ROUTE  TO  HUNT  BLACK-BUCK  WITH  CHEETAH     .  .       .  ,,40 

PATIALA  ELEPHANTS  :  THE  DIUVE  ....,,  62 

RELIGIOUS  FESTIVAL,  MALABAR  POINT  .  .  .       .  ,,70 

BEXAKES  AND  THE  SACRED  GANGES  ....,,  84 

MOULMEIN,  FROM  THE  ElVER  .  .  .  .       .  ,132 

SINGAPORE,  ENTRANCE  TO  HAKBOUK  ....,,         140 

SARAWAK,  BORNEO  :  OPPOSITE  THE  RAJAH'S  FORT       .  .       .  ,,         148 

FISHING-STAKES,  SARAWAK  RIVER  ....,,         162 

ENTRANCE  TO  BIRD'S-NEST  CAVES,  MADAI      .  .  .       .  ,,184 

FORDING  THE  STREAM  FOE  MADAI  .  .  .  .  ,,196 

KINA  BALU,  13,700  FEET         .  .  .  .  .       .  ,,         210 

BAD  WEATHER,  WEST  COAST  OF  AUSTRALIA  „         226 

TREE-FERNS,  AUSTRALIA          .  .  .  .  .  ,,         244 

NORTH  HEAD,  SYDNEY  HARBOUR  .  .  .  .  .  ,,         306 

ABORIGINES  IN  CAMP  .  .  .  .  .  .       .  ,,         370 

ANT-HILLS,  QUEENSLAND,  AUSTRALIA        ....,,         422 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


ILLUSTRATIONS  IN   TEXT. 


PAGE 

TITLE-PAGE 

EVENTIDE  .         .         •         •     xiii 

EVENING  PRAYER   .         .         .     .        i 
PORTSMOUTH,       H.M.S.        '  HER- 
CULES '    .  .  •  •  -2 
TANKS  AT  ADEN      .         .         •     •       3 
KURRACHEE  HARBOUR          .         .       5 
THE  MIRS  FALCONER     .         .     .       5 
BOKHARA  MAN     ....       6 
GOING  TO  DINNER  .         .         .     .       6 
OUR  HOME  ON  WHEELS      .         .       7 
JUBILEE  ILLUMINATIONS,  BOMBAY       9 
CROSSING  THE  INDUS      .         .     .     10 
SHIKARPUR  BAZAAR      .         .         .11 
SUKHUR  BRIDGE,  INDUS          .     .     12 
OLD  SUKHUR       .         .         .         •     13 
TEMPLE  OF  THE  SUN,  MOOLTAN.     14 
EUNJEET  SINGH'S  TOMB,  LAHORE     1 5 
CANON,  MURREE          .         .         .16 
AFGHANS  AT  JAMRUD       .         .     .     17 
JAMRUD  FORT      .         .         .         .18 
CAMEL-GUNS  AND  STANDARD    .     .     18 
CABUL  NATIVE,  LAHORE      .  19 

LAHORE 19 

CAMEL  TEAM       .         .         .         .20 

AMRITSAR 20 

PATIALA  ELEPHANTS  .  .  .21 
'CROSS-COUNTRY  .  .  .  .  22 
ELEPHANTS  DRINKING  .  .  22 
MOUNTING  .  .  .  22 

THE  KUTUB  MINAR  .  .  -23 
BASE  OF  KUTUB  MINAR  .  .  .  24 
OLD  DELHI  AND  WEAPONS  .  .  25 

ULWAR 26 

PALACE  IN  THE  ULWAR  FORT      .     27 


PAGE 

SAR-BAHR,  GWALIOR  .  .  .  28 
GROUP  OF  NATIVES  .  .  .29 
WATER-CARRIER,  BENARES  .  .  30 
NERBUDDA  RIVER  —  MARBLE 

EOCKS 31 

MEARI,  THE  LAST  OF  THE  THUGS  .  31 
TEMPLE  AT  ELLORA  .  .  32 

THE  FORT,  POONAH         .         .     .     34 

GUN  EOCK 36 

ONE -TREE  HILL     .         .         •     •     37 
MIR  ALAM,  HYDERABAD       .         .     38 
CHEETAH-CART         .         .         .     .     40 

DEATH  or  THE  BUCK  .         .         -41 
MOSQUE  ENTRANCE          .         .     .     44 
THE  HAMYAN  JUMP,  DELHI         .     48 
No  COAL         .         .         .         .     .     51 

INTERIOR,  DELHI         .         .         -53 
BENGAL  LANCER — EAWUL  PINDI  .     56 
THE  GHAUTS,  BOMBAY         .         .     58 
BODYGUARD  AND  PEON,  MALABAR 
POINT.         .         .         .         .     .     60 

THE  APOLLO  BUNDER          .         .     65 
BOMBAY  HARBOUR  .         .         .     .     67 

OMNIBUS-HORSE  TOPE          .         .     68 
HINDOO  GIRL          .         .         .     .     69 

AT  THE  CHILDREN'S  BALL  .  .  70 
THE  ARCH  OF  THE  VICEROYS, 

GOA 73 

JINJEERA  FORT  .  .  .  -75 
OFF  EATNAGIRI  .  .  .  .  77 
YINGORA  EOCKS  .  .  .  -79 
VINGORA  LIGHTHOUSE  .  .  .  81 
PORTUGUESE  EOWLOCK  .  .  82 
CAPE  GOA  ENTRANCE  .  .  .  83 
ST.  XAVIER,  GOA  .  .  -87 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


INQUISITION  STAKE,  GOA  .     .     89 

VIEW  IN  CEYLON         .  .         -97 

BUDDHIST  PRIEST  .         .  .     .     99 

TALIPOT  PALM     .         .  .         .   101 

SEYCHELLES  PALM           .  .     .   103 

GOVERNOR'S  PEON,  KANDY  .         .   104 

CINGALESE  WEAPONS       .  .     .   105 

POINT  DE  GALLE         .  .         .106 

TlUNCOMALEE    HARBOUR    .  .       .     Io8 

JUMPING   FISH  (Pcrioplitlialmus 
Kolreuteri)      .         .         .         .   no 

SAMI  BOCK 1 14 

Coco  ISLAND  LIGHT    .         .         .116 
ENTRANCE   TO    CAVES  AT    MOUL- 

MEIN 119 

MERCHANT  DHOWS,  INDIAN  OCEAN  120 
GREAT  PAGODA  COURT  .  .122 
ENTRANCE  TO  TEMPLE  .  .  .  123 
DAGON  .  .  .  .  -125 
RANGOON  BOAT,  STERN  .  .  .  126 
DITTO  STEM?  .  .127 

MOULMEIN 129 

ELEPHANTS  AT  WORK          .         -130 
DITTO  .         .     .131 

MOULMEIN  RIVER  BOAT       .         -132 
ON  THE  IRRAWADDY         .  .   133 

ENTRANCE  TO  MOULMEIN  CAVES.  135 
FERRY  AT  MORCENATIN  .  .  .  136 
POINT AMHERST,  WATER  TEMPLE.  138 
BOUND  SOUTH  .  .  .  .  139 
TRAVELLER'S  PALM,  SINGAPORE  .  142 
JUNKS,  SINGAPORE  .  .  .  144 
NAVIGATION  BOARDS,  RIVER 
KUCHING  .  .  .  .146 

FIRE -TUBE 148 

DYAK 149 

KUCHING 152 

THE  FORT 153 

LABUAN 155 

MALAY  VILLAGE,  LABUAN     .         .158 
BRUNEI  HATS  .     .161 


PANGERAN'S  ARRIVAL       .         .     . 
PITCHER  PLANTS  AND  KINA  BALU  . 
KUDAT    . 
ON  THE  FORE -YARD,  MAKING  THE 

LAND       ..... 
IN     THE     BIRD'S-NEST      CAVES, 

MADAI 

MR.  FLINT'S  BUNGALOW 
KAPUAN  TIMBER-STATION          .     . 
DYAK  DANCE       .... 
BORNEO  WEAPONS  .         .         .     . 
SANDAKAN,  BEARING  N. 
ENTERING  RIVER,  MADAI        .     . 
COMMISSARIAT  DEPARTMENT 
RETURN  OF  THE  HEAD-HUNTER  . 

SULUS    AT    SlLAM 

RETURNING  AT  Low  WATER   .     . 
DUTCH  FORT,  MACASSAR 
THE  SHOOTING  PARTY    .         .     . 
UNDER  THE  SUN 
OUR  COACHMAN,  MACASSAR      .     . 
DUTCH  (NATIVE)  SOLDIERS 
MACASSAR  POLICEMAN 
FISHING -BOAT,  ALLAS  STRAIT 
OUR  WIND-BOB       .         .         .     . 
MORE  BAD  WEATHER  . 
TOPMAST  STUNSAILS 
EFFECT  OF  A  SQUALL  . 
FAUNA,  W.  AUSTRALIA    . 
KINGLY         .         .         .         .         . 

BLACK  BOYS 

A  BREAKDOWN  IN  THE  BUSH 

BOOMERANGS  OR  KYLIES          .     . 

GETTING  UNDER  WAY  . 

AN  ABORIGINAL       .         .         . 

THE  PORT  WATCH 

RUNNING  DOWN  -EASTING       .     , 

CRACKING  ON 

PROCLAMATION-TREE,  GLENELG    , 

'  PROTECTOR  '  GUNBOAT 

SUNSET  


164 
169 


173 

175 
177 
'79 
181 
184 

185 
187 
189 
192 
198 
199 
203 
207 
209 

21  I 
212 
213 
2l6 

218 

22O 
223 
225 
229 

233 
236 
243 
249 
251 
254 
257 
260 
26l 
264 
267 
269 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 
272 

275 
278 
280 
282 
284 


ADELAIDE 

SrrPAirDRA     UMUKLLATA  . 

ON  THE  MUBBAY  RIVER 

A  BUCKBOABD         .         .         .     . 

BALLARAT    

MINERS'  CAMP        .         .         .     . 
EXHIBITION     BUILDINGS,      MEL- 
BOURNE   .....  287 
VICTORIA  DEFENCE  FLEET      .     .  289 
LANCERS    AND    SOUDAN    CONTIN- 
GENT         292 

SELECTORS 296 

FERNS 302 

A  FOREST  BRIDGE  .         .     .  304 

SYDNEY  HARBOUR        .         .         .  307 
BANKSIAS,      &c.,      NEW      SOUTH 

WALES         .  .         .     .  309 

SUMMER  HILL  CREEK         .         -313 
WATERFALL  GULLY          .         .     .318 

KATOOMBA 320 

COOK'S  MONUMENT,  BOTANY  BAY  323 
SIGNAL  STATION,  NEWCASTLE       .  325 
KANGAROO-FOOT  (Arrigozanthus)  327 
CATTLE    CROSSING    THE    DARLING 
RIVER 


SHEEP  CROSSING  RIVER  . 
OFF  THE  TRACK 
ROCKHAMPTON  LlLIES 
FERN  FOREST 
GERMAN  WAGGON    . 
TURPENTINE-TREE 
CKINUM  ASIATIC  UM 


335 
337 
339 
341 
346 
348 
349 


TI-TREES 355 

MOUNT  MORGAN      .         .         .        357 
THE  FORD  .....  363 


PAGE 

NATIVE  WEAPONS,  QUEENSLAND  .  366 
BALLOON  CANVAS  .  .  .  .  367 
STOWING  FORETOPSAIL  .  .  371 
QUEENSLAND  NATIVES  .  .  .  373 
CARDWELL  SCHOOL  HOUSE  .  .  375 
DEAD  CROCODILE  ON  SNAG  .  .378 
THE  TRAIN  IN  THE  BUSH  .  .  382 

ZAMOA  TREE 384 

ON  THE  JOHNSTONE  RlVER  .  387 
NAVIGATORS  .  .  ...  389 
THURSDAY  ISLAND  .  .  .391 

COOKTOWN 393 

CORAL  ON  PEARL-OYSTER     .         .  396 
DRUM  FBOM  MURRAY  ISLAND  .     .  402 
HAMMER-HEADED  OYSTER    .         .  404 
CLAREMONT        ISL\ND        LIGHT- 
SHIP     406 

THE      LAST      MILL      IN      AUS- 
TRALIA          408 

PORT  DARWIN  ....  409 
DARNLEY  ISLAND;  THE  SHORE  .413 

DITTO 416 

CURIOS  FROM  MURRAY  ISLAND  .  .  420 
IN  THE  TORRES  STRAITS  .  .  423 
CHURCH  ON  DARNLEY  ISLAND.  .  425 
ST.  Louis,  MAURITIUS  .  .  429 
OFF  THE  CAPE  .  .  .  .  432 
ST.  HELENA  ....  435 
LOXGWOOD,  ST.  HELENA  .  .  437 
ASCENSION.  GREEN  MOUNTAIN  .  439 
SIERRA  LEONE  .  .  .  .  441 
BARQUE  HOVE-TO  .  .  .  443 

Pico 444 

BEARING  UP  FOR  SHELTER  .  .  445 
TAILPIECE. 


TRACK  CHART 
MAP  OF  INDIA 


Tn  fMtnv  Half -title 
To  face  page  72 


FOR  MY  CHILDREN. 

A  BRIEF   MEMOIR   OF   THEIR   DEAR   MOTHER. 

'  The  greatest  benefit  which  one  friend  can  confer  upon  another  is  to  guard, 
and  excite,  and  elevate  his  virtues.  This  your  mother  will  still  perform  if  you 
diligently  preserve  the  memory  of  her  life  and  of  her  death. 

'  There  is  something  pleasing  in  the  belief  that  our  separation  from  those 
whom  ice  lore  is  only  corporeal. 

'  Here  is  one  expedient  by  which  you  may,  in  some  degree,  continue  her 
presence.  If  you  write  down  minutely  what  you  remember  of  her  from  your 
earliest  years,  you  will  read  it  ivith  great  pleasure,  and  receive  from  it  many 
hints  of  soothing  recollections,  when  time  shall  remove  her  yet  further  from 
you,  and  your  grief  shall  be  matured  to  veneration.' 

DR.  JOHNSOX. 

MY  DEAR  CHILDREN, — In  sorrow  and  grief  I  have  prepared  a 
sketch  of  the  life  and  character  of  your  dearly  loved  mother, 
whom  it  has  pleased  God  to  call  to  Himself.  Slight  and  im- 
perfect as  it  is,  it  ma}'  hereafter  help  to  preserve  some  tender 
recollections,  which  you  would  not  willingly  let  die. 

I  shall  begin  with  her  childhood.      Her   mother   having 


MEMOIR 


died  hi  her  infancy,  for  some  years  your  dear  mother  lived, 
a  solitary  child,  at  her  grandfather's  house  at  Clapham. 
Here  she  acquired  that  love  of  the  country,  the  farm,  and  the 
garden  which  she  retained  so  keenly  to  the  last.  Here  she 
learned  to  ride ;  and  here,  with  little  guidance  from  teachers, 
she  had  access  to  a  large  library,  and  picked  up  in  a  desultory 
way  an  extensive  knowledge  of  the  best  English,  French, 
German,  and  Italian  literature. 

After  a  few  years'  residence  at  Clapham,  your  grandfather 
moved  to  Chapel  Street,  Grosvenor  Place,  and  later  to  the 
house  which  you  remember  in  Charles  Street.  At  this  period 
your  mother's  education  was  conducted  by  her  attached  and 
faithful  governess,  Miss  Newton,  whcni  you  all  know.  She 
attended  classes,  but  otherwise  her  life  must  have  been  even 
more  solitary  in  London  than  at  Clapham.  Her  evenings 
were  much  devoted  to  Botany,  and  by  assiduous  application 
she  acquired  that  thorough  knowledge  of  the  science  which 
she  found  so  useful  later,  in  describing  the  profuse  and  varied 
vegetation  of  the  tropics. 

And  now  I  come  to  my  engagement  to  your  mother.  How 
sweet  it  is  to  remember  her  as  she  was  in  those  }Toung  da}'s ; 
in  manners  so  frank  and  unaffected,  and  full  of  that  buoyant 
spirit  which  to  the  end  of  her  life  never  nagged.  She  enjoyed 
with  a  glad  heart  every  pleasure.  She  was  happy  at  a  ball, 
happy  on  her  horse,  happy  on  the  grouse-moor,  devoted  to 
her  father,  a  favourite  with  all  her  relatives,  and  very,  very 
sweet  to  me.  Gladness  of  heart,  thankfulness  for  every 
pleasure,  a  happy  disposition  to  make  the  best  of  what 
Providence  has  ordered,  were  her  characteristics. 

"\Ve  were  married  in  October  1860.  After  our  marriage 
we  had  everything  to  create — our  home,  our  society,  our 
occupations.  We  began  life  at  Beauport ;  and  wonderfully 
did  your  dear  mother  adapt  herself  to  wholly  unanticipated 
circumstances.  Beauport  became  a  country  home  for  our 


MEMOIR  xv 

nearest  relations  on  both  sides.  As  a  girl,  your  mother  had 
been  a  most  loving  daughter  to  her  own  father.  After  her 
marriage  she  was  good  and  kind  to  my  parents.  To  my 
brothers,  until  they  were  old  enough  to  form  happy  homes  of 
their  own,  she  was  an  affectionate  sister. 

At  the  date  of  our  marriage,  no  definite  career  had 
opened  out  for  me.  To  follow  my  father's  business  was  not 
considered  expedient,  and  I  had  no  commanding  political  in- 
fluence. In  the  endeavour  to  help  me  to  obtain  a  seat  in 
Parliament,  your  dear  mother  displayed  a  true  wife-like 
devotion.  She  worked  with  an  energy  and  earnestness  all 
her  own,  first  at  Birkenhead  in  1861,  and  later  at  Devonport 
and  Sandwich — constituencies  which  I  fought  unsuccessfully 
— and  my  return  for  Hastings  in  1868  afforded  her  the  more 
gratification.  It  had  been  the  custom  in  the  last-named  con- 
stituency to  invite  the  active  assistance  of  ladies,  and  especially 
the  wives  of  the  candidates,  in  canvassing  the  electors.  Your 
mother  readily  responded  to  the  call.  She  soon  became  popular 
among  the  supporters  of  the  Liberal  party,  and  throughout 
my  connection  with  Hastings  she  retained  the  golden  opinions 
which  she  had  so  early  won.  Her  nerve,  high  spirit,  and  ability, 
under  the  fierce  ordeal  of  the  petition  against  my  return,  have 
been  described  in  his  memoirs  by  Serjeant  Ballantine,  who  con- 
ducted my  case.  He  called  your  mother  as  his  first  witness 
for  the  defence,  put  one  or  two  questions,  and  then  handed 
her  wholly  unprepared  to  the  counsel  for  the  petitioners — 
the  present  Lord  Chancellor.  With  unflinching  fortitude 
your  mother  endured  a  cross-examination  lasting  for  upwards 
of  an  hour.  Her  admirable  bearing  made  a  great  impression 
upon  the  eminent  judge  (Mr.  Justice  Blackburn)  who  tried  the 
case,  and  won  the  sympathies  of  the  dense  crowd  of  spectators.  I 
remember  how  gratefully  your  mother  acknowledged  the  mercy 
of  Heaven  in  that  crisis  of  her  life.  '  I  could  not  have  done 
it  unless  I  had  been  helped,'  were  her  simple  words  to  me. 


xviii  MEMOIR 

dockyard  towns  at  home  and  abroad,  attended  naval  reviews, 
and  was  present  at  the  manoeuvres  on  the  coast  of  Ireland 
in  1885,  and  in  Milford  Haven  in  1886.  At  home  and  abroad 
she  always  aided  most  cordially  my  desire  to  establish  kindly 
relations  with  the  naval  profession,  among  whom  she  num- 
bered, I  am  sure,  not  a  few  sincere  friends.  The  same  spirit  of 
sympathy  carried  your  mother  with  me  on  dreary  and  arduous 
journeys  to  Ireland,  where  she  paid  several  visits  to  the  Lough 
Swilly  estates.  She  called  personally  on  every  tenant,  asked 
them  to  visit  the  '  Sunbeam,'  treated  them  most  kindly,  and 
won  their  hearts. 

Her  reception  of  the  Colonial  visitors  to  England  last 
year,  when  suffering  from  severe  illness,  and  the  visits  to  the 
Colonies,  which  were  the  last  acts  of  her  life,  are  the  most 
recent  proofs  which  your  dear  mother  was  permitted  to  give 
of  her  genuine  sympathy  with  everything  that  was  intended  for 
the  public  good.  The  reception  which  she  met  with  in  Australia 
afforded  gratifying  assurances  of  the  wide  appreciation  of  her 
high-minded  exertions  on  the  part  of  our  Colonial  friends. 

The  last  day  of  comparative  ease  in  your  mother's  life 
was  spent  at  Darnley  Island.  You  remember  the  scene  :  the 
English  missionaries,  the  native  teacher  with  his  congregation 
assembled  around  him,  the  waving  cocoa-nuts,  the  picturesque 
huts  on  the  beach,  the  deep  blue  sea,  the  glorious  sunshine, 
the  beauty  and  the  peace.  It  was  a  combination  after  your 
mother's  heart,  which  she  greatly  enjoyed,  resting  tranquilly 
under  the  trees,  fanned  by  the  refreshing  trade-wind.  You 
will  remember  her  marked  kindness  of  manner  in  giving  en- 
couragement to  the  missionaries  in  their  work.  It  was  another 
instance  of  her  broad  sympathies. 

In  attempting  to  give  a  description  of  your  dear  mother's 
fine  character,  I  cannot  omit  her  splendid  courage.  I  have  re- 
ferred to  it  as  shown  on  the  sea.  You  who  have  followed  her 
with  the  hounds,  as  long  as  she  had  strength  to  sit  in  the  saddle, 


MEMOIR 


will  never  forget  her  pluck   and    skill.      Her  courage  never 
failed  her.     It  upheld  her  undaunted  through  many  illnesses. 

And  now  I  turn  to  that  part  of  the  work  of  her  life  by 
which  your  dear  mother  is  best  known  to  the  outer  world. 
Her  books  were  widely  read  by  English-speaking  people,  and 
have  been  translated  into  the  language  of  nearly  every  civilised 
nation.  The  books  grew  out  of  a  habit,  early  adopted  when 
on  her  travels,  of  sitting  up  in  bed  as  soon  as  she  awoke  in  the 
morning,  in  her  dressing-jacket,  and  writing  with  pencil  and 
paper  an  unpretending  narrative  of  the  previous  day's  pro- 
ceedings, to  be  sent  home  to  her  father.  The  written  letter 
grew  into  the  lithographed  journal,  and  the  latter  into  the 
printed  book,  at  first  prepared  for  private  circulation,  and 
finally,  on  completion  of  our  voyage  round  the  world,  for 
publication.  The  favourable  reception  of  the  first  book  was 
wholly  unexpected  \)j  the  writer.  She  awoke  and  found  her- 
self famous. 

Her  popularity  as  a  writer  has  been  won  by  means  the 
simplest,  the  purest,  and  most  natural  which  can  be  con- 
ceived. Not  a  single  unkind  or  ungenerous  thought  is  to  be 
found  in  any  book  of  hers.  The  instruction  and  knowledge 
conveyed,  if  not  profound,  are  useful  and  interesting  to  readers 
of  all  classes.  The  choice  of  topics  is  always  judicious.  A 
bright  and  happy  spirit  glows  in  her  pages,  and  it  is  this  which 
makes  the  books  attractive  to  all  classes.  They  were  read 
with  pleasure  by  Prince  Bismarck,  as  he  smoked  his  evening 
pipe,  as  well  as  by  girls  at  school.  Letters  of  acknowledgment 
used  to  reach  your  mother  from  the  bedside  of  the  aged  and 
the  sick,  from  the  prairies  of  America,  the  backwoods  of 
Canada,  and  the  lonely  sheep-stations  of  Australia.  Those 
grateful  letters  were  the  most  valued  which  were  received  from 
the  cottages  of  the  poor.  As  old  George  Herbert  sings, 

Scorn  no  man's  love,  though  of  a  mean  degree  ; 
Love  is  a  present  for  a  mighty  King. 


xx  MEMOIR 

It  was  natural  that  your  mother,  with  her  eager  nature, 
should  be  spurred  on  to  renewed  efforts  by  success.  She  set 
out  on  her  last  journey  full  of  hope  and  enterprise.  In 
India,  in  Borneo,  in  Australia,  she  was  resolved  to  leave  no 
place  unvisited  which  could  by  any  possibility  be  reached, 
and  where  she  was  led  to  believe  that  objects  of  interest 
could  be  found,  to  be  described  to  readers  who  could  not 
share  her  opportunities  of  travel.  The  enlargement  of  our 
programme  of  journeys  within  the  tropics  threw  a  heavy 
strain  on  her  constitution.  In  Northern  India  her  health  was 
better  than  it  had  been  for  years,  but  she  fell  away  after 
leaving  Bombay.  Rangoon  and  Borneo  told  upon  her.  She 
did  not  become  really  ill  until  the  day  after  leaving  Borneo, 
when  she  was  attacked  by  the  malarial  fever  which  infests  the 
river  up  which  she  had  travelled  to  the  famous  bird's-nest  caves. 
She  suffered  much  until  we  reached  the  temperate  climate  of 
South  Australia. 

On  leaving  Brisbane  we  found  ourselves  once  more  in 
the  tropics.  Enfeebled  by  an  attack  of  bronchitis  caught  at 
Brisbane,  your  mother  was  again  seized  with  malarial  fever. 
On  the  northern  coast  of  Australia  such  fevers  are  prevalent, 
and  our  visits  to  Rockhampton,  the  Herbert  River,  Mourilyan, 
and  Thursday  Island,  where  we  were  detained  ten  days,  were 
probably  far  from  beneficial.  No  evil  consequence  was,  how- 
ever, anticipated ;  and  without  undue  self-reproach  we  must 
bow  with  submission  to  the  heavy  blow  which,  in  the  ordering 
of  Providence,  has  befallen  us. 

Your  dear  mother  died  on  the  morning  of  September  14, 
1887,  and  her  remains  were  committed  to  the  deep  at 
sunset  on  the  same  day  (Lat.  15°  50'  S.,  Long.  110°  35'  E.) 
Every  member  of  the  ship's  company  was  present  to  pay  the 
last  tribute  of  love  and  respect  on  that  sad  occasion.  Your 
dear  mother  died  in  an  effort  to  carry  forward  the  work  which, 
as  she  believed,  it  had  pleased  God  to  assign  to  her. 


MEMOIR 


From  your  mother's  books  let  us  turn  to  her  charities ; 
and  first  her  public  charities.  You  know  how  she  has  laboured 
in  the  cause  of  the  St.  John  Ambulance  Association,  how 
she  has  taken  every  opportunity  of  urging  forward  the  work 
in  every  place  which  we  visited,  in  the  West  Indies,  in  the 
Shetlands,  in  London,  at  Middlesbrough,  in  Sussex.  At  all 
the  ports  at  which  we  touched  on  our  last  cruise  she  spared 
no  pains  to  interest  people  in  the  work.  You  heard  her 
deliver  her  last  appeal  in  the  cause  at  Rockhampton.  She 
spoke  under  extreme  physical  difficulty,  but  with  melting 
pathos.  As  it  was  her  last  speech,  so,  perhaps,  it  was  her  best. 

Your  mother  took  up  ambulance  work  at  a  time  when  it 
was  little  in  fashion,  because  she  believed  it  to  be  a  good  cause. 
By  years  of  hard  work,  in  speech,  in  letter,  by  interview,  by 
pamphlet,  by  personal  example  and  devotion,  she  spread  to 
multitudes  the  knowledge  of  the  art  of  ministering  first-aid  to 
the  injured.  We  may  rest  assured  that  her  exertions  have 
been,  under  Providence,  the  means  of  saving  many  precious 
lives.  In  her  last  cruise  you  have  seen  how,  when  painful 
injuries  have  been  received,  she  has  been  the  first  to  staunch 
the  bleeding  wound,  facing  trying  scenes  with  a  courage  which 
never  faltered  while  there  was  need  for  it,  but  which,  as  the 
reaction  which  followed  too  surely  told,  put  a  severe  strain 
upon  her  feeble  frame. 

Many  could  tell,  in  terms  of  deepest  gratitude,  what  a  true 
angel  from  heaven  your  dear  mother  had  been  to  them  in  their 
hours  of  sickness.  You  will  readily  recall  some  of  the  most 
striking  occasions. 

That  your  mother  accomplished  what  she  did  is  the  more 
to  be  admired  when  account  is  taken  of  the  feeble  condition  of 
her  health  and  of  her  many  serious  illnesses.  She  inherited 
weakness  of  the  chest  from  her  mother,  who  died  of  decline  in 
early  life.  When  on  the  point  of  first  going  out  into  society, 
she  wTas  fearfully  burned,  and  lay  for  six  months  wrapped  in 


xxii  MEMOIR 

cotton-wool,  unable  to  feed  herself.  In  the  early  years  of  our 
married  life  we  were  frequently  driven  away  in  the  winter  to 
seek  a  cure  for  severe  attacks  of  bronchitis.  In  1869  your 
mother  caught  a  malarial  fever  while  passing  through  the 
Suez  Canal.  She  rode  through  Syria  in  terrible  suffering. 
There  was  a  temporary  rally,  followed  by  a  relapse,  at  Alexan- 
dria. From  Alexandria  we  went  to  Malta,  where  she  remained 
for  weeks  in  imminent  danger.  She  never  fully  recovered 
from  this,  the  first  of  her  severe  illnesses,  and  in  1880  she 
had  a  recurrence  of  fever  at  Algiers.  It  was  followed  by 
other  similar  attacks — at  C owes  in  1882,  in  the  West  Indies 
in  1883,  at  Gibraltar  in  1886,  and  on  her  last  voyage,  first 
at  Borneo,  and  finally,  and  with  the  results  we  so  bitterly 
lament,  on  the  coast  of  Northern  Queensland.  Only  in- 
domitable courage  could  have  carried  your  mother  through  so 
much  illness  and  left  her  mental  energies  wholly  unimpaired, 
long  after  her  physical  frame  had  become  permanently  en- 
feebled. Loss  of  health  compelled  her  to  withdraw  in  great 
measure  from  general  society.  She  was  unequal  to  the 
demands  of  London  life,  and  from  the  same  cause  was  unable 
to  remain  in  England  during  the  winter.  Thus  she  gradually 
lost  touch  of  relatives  and  friends  of  former  years,  for  whom 
she  had  a  genuine  regard.  In  such  society  as  she  was  able  to 
see  at  the  close  of  her  too  short  life,  she  never  failed  to  win 
regard  and  sympathy.  There  will  be  many  sad  hearts  in 
Australia  when  the  tidings  of  your  mother's  death  reaches  the 
latest  friends  whom  she  was  privileged  to  win. 

The  truest  testimony  to  your  mother's  worth  is  to  be  found 
in  the  painful  void  created  in  the  home  circle  by  her  death. 
For  me  the  loss  must  be  irreparable.  It  would,  indeed,  be 
more  than  we  could  bear,  if  we  had  no  hope  for  the  future. 
We  cling  to  that  hope  ;  and  whatever  our  hand  findeth  to  do, 
we  must,  like  her,  try  to  do  it  with  all  our  might. 

Such  then  was  your  dear  mother :    a  constant  worker, 


MEMOIR 


working  it  may  be  beyond  her  strength,  yet  according  to  the 
light  which  God  had  given  her,  and  in  the  noblest  causes. 
Your  mother  was  always  doing  good  to  those  from  whom  she 
had  no  hope  to  receive.  She  did  not  do  her  alms  before  men : 
not  those  at  least  which  cost  her  most  in  time  and  in  thought. 
When  she  prayed,  she  entered  into  her  closet  and  shut  the 
door,  and,  without  vain  repetition,  presented  her  heart's  desire 
in  language  most  simple  before  the  Father  in  Heaven.  Her 
life  was  passed  in  the  spirit  of  the  Apostle's  exhortation  :  'Be 
ye  kind  one  to  another,  tender-hearted,  forgiving  one  another.' 

In  the  last  prayer  which  she  was  able  to  articulate  with 
me,  your  mother  besought  the  blessing  of  Heaven  upon  us 
both,  praying  that  she  might  yet  be  spared  to  be  a  comfort  to 
me  and  all  around  her.  In  that  prayer  was  embodied  the 
central  aim  of  her  existence.  Her  praise  to  God  was  sung  in 
her  work  of  practical  good.  Her  psalm  was  the  generous 
sacrifice  of  self  to  works  which  she  believed  would  be  for  the 
advantage  of  others.  This  thoughtfulness  was  shown  in  the 
most  beautiful  way,  when  the  last  sad  call  had  come.  When, 
m  reply  to  her  touching  inquiry,  '  Is  it  quite  hopeless  ?  '  the 
answer  gave  no  encouragement  to  hope,  you  will  not  forget 
the  tenderness,  the  unfaltering  fortitude,  with  which  she 
bestowed  her  blessing,  and  then  proceeded,  until  articulation 
was  denied,  to  distribute  to  each  some  token  of  her  tender 
love.  She  died  in  perfect  charity  with  all,  sweetly  submissive 
to  the  Divine  Will,  and  consoling  her  afflicted  husband  and 
children  to  the  very  last. 

Your  mother's  heart  was  as  large  as  it  was  tender.  She 
was  devoted,  as  a  wife,  to  her  husband  ;  as  a  mother,  to  her 
children.  She  was  kind  to  dependents,  ever  thoughtful  for 
the  poor,  and  there  was  a  large  place  in  her  heart  for  her 
dumb  companions.  Her  presence  will,  I  am  sure,  never  fade 
from  your  recollection  ;  and  in  all  my  remembrance  of  her  I 
can  recall  no  period  of  her  life  when  her  face  was  so  dear  to 


MEMOIR 


look  upon  as  in  the  days  after  leaving  Port  Darwin.  As  she 
lay  back  on  her  pillows,  a  veil  of  white  lace  thrown  round  her 
head,  her  eyes  so  bright,  her  smiles  so  loving,  not  a  murmur 
from  her  lips  nor  a  shade  of  unrest  on  her  serene  countenance, 
the  peculiar  sweetness  of  her  expression  seemed  a  foretaste  of 
the  peace  of  heaven. 

I  do  not  recall  these  things  solely  as  a  tribute  to  the  dear 
one  who  has  passed  away  from  among  us,  but  for  your  profit 
and  for  mine.  We  have  seen  how  your  mother  used  her 
opportunities  to  make  the  world  a  little  better  than  she  found 
it.  We  may  each  do  the  same  service  in  our  own  sphere,  and 
so  may  best  be  followers  of  her  good  example.  In  tenderest 
love  may  we  ever  cherish  and  bless  and  revere  her  memory. 

My  dear  children,  I  might  write  more.  I  could  never  tell 
you  what  your  mother  was  to  me. 

Your  very  affectionate  father, 

BKASSEY. 

'  SCXBEAM,'  K.Y.S. :  September  1887. 


INTRODUCTORY    CHAPTER. 


WHEN  the  arrangements  for  a  contemplated  cruise  to  the 
East  were  being  considered,  towards  the  end  of  1886, 
it  was  thought  best  for  Lady  Brassey  and  her  daughters 
to  make  the  voyage  to  Bombay  in  a  P.  &  0.  steamer.  The 
'  Sunbeam '  herself  was  to  sail  from  Portsmouth  by  the 
middle  of  November.  Lord  Brassey,  in  the  first  paragraph 
of  his  '  Sunbeam  Papers,'  thus  acknowledges  the  help  he 
derived  at  starting,  in  what  may  be  called  the  domestic  de- 
partment of  the  yacht,  from  Lady  Brassey's  presence  on 
board  for  even  a  few  hours. 

'  We  embarked  at  Portsmouth  on  Monday,  November  i6th. 
The  "  Sunbeam  "  was  in  hopeless  confusion,  and  it  required 
no  ordinary  effort  of  determination  and  organisation  to  clear 
out  of  harbour  on  the  following  day.  A  few  hours  at  South- 


INTRODUCTORY 


ampton  did  wonders  in  evolving  order  out  of  chaos.  On  the 
afternoon  of  November  i8th,  my  wife  and  eldest  daughter, 
who  had  come  down  to  help  in  preparing  for  sea,  returned  to 
the  shore,  and  the  "  Sunbeam"  proceeded  immediately  down 
Channel.' 

At  Plymouth  Lord  Brassey  was  joined  by  the  late  Lord 
Dalhousie  and  by  Mr.  Arnold  Morley,  M.P.  The  former  landed 
at  Gibraltar,  and  the  latter  at  Algiers.  Through  the  long 
voyage  to  Bombay  the  gallant  little  yacht  held  stoutly  on  her 
course,  meeting  first  a  mistral  in  the  Mediterranean,  then 
strong  head- winds  in  the  Bed  Sea,  and  having  the  N.E.  mon- 
soon in  her  teeth  after  leaving  Aden. 

In  the  meantime  Lady  Brassey,  her  three  daughters,  and 
some  friends  left  England  a  few  days  after  the  yacht  had 
sailed,  travelling  slowly,  with  many  interesting  stopping- 


Portsmouth.     H.M.S.  'Hercules' 


places,  and  not  finally  reaching  Brindisi  until  December  i  ith. 
Thence  to  Egypt  was  but  a  brief  voyage,  and  the  one  day's 


INTRODUCTORY 


Tanks   at 
Aden 


rest  (!)  at  Alexandria 
was  devoted,  as  usual, 
by    Lady    Brassey    to 
visits  —  so    minute    in 
their    careful    examina- 
tion into   existing  condi- 
tions   as   to    be    more   an 
inspection  than  the  cursory 
call  of  a  passing  traveller — 
to  the  Soldiers  and  Sailors' 
Institute,    and     also    to    the 
Military  Hospital   at   Ramleh. 
Arrangements   had   next  to   be 
made  for  the  disposal  of  stores 
sent  out  by  the  Princess  of  Wales' 
branch  of  the  National  Aid  Society  ; 
and  all  this  constituted  what  may 
fairly  be  considered  a  hard  day's  work. 
Then  came   a  well-occupied    week   in 


INTRODUCTORY 


Cairo,  where  much  hospital- visiting  was  again  got  through, 
and  many  interviews  respecting  the  site  for  the  new  hospital 
at  Port  Said  were  held  with  the  Egyptian  authorities.  This 
pleasant  but  by  no  means  idle  dawdling  brought  the  party 
to  Suez  on  December  23rd,  where  they  embarked  at  once 
on  board  the  P.  &  0.  steamer '  Thames,'  Captain  Seaton,  and 
started  at  midnight  for  Bombay. 

Carefully  and  well  had  the  plans  for  both  voyages  been 
laid,  and  successfully — by  grace  of  wind  and  weather — had 
they  been  carried  out.  On  January  3rd,  1 887,  Lord  Brassey 
in  the  '  Sunbeam '  and  Lady  Brassey  in  the  '  Thames '  ex- 
changed cordial  signals  of  greeting  off  the  harbour  of  Bombay. 
The  incident  must  be  briefly  described  from  the  earlier  '  Sun- 
beam Papers '  (for  of  this  first  portion  of  the  cruise  Lady 
Brassey  has  unhappily  left  no  notes) .  '  As  we  were  becalmed 
off  Bombay,  waiting  for  the  sea  breeze  which  invariably 
freshens  towards  noon,  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  Com- 
pany's steamship  "  Thames,"  with  my  wife  and  children  on 
board,  passed  ahead  of  us  into  the  harbour.  We  had  a 
delightful  meeting  in  the  afternoon  at  Government  House, 
Malabar  Point,  where  we  were  greeted  with  a  most  cordial 
welcome  from  our  dear  friends  Lord  and  Lady  Reay.' 

We  are  so  accustomed  nowadays  to  the  punctual  keeping 
of  appointments  made  months  before,  with  half  the  width  of  the 
world  between  the  meeting-places,  that  this  happy  and  fortu- 
nate coincidence  will  scarcely  excite  remark,  even  when  the 
home  journal  dwells  on  the  added  joy  of  the  arrival,  that  very 
same  evening,  as  planned  beforehand,  of  Lord  Brassey 's  son, 
who  had  started  earliest,  and  had  been  spending  some  weeks 
of  travel,  sight-seeing,  and  sport,  pleasantly  combined,  in 
Ceylon  and  Southern  India. 

The  punctuality  of  the  P.  &  0.  steamers  might  be  a 
proverb,  if  in  these  hurried  days  anyone  ever  paused  to  make 
a  proverb;  and  therefore  it  is  not  the  rapid  run  of  the 


INTRODUCTORY 


5 


Kurrachee   Harbour 


'  Thames  '  which  excites  our  admiration.  It  is  rather  the 
capital  sailing  qualities,  well  tried  and  proven  as  the}^  are, 
of  the  '  Sunbeam.'  Though  essentially  a  sailing  vessel  and 

carrying  very  little  coal, 
the  yacht  had  made  her 
way  through  the  intricate 
navigation  of  the  Eed  Sea 
and  against  the  strong 
contrary  winds  of  the 
which 


N.E.     monsoon, 

blew     with      <luite     6XC6p- 

tional      force      off     the 

southern  shores  of  Arabia,  and  had  finally  dropped  anchor 
at  the  appointed  day,  and  almost  hour,  in  Bombay  Harbour. 

On  this,  her  first  visit,  the  '  Sunbeam  '  remained  only 
three  days  at  Bombay.  She  sailed  again  for  Kurrachee  on 
January  6th,  1887,  and  reached  her  destination  early  on 
Tuesday,  the  i  ith.  The  stay  in  Bombay  was  cut  short  by  the 
desire  of  the  travellers  to  join 
Lord  and  Lady  Eeay,  and 
journey  with  them  for  the 
first  few  days  of  an  official 
tour  in  Sindh,  on  which  the 
Governor  of  Bombay  was 
about  to  start.  There  are 
exceptional  opportunities  in 
such  an  excursion  for  seeing 
great  concourses  of  natives, 
and  gaining  knowledge  of  the 
condition  of  the  country  from 


The   Miro    Falconer 


the  officials  engaged   in   its 

administration.  The  first  point  of  interest  noted  is  a  native 
horse-fair  held  at  Shikarpur,  where  '  in  the  immense  con- 
course gathered  together,  all  the  races  of  these  wild  districts 


INTRODUCTORY 


were  represented.  The  most 
characteristic  people  were  the 
Beloochees — men  of  sturdy 
build,  who  carry  themselves 
with  a  hold  and  manly  air. 
They  formerly  lived  by  raids 
and  cattle-lifting,  swooping 
down  from  the  Suleiman 
Mountains  upon  the  people  of 
the  plains,  who  were  seldom 
able  to  offer  any  effectual  re- 
sistance. We  have  established 
order  in  these  once  lawless 
regions  by  our  military  force, 
posted  at  Jacobabad.' 

From  the  brief  notes  of 
this  earlier  part  of  the  jour- 
ney, which  follow,  it  is  evident 

that  the  travellers  had  semi-official  receptions  of  their  own  at 
nearly  every  large  station.     Addresses  of  cordial  welcome  were 
presented ;  replies  had  to  be  made  ;  and  it  is  perhaps  from 
these   causes   of   added  fatigue 
and  excitement  that  Lady  Bras- 
sey  was  unable  to  do  more  than 
jot   down    the   events    of    each 
day. 

Lord  and  Lady  Brassey  and 
their  family  travelled  together 
through  Sindh,  along  the  north- 
west frontier  of  India  to  Lahore, 
Peshawur,  and  the  Khyber 
Pass  ;  and  Lord  Brassey  grate- 
fully notes  in  the  first  number 
of  '  Sunbeam  Papers '  that  his 


Bokhara  Man 


INTROD  UCTOR  Y 


wife's  health  in  Northern  India  was  better  than  it  had  heen 
for  years. 

A  fresh  start  on  the  return  journey  to  Bombay  was  made 
from  Lahore  on  January  2ist,  via  Patiala,  whose  Maharajah, 
young  as  he  is,  carries  on  the  practice  of  sumptuous  welcome 
and  entertainment  of  English  travellers  which  forms  part  of  the 
historic  traditions  of  the  loyal  rulers  of  the  state.  Agra  was 


Our  Home    on   Wheels 

reached  on  January  3oth,  and  at  this  point,  after  a  brief  delay, 
the  party  separated,  Lord  Brassey  retracing  his  steps  to  Kurra- 
chee  to  take  the  yacht  back  to  Bombay.  The  rest  came  round 
by  Cawnpore  and  Lucknow,  Benares,  Jubbulpore,  and  Poonah, 
and  so  on  to  Hyderabad,  their  farthest  inland  point,  where 
Lady  Brassey's  more  elaborated  diary  commences. 

The  whole  of  this  long  journey  of  4,500  miles  was  made 


INTRODUCTORY 


in  thirty-six  days,  and  with  the  exception  of  the  two  nights 
at  the  Maharajah's  palace  at  Patiala,  the  railway  train  was 
the  only  sleeping-place  of  the  travellers,  who  were  eleven 
in  number.  Halts  and  stoppages  were  made  in  the  day- 
time to  admit  of  local  sight-seeing  and  excursions.  Lady 
Brassey,  in  a  private  letter,  declared  this  plan  of  travel  to  be 
delightful  and  thoroughly  comfortable  ;  and  it  will  be  seen 
that  Hyderabad  was  reached  not  only  with  comfort  but  with 
renovated  health,  and  with  the  full  enthusiasm  of  travel  and 
ardour  of  enjoyment  strong  in  the  breast  of  the  well-known 
diarist,  whose  last  journals,  faithfully  kept  when  once  com- 
menced, are  now  before  us. 


JOURNAL. 


CHAPTER  I. 


BOMBAY  TO   JUBBULPOBE. 

Thursday,  January  6th. — Left  Bombay  harbour  at  2  A.M. 
and  proceeded  to  sea  under  steam.  Rather  roily.  Very  busy 
all  day  unpacking  and  arranging  things.  As  nearly  eveiybody 
was  more  or  less  overcome,  I  felt  that  I  must  make  an  effort. 
Small  party  at  meals.  State  of  things  improved  towards 
evening. 

Friday,  January  jtJi. — On  deck  at  5  A.M.     Shifty  breeze. 


10 


KURRACHEE 


Tacking  all  day.  Busy  unpacking  and  repacking,  and  trying 
to  get  things  straight.  Towards  evening  the  invalids  began 
to  pick  up  a  little  and  to  appear  on  deck. 

At  noon  we  were  off  Yerawal,  having  run  1 3  5  miles  since 
yesterday.  Distance  from  Kurrachee,  310  miles. 

Saturday,  January  8th. — On  deck  at  5  A.M.  Pleasant 
breeze,  but  not  favourable.  Several  dhows  in  sight  near  the 
land.  At  eight  o'clock  a  dead  calm  and  very  hot.  At  noon  a 
sea-breeze,  fair  ;  at  five  o'clock  a  land-breeze,  foul.  Steam 
up  at  1 1  P.M. 

Sunday,  January  gtlt. — A  flat  calm  at  4.30  A.M.  The 
'  Southern  Cross '  and  '  Great  Bear '  bright  in  the  heavens. 
The  moon  set  with  curious  '  horse' s-tail '  effects.  At  noon  we 
were  off  Kori,  or  Lakhpat.  At  10  P.M.  heavy  squall  from  N.E. 
came  on,  accompanied  by  a  downpour  of  rain. 

Monday,  January  lotli. — Made  Kurrachee  Light  soon  after 
midnight.  Entered  the  harbour  at  daybreak.  Very  cold  on 
deck.  Soon  after  we  had  anchored,  Mr.  Dashtar,  one  of  the 
Parsee  cricketers,  came  on  board  with  bouquets  of  flowers  for 
all  of  us.  After  much  settling,  and  packing,  and  engaging  new 


servants,  we  breakfasted ;  and  then,  having  landed,  proceeded 
to  see  something  of  Kurrachee  City,  the  alligator-tank,  and 
the  cantonment.  Engaged  additional  horses  for  a  longer 


JOURNEY  COMMENCED 


i  i 


Shikarpur  .Bazaar 


expe- 
dition, in 
the  course 
of  which  our 
carriage  stuck 
in  the  sand  as  we 
tried  to  cross  one  of 
the  many  shallow  mouths  of 
the  Indus.    Muriel  and  I  refused 
to  quit  the  carriage,  and  managed 
to  get  over.     The  rest  of  the  party 
waded  across.     Eeturned  on  board 
yacht,    and    later    on    proceeded  in 
the     steam-launch     with      Captain 
Parker  to  the  lighthouse.     Landed 
again  at   the  pier  in   the  evening, 
and    started    on    our    long    inland 
journey  in  the  special  train  which 
had  been  provided  for  us.     Excel- 
lent dinner  in   train.     Comfortable 
night. 

c 


SHIKARPUR 


Tuesday,  January  nth. — Blue  glass  in  carriage  windows 
made  the  landscape  look  as  if  covered  with  snow.     Stopped 
for  baths  and  refreshments  at  one  of  the  stations  en  route. 
Breakfasted  later  in  train.     Passed  through  a  dreary  country,  a 
saltpetre  desert,  relieved  by  occasional  scrubby  trees. 
Interesting  people  at  wayside  stations — Sindhis, 
Beloochees,  Afghans,  Persians,  and  others. 

Beached  Shikarpur  at  two  o'clock. 
Met  by  Colonel  Mayhew,  Mr.  Balli, 
and  Colonel  Lyttelton.  Drove 
to  Commissioner's  resi- 
dence. Colonel  May- 
hew  took  us  to 
the    fair, 
and 


to  see 
the  wrest- 
ling ;      then 
to   the   bazaars. 
Wonderful  concourse 
of  people.     Bought  car- 
pets and  silks.     Entertained 
friends  at   tea  '  on   board  '  train. 
Dined  with  Mr.  Erskine. 
Wednesday,    January    \2tli. — Very    wet    night. 
Breakfasted   early.      Drove   to  the   Residency,   where 
the  fires  were  most   acceptable.      Lady  Beay's  room  partly 
washed  away  in  night,  being  in  what  is  appropriately  called 
a  melting-house.      To   the   camp  of  the  Amu-,  a  courteous 
old  man  with  five  sons.     A  scene  to  be  remembered.      Saw 


SUKHUR 


fighting-rams,  cocks,  and  partridges.  Lunched  at  station, 
where  we  met  Tom  and  children.  Afterwards  to  the  great 
Shikarpur  horse-fair  and  prize-giving.  Interesting  sight,  but 
bitterly  cold  air. 

Thursday,  January  i^th. — Amir  sent  seven  camels,  beau- 
tifully caparisoned,  to  take  us  to  his  camp.  Drove  through 
bazaars.  Most  graciously  received  at  camp,  but  luckily 
escaped  refreshment.  Thence  to  the  Commissioner's  house. 
Deputation  of  judges  of  show  and  principal  Sindhi,  Hindoo, 
Mahomedan,  and  other  inhabitants,  bringing  fruit,  flowers, 
and  sweetmeats.  Left  at  twelve  o'clock  in  Governor's  train 
for  Sukhur  Bridge.  Proceeded  in  steamer  up  the  Indus  past 
Eohri.  Town  gaily  decorated.  Saw  canal  and  irrigation 
works.  Hard  work  going  up  stream,  easy  coming  down 
again,  as  is  often  the  case.  It  is  said  that  a  voyage  of  ten 
days  in  one  direction  often  occupies  three  weeks  in  the  other. 
Strolled  through  town  of  Sukhur.  Picturesque  illuminations 
in  the  evening.  Eeturned  to  our 
yacht  on  wheels  at  ten  o'clock, 
thoroughly  tired. 

Friday,  January  i^tli. — Called 
at  seven.  Very  cold.  Breakfasted 
with  the  Brackenburys.  Good-bye 
to  our  dear  Bombay  friends. 
Drove  round  the  town,  and  then 
with  Tom  and  Tab  to  Old  Sukhur 
and  the  bazaars.  The  Governor 
and  Lady  Eeay  left  at  noon  for 
Sindh.  We  proceeded  by  water 
to  Eohri.  Train  crosses  the  river 

in  boats ;  picturesque  scene — camels,  boats,  train,  volunteers, 
and  natives.  Much  plagued  by  flies.  Telegraphed  for  dinner 
at  the  station  at  Eitti.  Very  cold  night  indeed.  Could  not 
sleep  after  two  o'clock.  Water  froze  in  bottles. 


Saturday,   January  i$th. — Crossed  Empress  Bridge   over 
Sutlej.      Beached  Mooltan  at   6   A.M.     Breakfasted  at  nine. 


V 


Temple  of  the   Sun, 
Mooltan 


Mohamed  Hyat  Khan,  district  judge,  very  kindly  offered  us  his 
services  as  guide.  He  had  been  much  with  Lord  Lawrence, 
carried  Nicholson  from  field  of  battle  when  the  latter  was 
wounded,  and  killed  the  man  who  slew  him.  Called  on 
Colonel  Barnes.  Old  fort,  dark  blue  and  light  green  tiles. 
To  the  bazaars.  Enamelled  jewellery  and  brass  foot-pans. 
Eeturned  to  the  train,  wrote  letters,  and  settled  plans. 
Visited  the  church  with  Mr.  Bridge  (cousin  of  our  old  friend 
Captain  Cyprian  Bridge,  E.N.),  the  chaplain  here.  Tea  at  the 
club,  which  resembles  other  clubs  all  the  world  over.  Back  to 
station,  where  deputation  of  chiefs  came  to  see  Maude  Lawrence. 
Left  Mooltan  at  7.50  P.M. 

Sunday,  January  \6t1i. — Shortly  before  eight  o'clock  we 
passed  a  large  cantonment,  and  soon  afterwards  caught  sight 
of  the  tombs  and  temples  of  Lahore.  Train  shunted  into 
siding.  Pound  letters  innumerable  awaiting  us.  Went  to 


LAHORE  15 

Mr.  K.'s  church,  and  afterwards  in  camel- carriage  to  Sultan 
Serai.  Polo  ponies,  horses,  and  wild-looking  people.  Negro 
ponies  with  curly  hair. 

Monday,  January  ijtli. — Called  early.  Breakfast  at  eight. 
In  gharries  and  camel-carriage  to  Government  House.  Thence 
to  the  jail,  where  we  saw  the  process  of  carpetmaking  ;  and 
afterwards  to  the  School  of  Art.  '  Sir  Roger '  suddenly  dis- 
appeared, to  my  consternation,  but  was  discovered,  after  much 
search,  wandering  about  near  the  jail.  To  the  Zoological 
Gardens ;  nothing  specially  worthy  of  notice  except  a  fierce 
tiger.  Then  to  the  Lawrence  Hall,  where  balls  and  concerts 
take  place. 

In  the  afternoon  we  rode  on  elephants,  guided  by  mahouts 
in  red  and  yellow  uniforms,  and  attended  by  servants  in 
liveries  of  the  same  colour,  to  the  bazaars.  Contents  most 


Runjeet  Singh  s  Tomb,  Lahore 


interesting,  especially  the  carved  woodwork,  copper-work,  and 
Persian   armour.     Went   to   Golden   Mosque   and  Fort,   the 


i6 


PESHA  WUR 


Canon, 

Murree, 

Northern  India 


palace,  elephant-pool,  and  Eunjeet  Singh's  tomb.  Wonderful 
sight.  Great  fun  bargaining.  Shops  each  more  curious  than 
the  others.  Returned  to  station  and  resumed  journey  for 
Peshawur. 

Tuesday,  January  1 8th. — Reached  Rawul  Pincli,  where  there 
is  a  large  cantonment.  The  views  of  the  Indus  are  fine  in 
places,  but  the  railway  on  the  whole  passes  through  a  barren 
desolate  country  until  Peshawur  is  approached,  when  the  soil 
becomes  more  cultivated. 

On  arrival  at  Peshawur  Station  we  procured  gharries 
and  drove  rapidly  to  the  house  of  the  Commissioner,  Colonel 
Waterfield,  who  was  most  kind.  Then  in  a  dog-cart  and  three 
gharries  to  the  bazaar ;  very  quaint  and  picturesque.  Fine 
view  of  the  Khyber  Pass  and  the  Himalayas  from  top  of 
police  office.  Drove  to  the  King's  Garden,  which  is  well  laid 
out  and  contains  many  fine  trees.  The  Christian  church  at 


KHYBER  PASS 


Peshawur   contains  many   memorial  tablets  to  missionaries. 
Colonel  Waterfield  dined  with  us  in  the  train,  and  told  us 


much  that    was    deeply   interesting 
about  this  part  of  India. 

Wednesday,     January      igth.  — 
Visited    by   traders     of    all    kinds. 
Colonel  Waterfield  and  Major  War- 
burton  called  for   us,    and  we  pro- 
ceeded in  gharries  and  char-a-banc 
to  the  Jamrud  Fort   and   entrance 
to  Khyber  Pass.      Saw   ist  Bengal 
Cavalry   and    Skinner's    Horse    ex- 
ercising  under  Colonel  Chapman.     Inspected  portion  of  the 
force  of  650  infantry  and    50   cavalry   maintained   for   the 


18 


RAWUL  PINDI 


protection  of  travellers  through  the  Khyber.     Tuesday  and 
Friday  are  the  caravan  days  each  week.     Strong  escort  for 


Jamrud  Fort 


caravans   necessary,  owing  to  intermittent  fighting  between 
tribes  on  either  side  of  pass. 

Thursday,  January  2Oth. — Arrived  before  daylight  at  Eawul 


Camel  Guns 


Pindi.     Woke  very  early  and  wrote  letters.     General  Dillon 
came  to  greet  us.     Drove  out  to  the  parade-ground.     Passed 


A   REVIEW 


'9 


troops  on  way  to  be  reviewed.      The 

strength  on  parade  included  1 5th  Bengal 

(Mooltan)  Cavalry,  1 8th  Bengal  Lancers 

(Punjaub),  Mountain  Battery,  and  the 

1 4th   Bengal   Infantry    (Sikhs).      The 

whole  force  marched  past  in  splendid 

style,  quite  equal  to  any  but  the  Guards, 

and   then   the    cavalry   went   by  at   a 

gallop.      Mounted  gun,  carried  on  five 

mules,   unlimbered    in    sixty,  limbered 

in  sixty-five  seconds.     Thukkar  quoit- 
throwing     extraordinary,     the     quoits 

looking   like   flying-fish    darting   hither    and   thither.      Also 

tent-pegging,  with   and  without   saddles — shaking  rupee   off 

without  touching  peg,  digging  peg  out  of  the  ground,  changing 

horses  at  full  gallop, 
and  hanging  on  in 
every  conceivable  atti- 
tude. Lunched  at  the 
residence  of  the  Gene- 
ral. Inspected  native 
and  British  hospitals, 
huts,  tents,  and  re- 
creation-rooms. Then 
back  to  station,  where 
we  entertained  friends 
to  tea.  Resumed  jour- 
ney at  8.20  P.M.  All 
very  tired. 

Friday,  January 
2 1  st.  —  Saw  minarets 
of  the  Shah  Dura. 
Arrived  at  Lahore 
two  hours  and  forty 


LAHORE  AGAL\ 


minutes  late.     Drove  to  Shah  Dura  in  camel-carriage,  over 

Eavee  River  by  bridge  of  boats.     Stream  nearly  dry.     Inlaid 

marble  tomb  very  beautiful, 

but     surroundings      disap-          ^w«* 

pointing    and    much    dam-  | 

aged.     Saw    the   elephants 

being  washed  in  the  river. 

It  was   most  amusing  to 

see     how      wonderfully 

they  were  managed  by 

quite  tiny  boys.   After 

lunch  we  went  to  the 


Museum,  which  has 


— "i*1 

. :  J  .  . 


Amritsar 


AMRITSAR 


only  recently  been  opened.  Thence  to  the  bazaar  and  the 
Lawrence  and  Montgomery  Halls,  and  afterwards  to  Mr. 
Elsmie's  native  party,  where  we  met  many  interesting  people. 
Dined  with  the  Elsmies,  and  met  Colonel  Wolseley,  Lord 
Wolseley's  brother. 

Saturday,   January   22nd. — Left  Lahore   at    5    A.M.,    and 
reached  Amritsar  at  seven.      Noticed  encampment  and  cara- 


Patiala 


van  of  camels  just  before  arriving.  Drove  with  Mr.  Mitchell 
through  the  picturesque  city  to  the  Golden  Temple,  with  its 
gilded  domes,  minarets,  and  lamps,  its  marble  terraces,  and 
its  fine  garden.  This  temple  is  the  headquarters  of  the  Sikh 
religion.  Beautiful  view  of  the  Himalayas  from  roof.  In 
the  public  garden,  called  the  Eambagh,  people  were  playing 
lawn-tennis.  Left  Amritsar  at  8  P.M. 


22 


PA  T1ALA 


Sunday,  January  2yd  — 
At   5  A.M.  reached   Eajpura, 
and  were  received  by  a  de- 
putation of  officials.     Tea 
and    fruit   awaited   us    in 
the    dak   bungalow,   not 
a    hundred   yards    from 
the  station,  to  enable  us 
to     reach    which     five 


in  readiness  for  us.  At  one 
o'clock  we  drove  to  the  Bari 
Durri,  or  Palace  of  the  Ma- 
harajah of  Patiala,  a  dig- 
nified boy  of  fourteen,  who 
received  us  most  courte- 
ously. Drove  through  the 
city  to  another  palace  called 
Moti  Bagh,  which  had  been 
placed  at  our  disposal,  and 
where  the  Maharajah  re- 
turned our  visit. 


carriages    had 
•  j 

been  provided. 

At  8  A.M.  we  reached 
Patiala,  where  car- 
riages and  four, 
twenty  elephants  with 
howdahs,  and  an  es- 
cort of  thirty  horse- 
men, were  drawn  up 


A    SHOOTING   PARTY  23 

Monday,  January  24th. — The  gentlemen  went  out  shooting 
early.  Started  at  11.30  in  carriages  drawn  by  four  horses, 
and  drove  through  scrub-like  jungle  to  meet  the  shooting  party. 
Rode  on  elephants,  in  rather  tumble-to-pieces  howdahs.  Saw 


The  Kutub   Minar 

many  black  and  grey  partridges,  quail,  deer,  and  jungle-fowl, 
but  could  not  shoot  any  on  account  of  the  unsteadiness  of  the 
howdahs.  Grand  durbar  at  the  Maharajah's  palace  in  the 
evening.  Four  thousand  candles  in  glass  chandeliers. 

Tuesday,  January  2$th. — We   were   honoured   early   this 


577?  DEVA    SING 


morning  with  a  visit  from  the  three  members  of  the  council  of 
regency.  Sir  Deva  Sing,  the  president,  is  a  man  of  distin- 
guished presence  and  graceful  manners.  In  the  course  of 
conversation  we  endeavoured  to  elicit  his  views  on  several 
points.  Tom  questioned  him  as  to  the  relations  between  the 
Government  of  India  and  the  native  states,  and  told  me  that 


ise  of  the  Ivutub  Minar 


he  said,  speaking  for  Patiala,  and  indeed  for  the  native  states 
generally,  there  were  no  grievances  of  which  they  could  com- 
plain. Patiala  sent  a  contingent  to  the  last  Afghan  cam- 
paign. Sir  Deva  Sing,  referring  to  our  policy  in  Afghanistan, 
thought  it  would  be  wise  to  advance  the  frontier  to  the  further 
limits  of  Afghanistan.  He  advocated  this  step  solely  on  the 
grounds  of  prestige.  Turning  to  the  condition  of  the  native 


POLITICAL    VIEWS 


. 


army,  he  thought  it  desirable  to  im- 
prove the  position  of  native  officers  in 
the  British  service.      They  are  not  dis- 
satisfied with  the  actual  conditions ;  they 
are  prepared  to  fight  to  the  last  in  sup- 
port of  England  ;  but  they  would  appreci- 
ate any  step  which  could  be  taken  to  put 
them  on  a  level  with  British  officers. 

h.  visit  to  Patiala  suggests  some  general 
reflections.  Under  native  rule,  roads, 
sanitation,  education,  everything  which  be- 
longs to  the  higher  civilisation,  is  neglected, 
while  money  is  lavishly  spent  on  ele- 
phants, equipages,  menageries,  jewellery, 
palaces,  and  barbaric  splendours  of  every 
kind.  It  is  a  great  abuse,  much  needing 
correction,  that  the  native  states,  though 
they  have  received  from  the  British  com- 
plete guarantees  against  foreign  invasion 
and  internal  rebellion,  maintain  armed 
men,  for  the  vanity  of  military  display,  to 
the  number  of  315,000. 


26 


ME  E  RUT 


It  would  have  lightened  our  burdens  greatly  if  the  internal 
government  of  India  could  have  been  left  under  native  princes. 
Such  an  alternative,  unfortunately,  was  not  open  to  us.  The 
native  rulers  would  have  proved  for  the  most  part  incapable 
of  the  task.  They  would  have  been  led  on  by  internecine 

warfare  to  mutual  destruction. 
The  trade  with  England  depends 
on  the  peace  which  we  have  been 
instrumental  in  preserving. 

The  gentlemen  went  out  shoot- 
ing, and  we  joined  them  at  lunch 
as  before.  Paid  some  visits  in 
the  afternoon,  and  played  lawn- 
tennis  at  the  Bari  Durri  with 
the  Maharajah.  Left  Patiala  at 
8  P.M. 

Wednesday,  January  26th.  — 
Arrived  at  Meerut  at  5  A.M.,  and 
thence  continued  our  journey  to 
Delhi.  Drove  to  dak  bungalow, 
and  thence  to  the  palace,  now 
being  partially  restored.  Public 
audience-hall,  Pearl  Mosque,  and 
the  entire  group  of  buildings 
within  the  fort  at  Delhi,  are  noble 
examples  of  Indian  architecture. 
Lunched  at  United  Service  Hotel, 
in  the  garden  of  which  is  the  tomb 
of  the  Emperor  Hamayun. 

Thursday,  January  2?th. — Drove  out  early  to  the  Eidge, 
the  flag- staff  battery,  and  the  big  durbar  tent.  Saw  the 
troops  march  by,  and  at  rifle  practice.  After  breakfast  went 
with  Mr.  Cannon  to  the  Kutub  Minar,  the  grandest  column 
in  the  world  ;  climbed  to  the  top,  whence  there  is  a  splendid 


ULWAR 


27 


Palace   in  the  Ill-war 
Fort 


view.  Spent  the  rest  of  the  day  in  seeing  the  sights  of  this 
"wonderful  city.  Dined  at  dak  bungalow,  and  returned  to  train. 
Started  at  10.48  for  Ulwar. 

Friday,  January  2%th. — Arrived  at  Ulwar  at  7  A.M. 
Messenger  from  Maharajah  to  act  as  our  guide.  Most  lovely 
palace,  not  generally  shown.  Exquisite  lace-like  marble  tra- 
cery, especially  in  Zenana  rooms.  Both  the  Maharajah  and 
the  Maharanee  are  at  present  away.  Schinnahal  Tank  at 
back,  with  cupolas,  too  beautiful  for  words.  We  also  went  to 
the  summer  palace  and  the  gardens  attached  to  it,  in  which, 
among  other  things,  we  saw  some  schoolboys  playing  cricket. 
Both  at  Ulwar  and  at  Jeypore  there  are  hospitals  and  medical 
schools  for  male  and  female  students. 

Saturday,  January  2C)tJt. — Beached  Jeypore  at  6  A.M.  The. 
Maharajah's  secretary  and  his  assistant,  both  dressed  in 

E 


28 


JE  YPORE 


black,  came  to  meet  us  at  seven  o'clock.  Drove  to  Amber,  the 
ancient  city  of  the  Rajpoots,  now  almost  uninhabited,  except 
by  Fakirs.  Lovely  drive  in  the  cool  morning  air.  Elephants 
at  foot  of  hill,  and  alligators  in  tank.  At  the  temple  a  kid 
is  sacrificed  every  morning,  of  which  fact  we  saw  traces. 
Visited  the  palace — an  extensive  and  gorgeous  building,  with 
fine  specimens  of  carved  marble.  Magnificent  view  from 
roof.  Drove  back  to  Jeypore  to  breakfast,  and  found  men 
with  specimens  of  arms,  and  curiosities  of  all  kinds,  await- 
ing us.  Visited  School  of  Art  and  Museum.  Lunched  at 
excellent  Kaisar-i-Hind  hotel.  Then  to  the  palace,  which 
contains  endless  courts  and  halls-of-audience,  including 
the  celebrated  Dewani  Khas,  of  white  marble.  Ascended  to 
seventh  story,  by  special  permission.  Extensive  view  over 
city.  Interview  with  Maharajah.  Saw  his  stables,  trained 


Sar-Bahr,   Gwalior 


AGRA 


29 


horses,  and  fighting  animals,  and  the  beautiful  Earn  Xewas 
Gardens. 

Sunday,  January  $oth. — Arrived  at  Agra.  Went  to  church 
and  heard  a  good  sermon.  Drove  to  the  Taj,  '  the  glory  of  the 
world,'  which  was  not  in  the  least  disappointing,  high  as  were 
our  expectations.  Dined  with  Colonel  Smith. 

Monday,  January  ^ist. — Drove  out  to  Futtehpore  Sikri, 
the  favourite  residence  of  the  Emperor  Akbar,  about  twenty- 
five  miles  from  Agra,  where  there  is  a  lovely  tomb,  finer  than 
any  we  have  yet  seen.  German  photographer  taking  views  of 
it.  Lunched  near  the  Jain  Temple,  which  contains  most 
curious  carvings.  Tom  says  it  is  remarkable  how  well  some 
British  regiments  stand  the  climate  of  India.  At  Agra  we 
saw  the  Manchester  Regiment.  After  three  years  at  Mooltan, 
perhaps  the  hottest  station  in  India,  the  men  were  in  rude 
health.  They  marched  the  whole  distance  to  Agra.  At  the 
time  of  our  visit  the  men  were  playing  football  and  cricket, 
as  vigorously  as  if  they  were  in  England.  They  subscribe  for 
newspapers  ;  they  amuse  themselves  with  frequent  theatricals. 
They  are  fit  to  go  anywhere  and  do  anything. 


G IV A  LI  OR 


The  prison  at  Agra  is  admirably  administered.  Under  the 
direction  of  Dr.  Tyler,  the  men  are  being  instructed  in  trades, 
by  which,  when  released  from  confinement,  they  will  be  able 
to  earn  an  honest  living.  The  manufacture  of  carpets  in  the 
prison  has  been  brought  to  perfection.  A  similar  progress 
has  been  made  in  wood-carving  in  the  prison  at  Lahore. 
Throughout  India  the  prisons  have  been  converted,  with  a 
wise  humanity,  into  busy  workshops. 

Tuesday,  February  ist. — Left  Agra  by  special  train  at  3  A.M. 
and  reached  Gwalior  at  seven.  Colonel  Bannerman,  with 
carriages,  kindly  met  us.  After  breakfast  drove  out  to  the 
fort,  to  reach  which  we  had  to  ride  on  very  shaky  elephants 
up  a  steep  road.  Barracks  deserted  now  that  the  English 
soldiers  are  gone.  Saw  the  Jain  Temple,  restored  by  Captain 
Keith.  Eeturned  to  Gwalior,  and  lunched  at  the  Residency. 

Proceeded  by  i  .45 
train  to  Dhole- 
pore.  Maharajah 
received  us  at 
station  and  enter- 
tained us  with 
coffee.  Reached 
Agra  again  at  six 
o'clock. 

Wednesday,  Fe- 
bruary 2nd. — Ar- 
rived at  Cawnpore 
at  2  A.M.  Drove  at 
6.45   through  the 
streets  to  the  Me- 
morial   Gardens, 
where    a     monu- 
ment is  erected  over  the  well  into  which  so  many  victims  of  the 
Mutiny  were  cast.     Visited  the  site  of  the  Assembly  Rooms, 


Water  Carrier,  Benares 


CA  WNPORE 


where  women  and  children  were  hacked  to  death.     Then  to 
General  Wheeler's  entrenchment,  St.  John's  Church,  and  the 
present  Memorial  Church,  which  contains  many  interesting 
tablets  with  touching  inscrip- 
tions.    Proceeded  by  train  to 
Lucknow.    Went  with  General 
Palmer     to     the     Residency. 


f 


Lovely  gardens,  full  of  purple 
bougainvillea,  orange  bignonia, 


JSTerbudda  River,   Marble    Rocks 

and  scarlet  poinsettias.  It  was 
difficult  to  realise  that  this 
spot  had  once  been  the  scene 
of  so  much  horror  and  blood- 
shed. It  was  in  the  gardens 
of  the  Secundra  Bagh  that  two 
thousand  mutineers  were  killed 

within  two  hours  by  the  93rd  Regiment  and  the  4th  Punjaub 
Rifles,  under  Sir  Colin  Campbell.  Lunched  at  the  Imperial 
Hotel,  and  afterwards  went  to  the  soldiers'  coffee- tavern. 


32  BENARES 

Thursday,  Felii'iiary  yd. — Beached  Cawnpore  at  midnight, 
and  Allahabad  at  7.20  A.M.  Met  by  Mr.  Adam  with  the 
Maharajah's  carriages,  in  which  we  drove  to  the  principal 
places  of  interest,  including  the  fort,  the  arsenal,  and  the 
Sultan's  serai  and  gardens.  Returned  to  station  and  went 
on  by  train  to  Benares.  Drove  through  the  narrow  and  dirty 


Temple   at  Ellora 

streets  to  the  Golden  Temple.  Not  much  to  be  seen  in  the 
shops  except  London  brass  work  and  Hindoo  gods.  The 
Temple  was  chiefly  remarkable  for  the  dirt  which  abounded. 
The  Cow  Temple  was  dirtier  still,  with  cows  and  bulls  tied  up 
all  round  it.  Monkey  Temple  very  curious.  Drove  out  to 
the  cantonments,  several  miles  from  the  city.  Dined  at 
Clarke's  Hotel,  and  returned  to  the  train  very  tired. 


JUBBULPORE  33 


Friday,  February  tfli. — Called  at  6  A.M.  Started  at  half- 
past  seven  for  the  Eanagar  Palace,  where  we  found  chairs  in 
readiness  to  carry  us  up  the  ascent.  Received  by  the  old 
Maharajah,  his  son,  and  grandson.  Embarked  in  a  boat  pro- 
pelled by  a  treadmill,  and  proceeded  down  the  river,  past  all 
the  ghauts  and  palaces  belonging  to  various  kings  and  princes 
or  to  their  descendants.  The  bathing-ghaut  was  a  wonderful 
sight.  Women  in  brilliant  colours  ;  red  palanquins  and  pil- 
grims. Carriages  met  us  at  the  bridge. 

During  the  succeeding  days  the  journey  included  visits  to 
the  Marble  Bocks,  near  Jubbulpore,  and  to  the  Caves  of 
Ellora,  rid  Aurungabad. 


CHAPTER  II. 


HYDERABAD  AND  POONA. 


WE  arrived  at  Hyderabad  at  half-past  eleven  on  Febru- 
ary 9th,  and  found  Major  Gilchrist  (military  secretary 
to  the  Eesident,  Mr.  Cordery)  waiting  with  the  Nizam's  car- 
riages to  take  us  to  the  Residency.  It  is  an  imposing  build- 
ing with  a  flight  of  twenty-two  granite  steps,  a  colossal  sphinx 
standing  on  either  hand,  leading  to  the  portico  through  which 
you  reach  the  spacious  reception  and  dining  rooms,  whilst  the 
comfortably  furnished  sleeping- apartments  lie  beyond.  An 


THE    7V MBS    OF   THE  KINGS  35 

entire  wing  had  been  appropriated  to  the  ladies  of  our  party ; 
and,  luxurious  as  our  railway-cars  had  been,  the  increased 
space  and  size  of  our  new  quarters  appeared  thoroughly  de- 
lightful. 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  for  a  drive  through  the  populous 
Hindoo  suburb  of  Chadar  Ghat  to  the  celebrated  '  Tombs  of  the 
Kings '  at  Golkonda,  which,  however,  must  not  be  confounded 
with  the  celebrated  diamond  mines  of  the  same  name,  for 
they  are  nearly  one  hundred  miles  apart.  The  road  to  the 
Tombs  passes  over  a  stony  belt  or  plain,  on  which  gigantic 
masses  of  dark  granite  lie  on  all  sides  in  picturesque  con- 
fusion. The  natives  have  a  legend  that  they  are  the  frag- 
ments left  over  at  the  completion  of  the  Creation.  About 
seven  miles  from  the  city,  a  solitary  gloomy-looking  hill  rises, 
crowned  by  a  fort,  at  the  foot  of  which  stand  the  Tombs. 
They  are  magnificent  buildings  with  grand  kubbabs  or  domes 
rising  above  the  terraces,  arcades,  and  minarets  of  the  main 
edifice.  One  of  the  finest  of  the  Tombs,  dedicated  to  the 
memory  of  a  Kootub  Shahi  king,  has  unfortunately  been  white- 
washed within  and  without.  The  Tombs  are  mainly  built  of 
grey  granite.  They  are  nearly  all  covered  with  beautiful  mo- 
saics and  enamelled  tiles,  mutilated,  however,  in  too  many  in- 
stances by  the  hands  of  modern  relic-hunters.  The  buildings 
are  surrounded  by  gardens  fragrant  with  champa  and  orange- 
blossom,  and  gay  with  many  other  flowers.  One  can  see  that 
formerly  the  gardens  must  have  been  much  more  lovely  and 
luxuriant  than  they  now  are.  The  decay  and  ruin  were 
caused  by  the  great  siege  in  the  days  of  Aurangzib.  Extensive 
repairs  have  been  carried  out  by  Sir  Salar  Jung.  He  has 
restored  the  gardens,  and  saved  the  Tombs  from  the  destruc- 
tion which  had  gradually  been  creeping  over  them. 

We  drove  back,  as  we  had  come,  in  one  of  the  Nizam's 
carriages — a  drag  drawn  by  four  horses,  cleverly  managed 
by  the  chief  coachman  (an  Englishman,  named  Ulett),  who 


36  A    CURIOUS  ROCK 


twisted  his  steeds  about  in  the  most  marvellous  way,  especially 
in  the  garden  before  starting,  where  they  might  have  been 
said  to  have  '  turned  on  a  sixpence.'  I  occupied  the  box- 
seat  coming  home,  and  enjoyed  the  delicious  freshness  of  the 
evening  air,  among  the  picturesque  rocks  which  rose  up  on 
either  side.  One  of  these,  called  'One  Gun  Bock,'  looks 
exactly  like  a  cannon  without  its  carriage,  resting  on  an 
elevation  and  pointed  towards  the  city.  There  is  another 
rock  with  a  similar  name  near  Secunderabad ;  but  the  re- 
semblance in  that  case  is  not  so  striking. 

In  the  evening  we  dined  with  a  native  gentleman,  who 
spoke  English  fairly  well,  and  gave  us  a  sumptuous  repast 
in  European  fashion.  Besides  a  multitude  of  chandeliers  in 
his  house,  he  had  a  billiard-table  with  glass  legs,  and  splendid 
red  satin  chairs  also  with  glass  arms  and  legs.  The  view  from 
the  roof,  to  which  we  ascended  after  dinner,  over  the  city, 
bathed  in  the  light  of  the  full  moon,  was  really  beautiful  and 
quite  romantic.  On  leaving,  our  host  handed  each  of  us  a 
little  flacon  of  most  delicious  attar  of  roses. 


Gun   Rock 


The  following  morning  we  were  called  at  five  o'clock,  and 
by  seven  were  driving  towards  Secunderabad,  five  or  six  miles 
distant,  On  leaving  the  Kesidency,  which  stands  in  the  suburb 
of  Chadar  Ghat,  about  a  mile  to  the  north-west  of  the  city  ^ 


37 


we  drove  through  the  city  of  Hyderabad,  where  the  popu- 
lation is  mainly  Mahomedan,  and  afterwards  through  the 


One -tree   Hill 

outlying  suburbs  and  villages,  chiefly  inhabited  by  Hindoos. 
Two  miles  north  of  Secunderabad  is  Trimulgherry,  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Hyderabad  Subsidiary  Force,  and  a  very  im- 
portant military  station  for  European  troops,  the  city  of 
Secunderabad  itself  being  garrisoned  by  native  troops.  One- 
tree  Hill  is  not  very  far  from  here,  called  after  the  solitary 
palm-tree  standing  in  the  midst  of  a  mass  of  rocks.  Passing 
the  city,  we  came  to  the  barracks  of  the  /th  Hussars,  and 
then  to  Bolarum,  where  the  Resident  lives  during  the  rainy 
season.  His  house  is  quite  charming  with  its  handsome  ball- 
room, numerous  lawn-tennis  grounds,  and  well-kept  gardens, 
in  which  we  gathered  violets  and  roses.  The  breeze  was  quite 
invigorating,  the  difference  between  the  air  here  and  at 
Hyderabad  being  very  remarkable,  considering  that  this  is 
only  200  feet  higher.  The  view  from  the  top  of  the  house, 


MIR  A  LAM  TANK 


towards  Byharn's  Monument  and  the  quarters  of  the  Hydera- 
bad Contingent,  was  also  interesting,  the  landscape  resembling 
burnt-up,  brown,  breezy  '  down '  country,  and  reminding  us 
all  of  Sussex.  . 

We  drove  back  to  the  Residency  to  breakfast  and  there  sat 
quietly  and  read  all  the  morning  in  our  pleasant  rooms.  Late 
in  the  afternoon  we  drove  to  the  tank  of  Mir  Alani,  where 
a  brother  of  Sir  Salar  Jung  was  waiting  for  us  in  a  steam- 
launch,  in  which  we  made  little  voyages  up  and  down  the  so- 
called  '  tank,'  which  was  in  fact  an  artificial  lake  twenty  miles  in 
circumference,  and  covering  an  area  of  10,000  acres.  Every- 
body went  into  raptures  over  the  scenery,  which  was  not 
unlike  the  tamer  parts  of  Loch  Duich 


A   HUNTING  EXPEDITION  39 

or  Loch  Carron,  in  Scotland,  with  the  addition  of  an  occa- 
sional mosque  or  tomb  perched  on  the  rocky  heights.  It 
was  extremely  pleasant,  steaming  slowly  about ;  and,  as  the 
sun  went  down,  gorgeous  effects  were  produced  behind  the 
rocks  and  hills.  Prettier  still  when  it  became  dark  and  the 
lights  began  to  twinkle  on  the  hill-sides,  and  in  the  tents, 
pitched  in  readiness  for  a  dinner  party  to  be  given  by  Sir 
Salar  Jung  this  evening.  The  drive  home  through  the 
densely  crowded  tortuous  streets  was  most  amusing ;  though 
one  never  ceased  wondering  how  the  drivers,  even  with  the  aid 
of  the  active  syces,  managed  to  avoid  running  over  somebody, 
so  thoroughly  careless  did  the  throng  of  people  appear  of  their 
own  safety. 

The  next  day,  February  nth,  we  were  again  awakened  at 
a  very  early  hour,  and  drove  off  to  a  spot  in  the  Nizam's  pre- 
serves, about  six  miles  distant,  where  we  were  met  by  elephants, 
bullock  and  horse-tongas,  and  two  cheetahs  in  carts,  in  readi- 
ness for  the  projected  black-buck  hunting  expedition.  Our 
guides  strongly  recommended  us  to  select  tongas  instead  of 
elephants  as  the  mode  of  conveyance,  saying  that  the 
black-buck  have  been  so  frequently  hunted  of  late  that  they 
are  alarmed  at  the  sight  of  elephants.  This  advice  proved 
good,  for  we  soon  afterwards  found  ourselves  close  to  four  fine 
animals.  The  cheetah  which  was  to  be  first  let  loose,  and 
which  was  carried  on  one  of  the  tongas,  became  much  ex- 
cited, though  he  was  blindfolded  by  a  leathern  mask  and  not 
allowed  to  see  his  prey  until  quite  close  to  it.  He  stood  up 
in  the  cart  lashing  his  tail,  and  now  and  then  curling  it 
round  the  neck  of  the  driver  like  a  huge  boa.  When  at  last 
he  was  set  free  he  darted  forward  and,  after  crouching  behind 
a  hillock  waiting  his  opportunity,  made  a  tremendous  spring 
right  on  to  the  back  of  a  buck,  striking  the  poor  animal  such 
a  blow  on  the  side  of  the  head  that  it  must  have  been  paralysed 
before  the  cruel  teeth  of  the  cheetah  seized  its  throat.  It  was 


THE-  CHEETAH 


a  splendid  exhibition  of  brute  strength  and  agility ;    but  I 
carefully  kept  far  enough  away  not  to  see  any  of  the  painful 


details  which  are  inseparable  from  such  sport,  and  which  must, 
to  me,  always  mar  the  pleasures  of  the  chase. 

Proceeding  in  another  direction,  we  soon  came  across 
a  large  herd  of  black-buck ;  but  the  elephants  had  by  this 
time  caught  us  up,  and  the  moment  the  deer  perceived  the 
huge  creatures  they  bounded  away.  The  elephants  were 
therefore  left  behind  with  the  horses,  and  we  all  seated  our- 
selves on  the  tongas,  creeping  in  this  way  quite  near  a  herd 
of  forty  or  fifty  does,  with  six  or  eight  fine  bucks  feeding 
with  them.  At  one  of  these  bucks  the  second  and  smaller 


• 


;:v»        , 


THE    VICTIM  41 


cheetah  was  let  go ;  but  he  could  not  make  up  his  mind 
which  buck  to  try  for,  whereby  he  lost  both  his  opportunity 
and  his  temper,  and  went  off  sulkily  into  the  jungle,  from 
which  his  keeper  had  considerable  difficulty  in  recapturing 
him. 

We  had  in  the  meantime  gone  on  with  the  first  cheetah 
till  we  came  to  a  herd  of  about  eighty  black-buck,  and 
they  allowed  us  to  approach  pretty  close  to  them  before 
starting  off  at  a  good  round  trot.  The  largest  buck  took 
alarm,  and  was  out  of  sight  in  a  moment ;  but  by  making  a 
detour  we  managed  to  get  near  the  others,  and  the  cheetah 
was  once  more  set  free.  After  a  moment's  hesitation  he 
fixed  his  attention  upon  the  finest  of  the  bucks  in  sight,  and 
after  a  short  gallop  in  pursuit  made  a  tremendous  spring 
upon  his  prey.  This  time,  however,  the  cheetah  missed  his 
mark,  and,  falling  short,  rolled  over  ignominiously  in  the 


dust.  Recovering  himself  in  an  instant,  he  made  another 
and  more  successful  spring,  and  despatched  the  poor  buck 
with  the  usual  quick,  lightning-like  stroke  of  the  paw.  The 


42  A   PLEASANT  BREAKFAST 


force  with  which  the  cheetah  strikes  his  victim  is  marvellous. 
I  have  heard  that  a  tiger  can  in  the  same  way  crush  the  head 
of  a  water-buffalo  like  an  egg-shell ;  and  the  power  of  the 
cheetah's  paw  must  be  little  less  in  proportion.  It  is,  of 
course,  well  known  that  the  tiger's  retractile  claws  are  like 
those  of  a  cat,  whereas  the  cheetah  has  toe-nails  similar  to 
those  of  a  dog. 

The  drive  back  to  the  Residency  seemed  long  and  hot,  and 
I  was  glad  to  rest  awhile  after  our  early  excursion.  Later  in 
the  forenoon  we  drove  through  the  city,  this  time  behind  a 
team  of  Austrian  greys,  on  our  way  to  breakfast  with  Sir  Salar 
Jung  at  the  Barah  Dari  Palace.  Sir  Salar  is  Prime  Minister 
to  the  present  Nizam,  and  is  the  son  of  the  eminent  Indian 
statesman  whose  spare  figure,  clever  face,  well-cut  clothes, 
and  snowy  turban  were  seen  often  during  his  visit  to  London 
twelve  years  ago.  He  received  us  very  pleasantly,  and 
showed  us  over  his  palace,  built  around  a  fine  courtyard, 
with  elaborately  carved  marble  seats  at  intervals.  The 
palace  itself  contains  quantities  of  European  chandeliers, 
musical  boxes,  portraits  in  oil  of  past  Nizams,  Maharajahs, 
and  Governors-General.  Sir  Salar  has  also  a  fine  collection 
of  Indian  arms,  and  we  were  shown  the  skin  of  an  enormous 
tiger  killed  by  himself  only  last  week. 

Breakfast  was  served  in  a  most  delightful  verandah  over- 
looking a  courtyard  with  flashing  fountains  and  green  and 
shady  trees,  the  table  being  prettily  decorated,  and  the  meal 
arranged  in  the  most  approved  European  fashion. 

Afterwards  we  returned  to  the  Piesidency,  and  the  hottest 
hours  of  the  day  were  spent  in  reading  and  writing.  At  four 
o'clock  I  again  drove  out  with  Mr.  Furdonji  Jamsetjee,  the 
Minister's  private  secretary,  passing  through  the  picturesque 
and  interesting  native  bazaars.  The  narrow  whitewashed 
streets  lined  with  little  shops,  gaily  decorated  with  gold  and 
bright  colours,  form  a  fitting  background  to  the  smartly 


PROCESSIONS  43 


dressed  groups  moving  about  among  them.  We  did  not 
pause  to  make  any  purchases,  but  stopped  the  carriage  at 
many  points  to  admire  the  motley  crowd  and  the  curious 
and  beautiful  mosques  and  temples. 

We  were  fortunate  enough  to  meet  two  processions,  one 
literally  a  'wedding  march,'  and  the  other  a  numerous  com- 
pany of  Hindoo  worshippers.  First  came  a  noisy,  turbulent 
crowd  of  native  soldiery,  escorting  a  young  man  mounted  on 
a  very  fat  horse,  dressed  in  gorgeous  Idiicob,  with  eight  people 
holding  an  enormous  umbrella  over  him.  This  proved  to  be 
the  bridegroom,  and  he  was  followed  by  many  elephants  and 
camels.  As  for  the  unfortunate  bride,  she  was  immured  in  a 
closely  covered  palanquin  decorated  with  red  velvet  and  gold. 
How  she  could  live  and  breathe  and  have  her  being  in  such  an 
airless  box  will  always  be  a  mystery  to  me,  for  we  were  gasp- 
ing for  breath  in  our  open  carriage.  The  second  procession 
consisted  of  many  more  elephants  and  camels,  with  the  addi- 
tion of  bands  of  brass  and  other  noisy  instruments.  The 
central  figure  of  this  cavalcade  seemed  to  be  an  old  priest 
carrying  on  his  head  a  bulky  package  wrapped  in  green  cloth, 
which,  I  heard,  was  an  offering  to  be  made  in  an  adjacent 
temple. 

Hyderabad  is  unlike  any  other  city  I  have  yet  seen  in 
India,  and,  indeed,  is  said  to  resemble  no  other  Eastern 
town.  Nowhere,  not  even  in  the  seaports,  is  there  so  mixed 
a  population.  As  Mr.  Edwin  Arnold  says,  '  You  see  the 
Arab,  short  and  square,  with  his  silver-bound  matchlock  and 
daggers  ;  the  black-faced  Sidi ;  the  Eobilla,  with  blue  caftan 
and  blunderbuss  ;  the  Pathan ;  the  Afghan,  dirty  and  long- 
haired ;  the  Eajput,  with  his  shield  of  oiled  and  polished 
hide ;  Persians,  Bokhara  men,  Turks,  Mahrattas,  Madrasses, 
Parsees,  and  others/  The  people  are  all  allowed  to  carry 
arms — a  privilege  of  which  they  fully  avail  themselves,  evi- 
dently regarding  daggers,  knives,  matchlocks,  and  a  sword 


44 


HYDERABAD 


or  two,  as  fit  finery  for  festivities  and  merry-makings  of  every 
kind. 

Notwithstanding  their  ferocious  appearance,  the  people  of 
Hyderabad  are  not  more  quarrelsome  or  turbulent  than  those 
of  other  cities,  and  recourse  is  very  seldom  had  to  these 
swords,  daggers,  or  guns.  The  inlaying  of  arms  and  the  sale 


of  so-called  ancient  weapons  to  curiosity-collectors  is,  natu- 
rally, one  of  the  specialities  of  Hyderabad.  An  immense 
quantity  were  brought  to  the  Eesidency  this  morning  for  our 
inspection,  and  they  made  a  glittering  display  in  the  marble 
portico.  Among  them  were  swords  with  watered  blades, 


THE  ELEPHANTS'  BATH  45 


called  johurdas,  and  worth  several  hundreds  of  pounds ;  be- 
sides innumerable  scimitars  of  every  shape,  rapiers,  blunder- 
busses, and  exquisitely  ornamented  but  treacherous-looking 
daggers  and  other  stabbing  instruments. 

It  has  amused  us  much  during  our  stay  here  to  watch  the 
elephants  taking  their  baths.  The  Nizam  owns  three  hundred 
of  these  big  beasts,  and  all  the  nobles  possess  elephants  in 
proportion  to  their  rank  and  wealth.  The  huge  creatures  are 
driven  down  to  the  river  night  and  morning,  and  it  was  most 
curious  to  see  the  unwieldy  animals  lay  themselves  flat  down 
on  their  sides  in  the  shallow  water,  so  that  nothing  but  a 
small  island  of  body,  so  to  speak,  was  visible,  while  an  occa- 
sional lazy  switch  of  tail  or  wave  of  trunk  indicated  the 
languid  feeling  of  pleasure  and  contentment  enjoyed  by  the 
bathers.  Their  keepers,  helped  by  a  small  boy  who  clam- 
bered up  their  steep  sides,  assisted  the  cleansing  process  by 
scrubbing  them  vigorously  with  a  sort  of  stable-broom.  As 
soon  as  one  side  was  thoroughly  cleaned  the  boy  jumped  off, 
and  at  the  word  of  command,  with  a  tremendous  upheaval, 
and  amid  a  great  displacement  of  water,  the  huge  beast 
flopped  down  again  on  its  cleansed  side,  uttering  a  prodigious 
grunt  of  satisfaction,  and  quite  ready  for  the  same  process  to 
be  repeated.  Such  a  splashing  was  never  seen ;  especially 
when,  as  chanced  to  be  the  case  whilst  we  were  driving 
past,  fifteen  elephants  were  taking  their  baths  at  the  same 
time.  I  felt  quite  afraid  that  one  little  baby  elephant,  who 
had  timidly  followed  its  mother,  would  be  overwhelmed  and 
drowned  by  the  wallowing  and  flounderings  of  the  older 
animals. 

Saturday,  February  I2tlt. — Our  early  expeditions  of  the 
last  two  mornings  have  been  so  tiring,  that  I  determined  to 
remain  quietly  at  home  to-day  until  it  was  time  to  go  to 
breakfast  with  the  Nizam  at  eleven  o'clock.  At  half-past 
ten  his  Highness's  beautiful  coaches  came  for  us ;  and — Mr. 

G 


46  PALACE   OF   THE  NIZAM 

Cordery  and  I  leading  the  way — we  drove  through  the 
Chowk,  one  of  the  broadest  streets  of  the  city,  to  the  palace. 
This  is  reached  through  the  stables ;  and  the  horses,  evi- 
dently waiting  inspection,  were  standing  with  their  heads  out 
of  the  doors  of  their  boxes ;  their  grooms,  in  yellow  tunics, 
blue  trousers,  and  red  wraist-bands  much  trimmed  with  silver, 
being  stationed  at  the  animals'  heads.  At  one  corner  of  the 
quadrangle  in  which  the  stables  are  built  is  a  passage  leading 
to  a  second  and  larger  square,  crowded  by  numbers  of  the 
Nizam's  retainers.  We  passed  through  this  to  a  third  court- 
yard (said  to  cover  as  much  ground  as  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields), 
and  there  alighted,  at  the  bottom  of  a  fine  flight  of  marble 
steps,  overlooking  a  charming  garden  with  the  usual  tank 
in  the  centre.  The  effect  was,  however,  rather  spoilt  to 
European  eyes  by  a  very  ill-cast  bronze  figure,  holding  in  its 
hand  a  large  coloured  air-ball,  such  as  are  sold  in  the  streets 
of  London  for  a  penny  each.  The  Nizam  (now  about  twenty- 
one  years  of  age)  is  so  delighted  with  these  balls  that  he  has 
ordered  two  hundred  of  them,  so  that  when  one  explodes  it 
may  be  replaced  immediately. 

From  the  entrance-hall,  marble  corridors,  from  which  hung 
handsome  glass  chandeliers,  led  into  the  centre  room  of  a 
fine  suite  of  apartments,  where  the  Nizam  shortly  afterwards 
joined  us.  At  breakfast  I  sat  between  his  Highness  and  his 
chief  aide-de-camp,  neither  of  whom  touched  anything,  except 
a  glass  of  iced  water  and  a  cup  of  tea,  during  the  whole  of  a 
very  long  meal.  Subsequently  the  Nizam  kindly  caused  all 
his  best  horses  and  ponies  to  be  brought  to  the  foot  of  the 
marble  steps  for  us  to  see.  There  were  Arabs  of  high  degree, 
thoroughbred  English  horses,  and  very  good-looking  Walers 
among  them,  besides  some  tiny  ponies,  four  of  which,  when 
harnessed  together,  drew  a  real  Cinderella  coach  of  solid  silver. 
Although  I  delighted  in  looking  at  these  beautiful  animals,  I 
became  so  tired  that  I  had  to  make  my  escape.  Some  of 


AN  INTERESTING    VISIT  47 


the  party  stayed  and  went  through  the  stables,  harness-rooms, 
and  coach-houses,  which  must,  from  their  account,  have  been 
well  worth  seeing.  They  were  especially  struck  by  the  perfect 
training  of  the  horses,  who  seemed  as  docile  as  kittens,  and 
would  jump  in  and  out  of  their  stalls,  take  a  straw  out  of  their 
groom's  mouth,  and  when  told  to  '  go '  would  dash  off  wildly 
round  the  garden  (to  the  great  detriment  of  the  flowers  and 
plants),  returning  instantly  to  their  stables  at  the  word  of 
command. 

From  the  Nizam's  palace  I  drove  to  see  the  wife  of  the 
Finance  Minister,  Mehdi  Ali — an  intelligent  lady,  who  speaks 
English  wonderfully  well ;  in  fact,  she  expressed  herself  so  per- 
fectly that  it  was  difficult  to  believe  she  had  scarcely  spoken 
a  word  of  our  language  for  more  than  a  year  and  a  half.  It 
seemed  sad  to  hear  that  she  never  went  out,  because  she  did 
not  care  to  go  \  covered  up,'  and  that  such  had  been  the 
seclusion  of  her  existence,  that  she  scarcely  knew  any  ani- 
mals by  sight,  except  from  pictures,  and  had  no  pets,  except, 
as  she  said,  '  pet  books.'  She  showed  me  the  books  gained 
as  prizes  at  college  by  her  two  nephews,  with  evident  appre- 
ciation of  their  contents,  one  being  Prescott's  '  History  of 
America,'  and  the  other  a  translation  of  Homer's  '  Iliad.'  I 
parted  with  her  after  receiving  the  usual  garland  of  honour 
on  leaving,  feeling  grateful  that  Providence  had  not  placed 
me  behind  a  purdah,  but  had  allowed  me  to  go  about  and  see  the 
world  for  myself  instead  of  having  to  look  at  it  through  other 
people's  eyes. 

The  midday  heat  was  so  great  that  we  gladly  rested  at  the 
Eesidency  until  it  became  time  to  go  to  tea  with  Khurseed  Jah, 
whose  house  is  only  a  little  distance  off.  We  were  received  at 
the  entrance  to  the  garden  by  our  host  and  his  son,  who  led 
us  to  a  marble  platform  by  the  side  of  a  tank  on  which  three 
boats  were  floating.  One  of  these  had  the  name  of  '  Sun- 
beam '  painted  upon  it  ;  but  the  compliment  must  have  been 


48 


AQUATICS 


paid  some  time  ago,  for  both  boat  and  paint  looked  decidedly 
shabby.  On  a  marble  platform  in  the  centre  of  the  tank  a 
band  was  playing.  My  little  girls  embarked  for  a  row  in  the 
boat,  discarding  the  services  of  the  four  boatmen  who,  ap- 
parently disliking,  like  Othello, 
"1  to  find  '  their  occupation  gone,' 

jumped  into  the  water  and  swam 
after  them.     Their  black  heads 


and  copper  -  coloured 
shoulders  looked  so 
funny  following  the  er- 
ratic movements  of  the 
boat! 

We  were  offered  ices,  tea,  coffee,  and  other  good  things, 
whilst  the  band  played  its  liveliest  airs.  Presently  old- 
fashioned  bath-chairs  arrived  to  take  us  up  by  an  avenue  of 
palms  to  the  house,  where  the  Nawab  showed  us  photographs 


S7X  SALAR  JUNG  49 


and  portraits  of  various  distinguished  people,  and — with 
natural  pride — the  preparations  he  is  making  for  a  Jubilee 
dinner  on  the  i6th,  when  he  will  entertain  300  guests  in  a 
spacious  marquee.  The  whole  place  is  now  encumbered  with 
bullock-carts,  bringing  up  stores,  provisions,  and  wines  for 
this  great  occasion. 

The  Nawab  earnestly  pressed  us  to  fix  a  day  on  which  he 
might  be  allowed  to  entertain  us ;  but  want  of  time  made  this 
hospitable  plan  impossible.  On  parting  he  presented  us  each 
with  a  bouquet,  as  well  as  with  the  usual  bottles  of  scent,  the 
number  of  which  varies,  I  observe,  according  to  the  position 
of  the  recipient.  On  these  occasions  I  find  my  number  is 
generally  eight,  but  occasionally  only  six  ;  while  some  of  the 
party  get  four,  and  others  the  still  more  modest  allotment  of 
two  bottles  apiece.  The  drive  home,  through  the  cool  air 
beneath  the  bright  stars,  amid  the  twinkling  lights,  and  the 
cries  and  '  chatterification '  of  birds  going  to  bed,  as  well  as 
the  flutter  of  flying-foxes  skimming  overhead  as  they  hurried 
forth  on  their  nocturnal  predatory  expeditions,  was  really  the 
pleasantest  part  of  the  day. 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  dinner  party  at  the  Residency, 
which  included  Sir  Salar  Jung,  his  brother  Mooner-ul-Mulk, 
and  several  European  guests.  Sir  Salar  is  of  gigantic  physical 
proportions,  and  well  merits  his  sobriquet  of  '  mountain- 
man.'  He  has  been  a  great  deal  in  England,  and  is  well 
acquainted  with  European  manners  and  customs.  Colonel 
Marshall,  another  of  the  guests,  who  since  the  retirement  of 
the  Nizam's  former  tutor  has  acted  as  his  Highness's  private 
political  adviser,  will  be  a  great  addition  to  the  English  element 
in  Hyderabad.  He  has  already  occupied  a  similar  position 
with  the  Rajah  of  Chumba,  and  has  thus  gained  much  expe- 
rience to  fit  him  for  his  delicate  task  here.  There  are  many 
private  cabals  and  intrigues  among  the  nobles,  as  well  as 
among  the  relatives  of  the  Nizam,  and  little  interest  is  taken 


50  DEPARTURE  FROM  HYDERABAD 


in  the  administration  of  public  affairs.  Many  amusing  stories 
are  related  of  the  inevitable  rivalry  between  the  nobles,  and  I 
was  told  that,  one  of  them  having  assumed  the  title  of  '  Glory 
of  the  Sun,'  his  nearest  relative  and  rival  immediately  capped 
it  by  taking  upon  himself  the  transcendent  appellation  of 
'  Glory  of  the  Heavens.' 

On  the  morning  of  February  1 3th  we  had  to  get  up  very 
early  in  order  to  start  for  Bombay  via  Poonah,  all  our  luggage 
having  been  sent  to  the  station  overnight.  Unfortunately 
our  little  party  now  comprises  two  invalids,  for  Mr.  McLean 
has  been  ill  for  some  days  past,  while  Mr.  des  Graz  is  suffer- 
ing from  a  touch  of  sunstroke.  Before  starting,  Mr.  Cordery 
took  us  round  the  beautiful  garden  of  the  Residency  to  see 
the  preparations  to  celebrate  the  Jubilee.  The  outline  of 
the  house  is  to  be  illuminated  with  butties,  little  earthen- 
ware or  glass  pots  filled  with  wicks  floating  in  cocoa-nut 
oil,  like  those  used  at  South  Kensington.  The  grounds 
are  also  to  be  lighted  up  with  pretty  arcades  formed  of 
palms,  and  hung  with  lanterns  ;  while  beyond  the  garden  is 
a  large  open  space,  where  quantities  of  fireworks  are  to  be 
let  off. 

By  Colonel  Marshall's  desire,  Ulett  brought  the  Nizam's 
state  coach — a  huge  canary-coloured,  boat-shaped  vehicle,  hung 
on  the  most  elastic  of  Gee  springs,  with  solid  silver  railings, 
trimmings,  and  canopy  supports — to  convey  us  to  the  station. 
The  coachman  wore  a  canary-coloured  livery  (the  royal  colour 
of  Hyderabad)  stiff  with  silver  brocade  ;  and  the  eight  attend- 
ants were  dressed  in  yellow,  blue,  and  red  costumes.  There 
were  several  other  state  carriages,  so  that  we  formed  quite  a 
little  procession ;  and  just  as  we  reached  the  station  Afsur 
Jung,  the  Nizam's  aide-de-camp,  drove  up  to  bid  us  farewell, 
in  a  pretty  little  dog-cart  drawn  by  four  Pegu  ponies.  At  8.45 
precisely  the  train  steamed  off,  after  much  hand-shaking  and 
many  good  wishes  from  a  large  group  of  kind  friends,  wrho 


POONAH 


5' 


had  each  and  all  brought  nosegays,  so  that  the  saloon  was 
turned  for  that  day  into  a  perfect  garden. 

We  breakfasted  comfortably  in  the  train  ;  but  later  the  sun 
began  to  blaze  down  so  fiercely  upon  us,  that  I  fear  our  two  in- 
valids must  have  found  the  heat  and  the  shaking  of  the  car- 
riages rather  trying.  We  reached  Wadi  at  three  o'clock,  and 
Hingoli  about  seven  in  the  evening — very  tired.  This  is  the 
junction  for  Bijapur,  one  of  the  most  ancient  cities  of  India, 
and  once  the  capital  of  the  Deccan.  Its  walls  are  of  immense 
extent,  and  it  is  guarded  by  a  fort  six  miles  in  circumference. 
In  fact,  what  is  now 
called  the  city  is  only 
the  ruins  of  that  por- 
tion of  it  which  used 
to  be  enclosed  within 
the  fort.  The  mosques 
and  tombs  are  of  great 
interest,  and  I  am 
sorry  there  was  not 
time  to  visit  them. 
The  mosque  and  tomb 
of  Ibrahim  Rozah  are 
said  to  be  unsurpassed 
by  anything  of  the 
kind  in  India.  They  are,  however,  carefully  described  by 
Mr.  Fergusson  in  his  '  History  of  Architecture  ; '  and  he  also 
gives  full  details  about  the  many  fine  ruins  of  Bijapur, 
including  the  Gol  Gumbaz,  or  Bound  Dome — a  mausoleum 
built  in  honour  of  Sultan  Muhammad  VII.— the  Cathedral 
Mosque,  and  the  Ark,  or  Citadel. 

On  Monday,  February  I4th,  at  5  A.M.,  we  reached  Poonah, 
the  capital  of  the  Mahratta  country,  1 20  miles  distant  from 
Bombay.  Here  we  were  shunted  into  a  siding,  where  Dr. 
Hoffmeister  soon  joined  us,  bringing  good  news  of  all  on  board 


No  Coal 


52  GANESH  KHIND 


the  '  Sunbeam,'  which  had  had  a  splendid  passage  of  fifty-two 
hours  down  from  Kurrachee  to  Bombay,  making  the  shortest 
run  on  record  entirely  under  sail.  He  also  eased  our  minds 
by  his  favourable  opinion  of  our  invalids,  though  his  exami- 
nation could  be  but  superficial. 

Mr.  Crawford,  the  Commissioner,  appeared  about  eight 
o'clock,  with  several  carriages,  and  kindly  insisted  upon  our 
spending  the  day  at  his  house,  which,  I  need  scarcely  say,  was 
a  very  pleasant  plan.  He  first  took  us  for  a  drive  round  the 
city  to  the  Government  House,  called  Ganesh  Khind,  where 
the  Governor  of  Bombay  lives  for  several  months  in  the  year. 
It  was  delicious  to  stroll  about  the  charming  grounds,  but  it 
was  equally  pleasant  to  return  to  breakfast  at  the  Commis- 
sioner's bungalow,  which  stands  on  the  banks  of  the  Mula 
Biver.  Mr.  Crawford  is  a  great  horticulturist,  and  has  sur- 
rounded his  dwelling  with  a  beautiful  garden,  filled  with  a 
profusion  of  all  sorts  of  acclimatised  plants,  flowers,  trees, 
and  fruits.  The  crotons,  dracsenas,  and  ferns  seemed 
particularly  fine,  and  two  arcades  of  bamboo  trellis  leading 
from  the  house  to  the  river-bank  made  very  pretty  features  in 
the  sylvan  scene. 

A  poultry-yard  stands  next  to  the  garden,  filled  at  this 
moment  by  a  great  many  fowls,  all  ready  for  the  Poultry  Show 
next  week.  I  had  heard  of  this  Show  a  few  weeks  ago,  and 
was  much  pleased  to  see  some  of  my  own  birds,  which  I 
had  sent  for  from  the  yacht,  holding  their  own  against  fine 
specimens  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  They  had,  of  course, 
originally  been  brought  from  England  for  the  prosaic  purpose 
of  forming  an  addition  to  our  larder,  a  fate  from  which  they 
have  happily  escaped,  as  they  will  not  now  return  to  the 
'  Sunbeam.'  There  was  also  a  miniature  zoological-garden, 
containing  a  numerous  collection  of  deer  and  smaller  animals, 
including  a  sweet  little  monkey,  with  which  the  children,  of 
course,  immediately  fell  in  love. 


At  breakfast  we 
had  the  unexpected 
pleasure  of  meeting 
our  old  friends  Major 
and  Mrs.  Hannay.  He 
is  now  aide-de-camp 
to  the  Duke  of  Con- 
naught,  and,  directly 
our  meal  was  over, 


54  '    THE  BALL  AT  POONAH 

he  had  to  hurry  off  to  look  after  the  preparations  for  the  ball 
which  is  to  be  given  by  H.E.H.  to-night  in  honour  of  the 
Jubilee.  The  date  of  this  ball  was  only  fixed  twenty-four 
hours  ago,  and  there  is  naturally  a  great  deal  to  be  done, 
though  people  in  India  seem  to  take  these  sudden  arrange- 
ments quite  as  a  matter  of  course.  The  Duke  and  Duchess 
of  Connaught  had  graciously  telegraphed  to  Hyderabad  to 
ask  us  to  stay  at  Poonah  for  the  ball ;  so,  though  difficult 
to  manage,  we  have  decided  to  remain  for  the  earlier  part  at 
any  rate,  and  to  leave  by  the  1 1  P.M.  train,  which  will  bring  us 
to  Bombay  early  to-morrow  morning. 

After  the  usual  siesta  and  five  o'clock  tea,  I  went  with 
the  Commissioner  to  attend  a  meeting  of  the  ladies'  com- 
mittee of  the  Poultry  Show,  held  in  a  tent  on  the  spot 
where  the  Show  is  to  take  place.  All  the  arrangements 
seemed  excellent,  and  there  was  nothing  for  me  to  do  but 
to  express  warm  approval.  We  then  went  for  a  short 
drive  through  the  principal  streets  of  Poonah,  which  in- 
cludes a  picturesque  native  town,  besides  charming  suburbs 
where  the  bungalows  are  half  buried  in  gardens.  The  well- 
known  Bund  Boad,  surrounded  by  hills,  has  been  so  often 
and  so  well  described  that  it  would  be  absurd  for  me  to 
attempt  to  say  anything  about  it  after  the  hasty  glimpse 
caught  during  the  pleasant  drives  of  this  morning  and  after- 
noon. 

Directly  after  dinner  we  went  in  an  open  carriage  to  the 
ball  at  the  Gymkhana.  The  bright  lights  and  lamps  of  a  long 
row  of  carriages  waiting  outside  made  a  pretty  and  animated 
scene  as  we  drove  up.  The  guests  were  received  at  the 
entrance  to  the  ball-room  by  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Con- 
naught.  H.B.H.  danced  the  first  quadrille  with  me,  and 
the  next  two  with  Mabelle  and  Maude  Laurence.  We  were 
pressed  to  prolong  our  stay  until  to-morrow ;  this  was,  unfor- 
tunately, impossible,  for  we  are  already  overdue  in  Bombay, 


RETURN  TO  BOMBAY  55 

At  a  quarter  to  eleven  I  left  the  ball-room,  and  the  young 
ladies  followed  shortly  afterwards.  We  went  straight  to  the 
station,  and,  re-entering  the  train,  were  again  shunted  on  to 
the  main  line,  starting  at  last  on  the  final  stage  of  our  journey 
to  Bombay, 


CHAPTEE   III. 
BOMBAY. 

I  LOOKED  out  of  the  carriage  window  for  some  time 
upon  the  distant  ghauts,  and  the  nearer  and  fantastically 
shaped  rocks  with  their  tropical  vegetation,  now  bathed 
in  moonlight,  until  at  last  I  happily  dropped  off  to  sleep, 
and  remember  nothing  more  until  we  reached  Bombay  at 
7  A.M. 

There  we  found  Mr.  Kindred  and  the  men  from  the  yacht 
wraiting  to  meet  us.     Leaving  them  to  look  after  the  luggage, 


THE    TOWERS   OF  SILENCE  57 

the  Doctor  and  I  got  our  two  invalids  into  gharries,  and 
drove  at  once  to  Malabar  Point  to  stay  with  the  Governor 
and  Lady  Keay.  Tom  shortly  afterwards  appeared  and  sur- 
prised us  by  his  description  of  the  unprecedentedly  quick  run 
of  the  '  Sunbeam '  from  Kurrachee.  Then  Lady  Eeay  and 
Captain  Hamilton  came  to  welcome  us,  having  just  returned 
from  their  morning  ride.  Breakfast  over,  the  rest  of  the 
morning  was  busily  spent  in  writing  and  in  getting  things  into 
order. 

In  the  afternoon  we  drove  with  Captain  Hamilton  along 
the  Breach  Candy  road  to  the  famous  Towers  of  Silence,  or 
Parsee  cemetery,  where  we  were  met  by  Sir  Jamsetjee 
Jejeebhoy's  secretary,  who  conducted  us  over  this  most 
interesting  place  and  explained  fully  the  Parsee  method  of 
disposing  of  their  dead  and  the  religious  motives  which  led 
to  its  adoption.  Much  as  the  explanation  interested  me,  I 
will  not  repeat  it  here  ;  but  I  must  notice  the  beauty  of  the 
view  from  the  Prayer-rooms,  and  the  solemn  stillness  of  the 
garden  below,  where  the  relatives  of  the  departed  come  to 
talk  peacefully  over  their  memories.  However  admirable  the 
arrangement  may  be  from  a  sanitary  point  of  view,  I  never 
could  get  reconciled  to  the  presence  of  the  vultures,  though 
they  were  not  at  all  unpicturesque,  for  their  unwieldy 
copper- coloured  bodies  contrasted  well  with  the  massive  and 
brilliant  foliage. 

From  the  Towrers  of  Silence  we  drove  in  a  kind  of  quad- 
ruple dog-cart,  with  four  seats  facing  alternately  outwards, 
forwards,  and  backwards,  and  drawn  by  a  fiery  pair  of  horses, 
through  the  native  town  to  the  yacht.  The  view  from  the 
road,  cut,  as  it  is,  in  the  side  of  the  Malabar  hill,  was  both 
beautiful  and  striking.  It  looks  down  upon  a  perfect  sea  of 
palm-leaves,  gently  waving  in  the  breeze,  which  conceal,  save 
where  the  tower  of  some  tall  building  peeps  forth,  a  city  of 
more  than  800,000  inhabitants. 


JUBILEE  CELEBRATION 


Four  o'clock  of  the  morning  of  February  i6th  found  me 
in  the  verandah  outside  our  bungalow,  listening  to  the  roar- 
ing  of  the   cannon,  which   ushered   in   the    day  on  which 
was  to  be 
celebrated 
in      India 
the    Jubi- 
lee of  Vic- 
toria,    its 
Queen  and 

Empress. 

The  hours 

are  early  here,  and   at   a 

quarter  to  eight  Lady  Eeay, 

Captain  Gordon,  Tom,    and 

I   started   to    '  assist '  at  the 

grand  ceremony  at  the  Town 

Hall,    fol- 
lowed   la-  .    __.   „__.._ 

ter  by  the 

Governor 

and       his 

aides  -  de  - 

camp.    As 

we  neared 

the       city 

the  crowd 
became 

dressed  in 

all    appa- 

of    enthu- 


greater,  everyone  being 
holiday  attire,  and 
rently  in  a  great  state 
siasm  and  excitement. 


It  looked  like  a  many-tinted  bed  of  flowers ;  for  the  Parsee 
ladies,  unlike  their  Mahomedan  and  Hindoo  sisters,  have  no 
dislike  to  display  their  toilettes  in  public,  and  are  always 


AT  THE   TOWN  HALL  59 

clad  in  the  gayest  colours,  arranged  with  perfect  taste.  The 
only  specially  distinctive  mark  in  their  costume  is  a  rather 
unbecoming  white  band  drawn  tightly  over  the  brow.  In 
many  cases,  however,  this  had  been  judiciously  pushed  back 
so  far  as  nearly  to  disappear  under  the  bright -coloured  silk 
sari  which  only  partly  concealed  their  jet-black  and  glossy 
tresses.  Every  Parsee  has  to  wear  the  sacred  shirt  of 
cotton  gauze,  and  the  Kusti,  or  cord  of  seventy-two  woollen 
threads,  representing,  like  the  divisions  of  the  Towers  of 
Silence,  the  numbers  of  the  chapters  of  one  of  the  sacred 
books. 

Near  the  Town  Hall  the  scene  became  still  more  ani- 
mated, and  the  applause  of  the  multitude,  though  much  more 
subdued  in  tone  than  the  roar  of  an  English  crowd,  was  quite 
as  enthusiastic.  The  men  from  H.M.S.  'Bacchante'  lined 
the  approaches  to  the  building,  and  the  Bombay  Volunteers 
acted  as  a  guard-of-honour.  We  were  ushered  into  the 
gallery,  where  chairs  were  placed  for  Lady  Eeay  and  myself 
close  to  the  Governor's  throne.  The  sight  from  this  '  coign 
of  vantage '  was  indeed  imposing.  Immediately  in  front 
stretched  a  fine  flight  of  steps,  covered  with  red  cloth,  and 
crowded  with  European  and  native  officials  in  every  variety 
of  costume.  The  approach  to  the  steps  was  through  a  pretty 
garden,  where  the  wealth  of  tropical  vegetation  was  set  off  by 
flags  and  gaily  coloured  banners.  A  dense  crowd  of  natives 
ringed  this  enclosure  round,  whilst  lofty  houses,  their  gaily 
draped  balconies  and  windows  filled  with  bright  and  happy 
faces,  made  a  brilliant  background.  Presently  the  Governor 
was  seen  approaching,  escorted  by  his  own  bodyguard  and 
a  company  of  mounted  volunteers  (now  called  the  Bombay 
Light  Horse),  who  looked  very  picturesque  and  soldierlike  as 
they  dashed  through  the  crowd.  All  dismounted  at  the  west 
entrance  to  the  garden,  where  a  procession  was  formed,  at 
the  head  of  which  the  Governor  advanced  and,  amid  a 


6o 


TELEGRAMS  AND  ADDRESSES 


flourish  of  trumpets,  took  his  stand  in  front  of  the  throne  to 
receive  the  addresses  and  telegrams  presented  by,  or  on 
behalf  of,  various  classes  of  the  community  in  the  Bombay 
Presidency.  No  less  than  fifty-eight  congratulatory  telegrams 
from  public  bodies  in  the  Mofussil  had  been  received,  and, 
after  leave  asked  and  granted,  a  number  of  deputations  were 
introduced,  who  presented  their  documents  enclosed  in  hand- 
some caskets  or  in  kincob  bags.  Almost  the  first  telegram 
came  from  his  Highness  Aga  Sultan  Mahomed  Shah,  a 


AN  IMPRESSIVE   SCENE  61 

potentate  who  is  regarded  by  his  followers  with  great  awe 
and  reverence.  Then  followed  a  message  from  the  Rao  of 
Cutch,  enclosed  in  a  beautifully  embroidered  bag,  succeeded 
by  many  others.  Fortunately  all  save  two  were  '  taken  as 
read,'  the  exceptions  being  the  address  presented  by  the 
inhabitants  of  Bombay  and  by  the  Senate  of  the  University. 
The  presentation  of  the  caskets,  some  of  which  were  quite 
works  of  art,  occupied  a  long,  long  time.  One  casket  seemed 
to  be  covered  with  a  sort  of  lacework  of  ivory  and  ebony, 
and  was  still  further  ornamented  by  wreaths  studded  with 
gold  and  exquisitely  modelled  figures  of  elephants  and  wild 
beasts.  Others,  again,  were  of  ebony  profusely  inlaid  with 
silver. 

The  Governor's  replies  to  the  addresses  were  most  happy, 
and  evidently  touched  the  feelings  of  his  hearers.  As  he 
uttered  his  final  words  two  young  middies,  perched  on  a 
dangerous-looking  corner  of  the  parapet,  scrambled  on  to  the 
roof,  and,  at  a  given  signal,  smartly  unfurled  an  immense 
Royal  Standard,  amid  the  thunder  of  an  imperial  salute  of 
101  guns.  The  effect  of  the  whole  scene  was  deeply  im- 
pressive, as  well  as  suggestive.  I  have  seen  many  ceremonies 
both  at  home  and  abroad,  but  never  one  more  picturesque  or 
of  more  thrilling  interest. 

From  the  town  hall  we  went,  still  in  procession,  to  the 
cathedral,  which  stands  close  to  the  Elphinstone  Garden, 
where  a  musical  service  was  held.  '  God  save  the  Queen  '  was 
magnificently  rendered,  arid  the  two  specially  written  verses 
which  were  added  to  the  National  Anthem  were  most  effective. 

After  service  the  Governor  and  Lady  Reay,  with  their 
aides-de-camp,  in  one  carriage,  and  we  in  another,  returned 
to  Malabar  Point,  where  we  were  only  too  glad  to  put  off  our 
finery  and  rest  quietly  indoors  until  half-past  four,  precisely  at 
which  hour  we  had  to  resume  our  war-paint  and  go,  again  in 
procession,  to  Parel,  to  meet  their  Royal  Highnesses,  the  Duke 


62  PAREL 

and  Duchess  of  Connaught.  The  road  lay  through  the  poorer 
part  of  the  city,  but  was  made  gay  and  interesting  by  the 
crowd  of  people  through  which  we  passed,  and  by  the  pre- 
parations which  all  were  busily  making  to  take  part  in  the 
Jubilee. 

Parel  is  the  official  residence  of  the  Governor  of  Bombay ; 
much  larger  than,  but  not  nearly  so  agreeable  as,  the  house  at 
Malabar  Point ;  however,  each  successive  Governor  appears  to 
entertain  a  different  opinion  on  this  subject,  and  Lord  Reay's 
predecessor  preferred  Parel.  The  garden,  with  its  fine  trees 
and  luxuriant  vegetation,  is  pretty,  but  not  very  private ;  for  a 
Hindoo  house,  much  used  for  marriages,  stands  on  one  side  of 
the  tank  which  borders  it,  while  the  tramway  almost  touches 
it  on  the  other.  The  house  itself,  originally  a  Portuguese 
chapel  and  monastery,  is  three-storeyed,  and  contains  some 
fine  spacious  rooms.  The  present  Governor  intends  to  give 
up  Parel  for  the  use  of  the  Victoria  Technical  Institute  till  a 
more  suitable  building  can  be  found. 

In  the  adjoining  bungalow  a  substantial  tea,  with  all  sorts 
of  cooling  drinks,  was  temptingly  arranged  among  masses 
of  flowers  and  greenery.  The  servants  from  Malabar  Point 
seemed  to  have  arrived  by  magic,  and  their  picturesque 
liveries  added  much  to  the  brilliancy  of  the  scene.  The  re- 
freshments proved  not  to  be  by  any  means  useless,  for  the 
Duke  and  Duchess  of  Connaught  had  commenced  the  day  at 
Poonah  by  inspecting  the  troops  on  horseback  at  7  A.M.  ;  and 
this  was  closely  followed  by  the  opening  of  the  Poultry  Show 
and  several  other  functions,  to  say  nothing  of  a  railway 
journey  of  six  hours  in  the  heat  of  the  day  from  Poonah  to 
Bombay. 

In  a  pleasant,  informal  way,  we  were  then  told  off  to 
carriages  from  which  to  see  the  illuminations,  an  escort  of 
cavalry  and  of  the  bodyguard  being  provided  to  prevent,  as 
far  as  possible,  our  small  procession  being  broken  up  by  the 


PATTIALA    ELEPHANTS.   THE   DRIVE 


THE  ILLUMINATIONS  63 


crowd.  In  the  suburbs  the  illuminations  were  general  but 
simple  in  design.  There  was  a  more  pretentious  display  in 
front  of  the  Veterinary  Hospital,  consisting  of  transparent 
pictures  of  horses  and  cows.  This  hospital  was  established 
by  Sir  Dinshaw  Manockjee  Petit,  one  of  the  largest  mill- 
owners  of  Bombay,  who  has  received  the  honour  of  knighthood 
as  a  Jubilee  gift. 

Presently  the  crowd  became  more  numerous,  and  began  to 
run  alongside  the  carriages,  shouting,  and  carrying  blue  lights, 
a  compliment  with  which  we  could  well  have  dispensed  ;  for 
the  smoke,  the  clouds  of  powder  which  they  occasionally  threw 
into  the  air,  the  dust  raised  as  they  rushed  along,  and  the 
general  heat  and  want  of  air  in  the  narrow  streets,  had  a 
stifling  effect.  The  illuminations  were  not  only  artistically 
beautiful,  but  afforded  a  proof  that  members  of  every  religion 
and  class  had  united  to  do  honour  to  their  Sovereign.  Among 
the  most  striking  buildings  were  a  Mahomedan  Mosque,  the 
lines  of  which  were  clearly  defined  against  the  starlit  sky  by  rows 
of  pure  white  lanterns  ;  a  Hindoo  temple,  where  court  within 
court  was  lighted  in  a  simple  and  effective  manner  by  butties 
filled  with  cocoa-nut  oil ;  and  several  Jain  temples  brightly 
illuminated  with  coloured  lights.  In  the  native  quarter  the 
houses  were  lighted  up  in  the  peculiar  Indian  fashion  by 
chandeliers  suspended  from  the  windows  or  across  the  streets 
—perhaps  the  most  wonderful  part  of  the  scene. 

After  driving  through  the  crowded  streets  we  proceeded 
to  the  Apollo  Bunder — now  officially  called  the  Wellington 
Pier — to  witness  the  illumination  of  the  harbour  and  the  grand 
display  of  fireworks.  The  harbour,  with  its  thousands  and 
thousands  of  twinkling  lights,  was  a  sight  to  be  remembered. 
Even  the  little  '  Sunbeam,'  though  somewhat  overshadowed  by 
the  huge  '  Bacchante,'  displayed  with  good  effect  a  row  of 
coloured  lights  from  stem  to  stern. 

As  we  drove  home  we  much  admired  the  illumination  of 

i 


64  SHOPPING  A   L  ORIENT  ALE 

the  public  gardens  on  the  Malabar  Hill.  The  name  '  Victoria ' 
was  written  in  lines  of  fire  on  its  steep  slopes,  and  was  re- 
flected with  beautiful  effect  in  the  still  waters  of  the  bay. 

Just  before  reaching  home  the  horses  in  our  carriage  took 
to  jibbing,  and  after  nearly  being  precipitated  over  a  wall  and 
down  an  embankment  we  thought  it  better  to  get  out  and 
walk,  which  made  us  rather  late  for  dinner.  We  were  not 
alone  in  misfortune,  however,  for  another  of  the  carriages  had 
collided  with  a  tramcar  ;  and  a  horse  in  yet  another  vehicle, 
in  which  the  A.D.C.'s  were  driving,  severely  injured  itself. 

The  next  morning  (Thursday,  February  i/th)  we  were 
all  rather  late — that  is  to  say,  for  this  part  of  the  world. 
Personally,  I  began  to  work  between  seven  and  eight  o'clock, 
and  consequently  got  through  a  good  deal  before  breakfast. 
Afterwards  a  succession  of  visitors  arrived,  friendly,  compli- 
mentary, and  on  business,  among  the  latter  being  many 
tradesmen,  anxious  to  press  their  wares  upon  us.  The 
verandah  was  soon  crowded  by  box-wallahs,  who  squatted  in 
the  midst  of  their  piles  of  brilliantly  coloured  silks,  gauze,  and 
muslins,  or  arrived  laden  with  specimens  of  heavy  lacquered- 
work,  carved  ivory,  sandal-wood,  Poonah  inlaid  work,  arms, 
and  jewels.  A  verandah  at  the  back  of  the  chief  bungalow, 
containing  the  reception-rooms,  had  meanwhile  been  completely 
filled  by  a  long  table,  on  which  was  displayed  a  magnificent 
collection  of  jewels  belonging  to  a  well-known  jeweller  and 
diamond  merchant.  Brilliants  of  the  size  of  walnuts  were 
there  by  the  dozen,  side  by  side  with  huge  emeralds  ; 
bracelets  composed  of  hundreds  of  shining  gems ;  a  tiara  of 
diamonds  formerly  belonging  to  the  Empress  of  the  French ; 
rings  with  precious  stones  of  such  dimensions  that  none  but 
a  large  finger  could  wear  them ;  and  altogether  such  a  mix- 
ture of  Oriental  and  European  splendour,  and  ancient  and 
modern  fashions,  as  one  would  scarcely  have  imagined  it 
possible  to  collect  together.  We  made  no  purchases,  but  the 


THE  STATE  BALL 


wealthy  jeweller  was  quite  pleased  to  have  the  opportunity 
of  displaying  his  splendid  wares.  A  compliment  from  the 
Governor  seemed  to  satisfy  him  completely ;  and  before  we 
had  been  five  minutes  at  lunch  the  whole  of  his  valuable 
stock  was  stowed  away  in  two  or  three  common-looking  little 
boxes,  tied  up 
in  cloth,  and  so 
transported  back 
to  his  strong 
box.  I  do  not 
profess  to  be  a 
judge  of  jewels, 
but  those  who 
knew  more  of 
such  things  than 
I  did  estimated 
the  value  of  the 
collection  at  over 
a  million  ster- 
ling. 

Early  in  the 
afternoon  I  had 
to  hurry  off  to 
the  yacht  to 
receive  a  large 
party  on  board. 
In  the  evening 
a  ball  was  given 

by  the  Governor  at  Malabar  Hill.     It  was  a  brilliant  enter- 
tainment in  celebration  of  the  Jubilee. 

Everything  had  been  well  arranged  :  the  drawing-room  with 
its  perfect  floor  formed  a  beautiful  ball-room,  whilst  in  both 
verandahs  stood  plenty  of  sofas  and  lounges.  On  each  side  of 
the  house  the  garden  paths  leading  to  the  water's  edge  were 


66  'SIR  ROGER'S'  REPRIEVE 

illuminated,  fireworks  being  discharged  from  boats  at  inter- 
vals. The  ships  in  the  hjirbour  were  also  dressed  with  fire 
instead  of  bunting.  Abofe  all,  the  air  felt  deliciously  cool. 
On  one  side  of  the  house  bountiful  supper-tables,  decorated 
with  large  baskets  of  flowers,  had  been  laid  out  under  awnings 
spread  beneath  the  trees.  The  band  was  perfect,  and  though 
the  ball  was  by  no  means  over  at  that  hour,  it  must  have 
been  quite  three  o'clock  before  we  all  retired. 

On  Friday,  February  1 8th,  we  had  another  busy  morning, 
making  various  arrangements  for  sea.  Mr.  McLean  had  been 
pronounced  well  enough  to  go  home  by  to-day's  P.  &  0. 
steamer,  which  he  was  anxious  to  do,  for  he  is  to  row  in 
the  Oxford  Eight.  Pratt,  the  steward,  who  has  been  with  us 
during  our  journey  through  India,  has  been  unwell  for  some 
time  past,  and  is  therefore  recommended  by  the  Doctor  to  re- 
turn at  the  same  *rtime.  We  had  always  intended  to  send 
home  my  dear  and  clever  poodle  '  Sir  Eoger  '  from  Bombay ; 
his  place  on  the  steamer  had  been  secured,  and  all  his  little 
belongings  sent  on  board.  Mabelle  and  I  went  off  to  the  yacht 
in  the  morning.  About  three  o'clock  Tom  arrived,  and  at  once 
went  off  with  Mr.  McLean  and  Pratt.  They  found  '  Sir  Eoger ' 
already  established  on  board  the  steamer,  but  looking  so  utterly 
miserable  that,  knowing  well  how  sorry  we  were  to  part  with 
him,  Tom  insisted  on  bringing  him  back  again.  The  poor  dog 
has  seemed  quite  crestfallen  for  some  days  past,  and  yesterday, 
instead  of  remaining  quietly  in  my  room  at  Government 
House,  as  he  always  does  when  I  go  out  without  him,  he 
escaped  and  hid  himself  under  the  Governor's  chair,  only  giving 
occasional  notice  of  his  presence  by  a  short,  nervous  bark. 

After  the  departure  of  the  steamer  Mabelle  and  I  had 
only  just  sufficient  time  to  reach  Government  House  to  be 
present  at  Lady  Reay's  purdah  party,  to  which  only  ladies 
are  admitted.  The  entertainment  derives  its  name  from 
the  purdah,  or  curtain,  behind  which  Mahomedan  and  Hindoo 


THE  PURDAH  PARTY 


ladies  are  supposed  to  live,  veiled  from  the  sight  of  men. 
Lady  Reay's  visitors  were  all  dressed  in  their  best,  and 
seemed  full  of  delight  at  this  pleasant  incident  in  their  mono- 
tonous life  ;  but  their  ways  of  showing  enjoyment  were  various 
and  amusing.  Some  wanted  only  to  look  on  ;  others  were  glad 
to  talk  to  any  English  lady  who  could  converse  with  them, 
while  others  again  were  much  taken  up  with  the  sweetmeats 
and  ices.  The  behaviour  of  two  ladies  amused  me  immensely. 
Their  servant  having  awkwardly  upset  and  broken  a  glass, 
spilling  the  contents  011  the  floor,  they  immediately  flew  at 
her  and  slapped  her  so  hard  that  the  sound  of  the  blows  could 
be  plainly  heard  all  over  the  room.  The  woman  did  not  seem 
to  resent  this  treatment  in  the  least,  for  she  only  laughed 
and  proceeded  to  pick  up  the  pieces. 

Several  of  these  ladies  asked  me  to  allow  them  to  go  on 
board  the  yacht ;    and  when   the  others  found  that   I   had 


Bombay  Harbour 

promised  to  try  to  make  arrangements  to  preserve  the  purdah 
properly,  they  all  wanted  to  come.  I  found,  therefore,  there 
was  nothing  for  it  but  to  give  a  large  party  on  the  only  vacant 
day  left  to  us  before  our  departure  from  Bombay.  Mrs.  H. 
Ali  was  specially  interested  in  the  matter  when  she  found 


68 


that  we  intended  to  call,  if  possible,  at  Jinjeera  on  our  way 
to  Ceylon,  and  to  see  the  Nawab,  who  has  married  her 

}Toungest  daughter  as 
his  second  wife. 

Some  of  the  dresses 
were  quite  gorgeous, 
and  would  take  long 
to  describe.  The  Par- 
sees  looked  slim  and 
graceful  as  Greek  girls, 

Omnibus  Horse   Tope  their     SdHs     of    bright 

satin  or  silk  hanging 

in  light  folds  and  showing  the  strips  of  delicate  narrow 
embroidery  with  which  they  were  ornamented.  The  Hindoo 
ladies  draped  their  saris  around  them  ;  while  the  Maho- 
medans,  with  their  bright-coloured  trousers,  skirts,  and 
yashmaks,  made  a  vivid  contrast  to  the  other  guests.  The 
skirts  of  some  of  the  ladies  were  so  full  that  they  stuck 
out  further  than  an}-  crinoline  ever  seen,  and  must,  I  am 
sure,  have  had  more  than  a  hundred  yards  of  satin  in  them. 
When  it  was  time  to  leave,  it  was  curious  to  see  how 
closely  all  the  ladies  veiled.  Some  of  the  attendants  were 
provided  with  bundles  which  proved  to  be  immense  veils. 
These  they  threw  over  their  mistresses,  shrouding  completely 
both  face  and  figure. 

When  this  reception  was  over  I  had  to  dress  and  hurry 
down  to  the  yacht  to  receive  a  party  of  my  own  friends,  after 
which  we  all  returned  to  Malabar  Point  to  dinner. 

The  Byculla  Club  Ball,  at  which  their  Royal  Highnesses 
the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Connaught  were  present,  took  place 
in  the  evening ;  a  splendid  affair,  held  in  spacious  well- 
arranged  rooms. 

Next  morning  early  the  children  went  for  a  ride  with  their 
father  and  Captain  Hamilton,  and  after  breakfast  there  arrived 


THE   GUICOWAR   OF  B  A  ROD  A 


69 


a  continuous  stream  of  box-wallahs  and  visitors  until  midday. 
The  Guicowar  of  Baroda  called  to  see  the  Governor,  while 
Lady  Eeay  and  I  sat  in  the  verandah  chatting  with  Captain 
Elliot,  who  has  been  till  recently  the  Prince's  tutor.  The 
Guicowar  speaks  English  well,  not  only  correctly  and  fluently, 
but  idiomatically.  He  is  loyal  to  British  rule,  and  the  object 
of  the  present  visit  was  to  obtain  a  further  supply  of  arms 
for  his  soldiers  ;  it  having  been  considered  desirable  policy 
to  encourage  him  to  form  a  large  force  of  cavalry,  which 
might  be  found  valuable  as  auxiliaries.  His  adopted  mother, 


A   SCHOOL-TREAT 


too,  is  a  remarkable  woman.  During  the  last  Eussian  scare 
she  offered  to  equip  a  band  of  Amazons  for  service  in  the  field. 
After  this  visit  many  preparations  had  to  be  made  for 
resuming  our  voyage ;  but  they  were  finished  in  time  to  allow 
Tom  and  me,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Keating,  Captain  Hamilton, 
and  the  children,  to  drive  down  early  in  the  afternoon  to  see 
the  annual  race-meeting  at  B}"culla.  The  races  are  almost 
entirely  in  the  hands  of  Arabs,  and  are  as  a  rule  well  worth 
seeing. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  sights  to  me  was  a  group  of 
horse-dealers  from  Arabia  and  the  Persian  Gulf.  They  have 
handsome  faces  and  clear  olive  complexions,  soft  silky  hair 
and  moustache,  and  beautifully  trimmed  beards.  These  pic- 
turesquely attired  men  import  large  quantities  of  horses  into 
India,  and  easily  sell  them,  either  singly  or  in  batches,  to 
other  dealers. 

From  the  racecourse  we  drove  to  the  Oval,  where  15,000 
schoolchildren  were  to  be  feasted  in  celebration  of  the  Jubilee. 
Being  rather  late,  we  met  many  of  them  coming  away  singing 

hymns  and  songs. 

After  this  short  glimpse 
of  the  children's  festival  we 
hurried  on  board  to  receive 
the  Duke  and  Duchess  of 
Connaught  at  dinner,  and 
the  Governor  and  Lady 
Eeay.  Captain  Moore  kindly 
sent  the  band  of  the  '  Bac- 
chante '  to  play  to  us,  and 
after  dinner  several  middies 
from  the  flagship  joined  our 
little  party.  It  was  truly 

delightful  to  sit  on  deck  in  the  cool  evening  breeze  and  listen 
to   the   sweet   strains   of  the   music.      At    half-past  ten  we 


AMBULANCE  MEETING  71 

embarked  in  the  steam-launch  to  look  at  the  fireworks  and 
the  illumination  of  the  shipping. 

February  2Otk. — Attended  the  beautiful  evening  service  in 
the  cathedral.  The  crew  of  the  '  Sunbeam '  accompanied  us. 
The  cool  drive  back  to  charming  Malabar  Point  was  most  re- 
freshing, and  we  enjoyed  our  quiet  dinner  and  pleasant  chat 
afterwards  in  the  verandah,  notwithstanding  the  sad  reflection 
that  it  was  our  last  evening  with  our  dear  and  kind  friends. 

February  2ist. — This  morning  the  children  went  out  early 
with  a  large  riding  party.  After  breakfast  I  had  to  hurry 
on  board  to  make  the  final  arrangements  for  the  visit  of  the 
purdah  ladies,  and  for  our  start  this  evening.  It  was  rather 
a  difficult  matter  to  get  our  visitors  on  board  the  big  steam- 
launch  and  other  boats  without  visible  masculine  assistance ; 
but  all  was  accomplished  safety  and  satisfactorily,  and  they 
mustered  in  great  force.  I  think  they  all  enjoyed  this  little 
expedition,  with  its  novel  experiences,  greatly. 

As  soon  as  the  last  lady  had  departed  we  hurried  off  to 
attend  the  St.  John's  Ambulance  Meeting  at  the  Secretariate, 
at  which  the  Governor  kindly  presided.  I  earnestly  hope  it 
may  be  the  means  of  reviving  in  Bombay  some  interest  in  the 
rather  languishing  local  branch  of  a  very  useful  institution. 
Many  influential  people  were  present,  including  doctors,  large 
millowners,  railway  and  police  officials,  and  employers  of 
labour  generally,  all  of  whom  appeared  warmly  disposed  to 
support  the  movement. 

Directly  after  this  meeting,  Tom,  who  had  intended  to 
go  on  board  the  yacht  with  Lord  Reay,  was  carried  off  by 
the  bishop  to  see  the  Sailors'  Institute.  I  therefore  re- 
turned to  the  '  Sunbeam  '  alone,  to  see  to  various  matters, 
and,  later  on,  went  back  to  Government  House,  where,  as 
is  nearly  always  the  case,  we  had  to  dress  for  dinner  in  a 
desperate  hurry.  There  was  a  large  party  assembled,  among 
others  being  Sir  Lepel  Griffin. 

K 


All  too  soon  came  the  last  parting ;  and,  in  a  long  procession 
of  barouches,  phaetons,  tandems,  and  dog-carts,  we  drove 
down  to  the  Bunder,  descending  the  steps  for  the  last  time 
with  Maude  Laurence  (who  is  shortly  returning  to  England), 
Captain  Hamilton,  Mr.  Herbert,  Major  Gilchrist,  and  several 
other  friends  who  had  come  to  see  us  off.  It  was  a  sad 
business. 


Scale  at  English  Miles 
o        joo       too       300      400       500 


CHAPTEK   IV. 

BOMBAY    TO     GO  A. 

February  22nd. — We  had 
been  told  that  Jinjeera  was 
seventy  miles  distant  from 
Bombay.  Our  rate  of  progress 
being  rather  slow,  we  did  not 
consult  the  chart  until  late  in 
the  afternoon,  when  we  found 
great  difficulty  in  making  out  the  place  at  all.  At  last  we 
discovered  it,  marked  in  the  smallest  of  letters,  close  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Rajpoori  River ;  Khassia,  now  in  ruins,  being 
on  the  opposite  or  north  side.  Instead  of  seventy,  it  proved 
to  be  only  thirty-five  miles  from  Bombay;  so  that  we  had 
actually  overrun  it.  Knowing  that  we  were  expected, 
there  was  nothing  to  be  done  except  to  beat  our  way  back 
against  the  wind  during  the  night.  It  would  have  been  a 


74  JINJEERA 

pleasant  sail  had  it  not  been  for  the  annoying  loss  of  time 
which  it  involved. 

Just  before  daybreak  we  saw  the  Bajpoori  light,  and  the 
one  at  Kennery,  twelve  miles  south  of  Bombay.  About  9.30 
A.M.  the  Nawab's  brother  came  on  board,  and  soon  afterwards 
we  proceeded  to  land.  After  rowing  more  than  half  round 
a  curious  island-fort,  we  arrived  at  the  gateway,  a  small 
opening  in  the  thick  walls,  where  we  were  met  by  the 
Nawab  himself,  dressed  in  European  costume,  but  wearing 
a  red  and  gold  turban,  and  surrounded  by  his  native  body- 
guard. 

The  landing  was  rather  difficult,  for,  owing  to  want  of 
space,  the  boat  had  to  be  pushed  in  stern  foremost.  When 
this  feat  had  been  accomplished,  some  of  the  Nawab's  followers 
brought  chairs,  and  hoisted  us  with  great  dexterity  to  the 
top  of  the  steps,  where  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  alight 
with  the  dignity  proper  to  the  occasion.  Having  received 
the  salaams  of  the  Nawab  and  returned  his  hearty  wel- 
come, we  took  a  long  walk  all  round  the  curious  old  fort  of 
Jinjeera,  built  five  hundred  years  ago.  It  contains  many 
narrow  passages  designed  for  security,  for  they  are  entirely 
independent  of  the  bastions,  each  of  which  is  provided  with 
its  own  little  water-gate  for  the  admission  of  supplies  or  the 
escape  of  the  garrison  in  case  of  necessity.  I  found  the 
walk  very  fatiguing  owing  to  the  heat,  and  so  did  many  of 
the  others. 

The  temperature  would  indeed  have  been  unbearable  but 
for  an  occasional  puff  of  cooler  air  which  reached  us  through 
the  embrasures.  Some  of  the  guns  were  of  Spanish  manu- 
facture, dated  1665,  but  most  of  them  were  lying  useless 
on  the  ground.  In  no  case  would  they  avail  much  against 
modern  ordnance ;  but  the  fort,  owing  to  its  natural  advan- 
tages, would  be  difficult  to  attack.  The  present  Nawab  is  of 
ancient  descent,  and  one  of  his  ancestors  was  an  Admiral  in 


THE  NAWAB 


75 


the  service  of  the  Grand  Mogul.     At  the  time 

of  the  disruption  of  the  Kingdom  of  Delhi  the 

Nawab's    State    became   independent,    and    has 

remained  so  ever  since.     He  has  about  70,000 

subjects,  in  whose  welfare  he  appears  to  take  great  interest. 

He  has  a  shrewd  face,  is  very  English  in  appearance,  and 

seems  quite  capable  of  looking  after  his  own  interests.1 

It   was   delightfully  refreshing  to  be   able  to  rest   in    a 

1  The  Nawab  of  Jinjeera  is  of  Abyssinian  descent,  and  is  popularly  called 
the  Seedee  or  Hubshee,  generic  terms  applied  by  natives  of  India  to  Africans. 
One  of  the  Nawab's  ancestors  laid  siege  to  Bombay  Castle  in  1688-9,  and  the 
English,  being  unable  to  dislodge  him,  were  compelled  to  seek  the  intervention 
of  the  Emperor  Aurungzebe  to  secure  the  withdrawal  of  his  forces. 


76  RATNAGIRI 


spacious  bungalow  after  our  tour  of  the  fort  was  over ;  and 
still  more  delicious  was  a  curious  sort  of  punkah,  peculiar  to 
the  district,  which  fanned  us  pleasantly.  The  Nawab  accom- 
panied us  on  our  return  to  the  yacht,  and  afterwards  sent  us 
a  most  acceptable  Nazir,  or  present,  of  two  huge  bunches  of 
bananas,  as  well  as  other  fruits  and  vegetables,  besides  milk 
and  ghee. 

The  Nawab's  second  wife,  whose  mother  we  had  met  at 
Bombay,  is  a  pretty  little  girl  of  about  thirteen.  She  came  on 
board  to  see  us,  but  many  precautions  to  preserve  the  purdah 
had  to  be  taken.  It  was  necessary  to  observe  this  custom  in 
deference  to  the  prejudices  of  her  people  rather  than  to  those 
of  her  husband.  She  had  never  been  on  board  a  yacht  before, 
and  was  naturally  much  interested  in  all  she  saw. 

Soon  after  twrelve  we  resumed  our  voyage  to  the  southward 
before  a  deliciously  cool  breeze,  which  lasted  for  a  consider- 
able time.  Further  on,  the  coast  seems  to  consist  of  a  series  of 
plateaux,  varying  in  height  from  200  to  600  feet,  occasionally 
interrupted  by  a  peak  or  a  narrow  strip  of  white  beach,  with 
here  and  there  a  small  straggling  town.  At  sunset  we  were  off 
Ratnagiri,  an  ancient  Mahratta  fort  connected  with  the  main- 
land only  by  a  narrow  sandy  neck.  Its  southern  extremity  is 
nearly  300  feet  above  the  sea  level,  thus  forming  a  headland, 
surmounted  by  a  line  of  fortifications  and  bastions  of  great 
strength.  The  complete  isolation  of  its  position  has  doubtless 
caused  it  to  be  chosen  as  the  place  of  detention  of  King  Theebaw, 
who  can  have  but  little  chance  of  escape.  The  entrance  to 
the  river  lies  to  the  eastward  of  the  fort,  and  the  intermediate 
space  is  covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  cocoa-nut  palms. 
The  European  station  is  to  the  northward,  for  the  southern 
shore  is  rugged,  and  ends  abruptly  in  cliffs  and  huge  boulders. 
Small  coasting  steamers  maintain  as  well  as  they  can  com- 
munication with  the  fort ;  but  the  approach  is  always  difficult, 
and  is  almost  impracticable  during  the  south-west  monsoon. 


RA  TNA  GIRT 


77 


Mr.     Crawford, 
who  was  formerly  Com- 
missioner here,  had  kindly 
given    notice    of   our    probable 
visit ;    for    we    had    been    anxious 
to    land    if    possible    to    see    some- 
thing  of   King   Theebaw,    and   to   in- 
spect the  excellent  industrial  school  esta- 
blished here.     The  district  used  formerly 
to  be  the  great  recruiting-ground  for  the 
Bombay  army ;    but  the   young  men  now 
prefer  entering  the  school,  which,  from  one 
point  of  view,  seems  a  pity.     It  was  with 
much  regret   that,    after   having   made 
preparations    for    landing,    we    were 
obliged  to  abandon    the    idea    of 


78  A    SAD  INCIDENT 

doing  so ;  for  it  became  both  late  and  dark,  thus  adding  too 
much  to  the  difficulties,  and  even  dangers,  of  the  proposed 
expedition.  "We  therefore  sailed  slowly  past,  throwing  up 
rockets  at  long  intervals,  to  indicate  that  we  were  proceeding 
on  our  course. 

As  the  evening  wore  on  the  breeze  dropped,  and  during  the 
night  we  made  but  little  progress. 

February  2$th. — A  calm  and  somewhat  sultry  night. 
Daylight  brought  a  delicious  and  welcome  sea-breeze,  before 
which  we  sailed  rapidly  on  our  southward  course.  The 
morning  was  devoted  to  a  general  tidying  up,  preparatory 
to  settling  down  for  our  long  voyage. 

Over  the  memory  of  the  latter  portion  of  this  day  I  wish 
that  I  could  draw  a  veil ;  but,  sad  as  is  the  story,  and  little 
as  I  desire  to  dwell  upon  it,  it  must  be  told. 

Travelling,  visiting,  and  sightseeing  had  so  completely 
occupied  our  time  in  India,  that  I  had  found  upon  my  return 
to  Bombay  a  vast  accumulation  of  letters  from  England  and 
elsewhere  requiring  attention  ;  and  as  it  was  far  beyond  my 
strength  to  deal  with  them  without  assistance,  I  considered 
myself  fortunate  in  securing  the  services,  as  temporary  sec- 
retary, of  a  gentleman  whom  we  had  met  at  Bombay,  and 
who  had  been  strongly  recommended  to  us.  Mr.  Frank 
White  was  at  that  time  engaged  on  the  staff  of  the  '  Bombay 
Gazette,'  and,  as  Special  Correspondent,  had  accompanied 
the  present  as  well  as  the  former  Governor  of  Bombay  upon 
their  official  tours.  Now,  however,  he  was  about  to  leave 
India  in  order  to  take  up  an  appointment  on  the  staff  of 
the  '  Melbourne  Argus,'  and  we,  as  a  matter  of  mutual 
convenience,  offered  him  a  passage  to  Australia  in  the 
'  Sunbeam,'  which  he  accepted,  apparently,  with  delight. 
These  brief  facts  will  account  for  his  presence  on  board  the 
'  Sunbeam.' 

At  luncheon  to-day  Mr.  White  was  cheerful  and  full  of 


A   SAD  INCIDENT 


79 


conversation,  giving  us  an  interesting  description  of  the  annual 
migration  of  the  members  of  the  Bombay  Government  to 
Poona  during  the  season  of  rains  and  monsoons.  We  had,  as 
usual,  coffee,  cigarettes,  and  a  little  gossip  on  deck  before  re- 
commencing our  quiet  occupations  of  reading  or  writing.  Mr. 
White  strolled  aft,  and  I  soon  became  immersed  in  my  book. 
Suddenly  I  perceived  a  change  in  the  vessel's  movement,  as 
if  the  helmsman  were  neglecting  his  duties,  and  directly  after- 
wards heard  the  thrilling  cry  of  '  Man  overboard  ! '  Of  course 
a  great  commotion  ensued,  the  men  rushing  up  from  below, 
all  eager  to  render  assistance.  I  ran  aft,  whence  the  cry  had 
proceeded,  seizing  a  life-buoy  as  I  passed,  but  found  that 


one  had  already  been  thrown  over  by  the  man  at  the  helm, 
who  exclaimed,  '  That  gentleman,'  meaning  poor  Mr.  White, 
'  has  jumped  overboard.'  A  boat  was  lowered,  a  man  was  sent 
up  to  the  cross-trees,  another  on  to  the  deck-house  to  keep  a 
look-out,  and  the  ship  was  put  about  in  an  incredibly  short 
space  of  time.  In  the  meanwhile  hasty  preparation  of  hot 
bottles,  blankets,  and  other  remedies  was  made  on  board,  in 
case  the  boat  should  happily  be  successful  in  her  search. 
But  although  she  rowed  over  the  exact  spot  many  times,  and 
picked  up  Mr.  White's  helmet  and  the  life-buoy,  nothing  more 
could  be  discovered. 

The  agonised  interest  with  which  that  little  boat  was  watched 


80  A    SAD  INCIDENT 

by  all  on  board  will  alwaj^s  live  in  my  memory.  Two  men 
had  jumped  into  her  just  as  they  had  rushed  on  deck,  with- 
out shirts  or  hats  to  protect  them  from  the  burning  sun. 
Another  was  preparing  to  spring  overboard  when  he  was 
forcibly  restrained  by  Tom,  who  saw  that  it  would  by  this 
time  be  utterly  useless.  All  on  board  worked  with  a  will  to 
get  the  vessel  round  and  to  lower  every  stitch  of  sail;  no 
easy  matter  with  every  kite  set,  and  the  yacht  running  from 
ten  to  twelve  knots  before  the  wind. 

From  letters  left  behind  it  was  painfully  clear  that  a  deter- 
mination of  many  days  past  had  just  been  accomplished.  It 
appeared  that  Mr.  White  had  questioned  the  doctor — who 
little  suspected  his  object — as  to  how  long  it  would  take  to  stop 
the  vessel  when  running  with  studdingsails  set  before  a  strong 
breeze.  The  unhappy  man  had  constantly  complained  of  in- 
ability to  sleep,  and  he  had  been  seen  on  deck  the  previous 
night  long  after  everyone  else  had  gone  to  bed.  Of  the 
motive  for  the  rash  act  it  is  impossible  to  form  an  opinion. 
Borne  down  by  physical  and  mental  suffering,  he  must  have 
been  overcome  by  a  temporary  aberration  of  intellect,  which 
rendered  him  for  the  moment  irresponsible  for  his  actions. 
I  need  not  dwell  on  the  terrible  shock  which  the  dreadful  cata- 
strophe caused  to  our  hitherto  happy  little  party.  The  evening 
was  a  sad  one,  and  not  even  the  excitement  of  making  the  lights 
off  Goa,  bringing  the  ship  up,  and  anchoring  for  the  night, 
or  the  prospect  of  an  interesting  excursion  to-morrow,  could 
raise  our  spirits  or  dissipate  the  depression  caused  by  the  sad 
event  of  the  afternoon. 

February  26th. — Orders  had  been  given  for  steam  to  be 
ready  in  the  launch  by  six  o'clock,  so  that  we  might  get 
ashore  soon  after  daybreak,  and  thus  avoid  the  heat  of  the 
mid-day  sun,  which  is  now  becoming  quite  a  serious  matter. 
But  the  painful  duty  of  collecting  and  packing  up  all  poor 
Mr.  White's  things  to  be  sent  back  to  Bombay  had  first  to  be 


GOA 


Si 


performed,  and  it  was  nearly  half-past  seven  before  we  were 
ready  to  land. 

Just  as  we  were  starting,  Mr.  Norman  Oliver,  the  Assis- 
tant Delegate  at  Goa,  arrived  alongside  in  his  pretty  little 
schooner  yacht,  of  native  de- 
sign and  build,  but  of  English 
rig.  He  brought  with  him  a 
very  kind  letter  from  Mr.  H.  D. 
Donaldson,  the  assistant  en- 
gineer of  the  new  Portuguese 
Railway,  now  in  course  of  con- 
struction, to  connect  Goa  with 
the  English  lines  northward 
to  Bombay  and  eastward  to 
Madras.  If  only  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Goa  will  make  use  of 
the  new  railway,  it  ought  to  be 
of  the  greatest  value  to  them. 

Such,  however,  is  their  conservative  disposition  and  so  great 
is  their  pleasure  in  obstinately  creating  and  maintaining,  in 
the  form  of  customs-duties,  obstacles  to  commerce  and  free 
circulation,  that  it  is  considered  probable  that  the  railway 
will  have  to  be  continued  some  fifty  miles  to  the  southward, 
as  far  as  the  British  port  of  Carwar,  before  any  perceptible 
increase  in  the  export  of  produce  can  be  looked  for.  The 
line  to  Goa  is  now  nearly  completed,  and  will,  it  is  hoped, 
be  opened  after  the  rains.  Mr.  Donaldson  kindly  proposed 
a  tempting  trip  over  it  to  the  summit  of  the  Sahyadri 
Mountains,  or  Ghats,  which  form  the  eastern  boundary  of 
the  Portuguese  territory.  Unfortunately  we  are  already  so 
much  behind  our  time  that  we  shall  have  to  press  forward 
as  quickly  as  wind  and  waves  will  allow,  if  we  mean  to  adhere 
to  the  original  plan  of  our  voyage  with  anything  like  punc- 
tuality. 


82  GQA 

So  many  difficulties  are  thrown  in  the  way  of  would-be 
visitors  to  the  churches  of  Goa,  that  although  Mr.  Oliver  had 
kindly  sent  his  sepoy  on  to  announce  our  arrival,  and  had 
written  to  the  Adrninistrador  to  ask  leave,  we  were  recom- 
mended to  wait  for  an  hour  or  two  on  board,  to  allow  time  for 
the  necessary  forms  to  be  complied  with.  A  refreshing  sea- 
breeze  was  blowing,  and  at  ten  o'clock  we  decided  to  brave 
the  sun  and  to  proceed  under  the  double  awnings  of  the  gig 
(towed  by  the  steam-launch)  across  the  bar  and  up  the  river 
towards  Old  Goa. 

From  the  sea,  the  Portuguese  settlement  looks  like  a  series 
of  promontories,  each  crowned  by  a  fort,  with  the  river 
Mandovi  in  the  centre,  running  up  into  the  interior  between 
richly  wooded  banks.  Its  coast-line  is  some  sixty  or  seventy 
miles  long  from  north  to  south,  and  its  greatest  breadth 
about  thirty  miles.  The  entire  territory  is  hilly,  and  inter- 
sected by  numerous  rivers,  of  which  the  Mandovi  is  the 

most  important.  Both  the 
ancient  and  modern  cities 
of  Goa  have  been  built  on 
its  banks.  The  promon- 
tories of  Bardez  and  Sal- 
sette  protect  a  fine  harbour, 
capable  of  accommodating 
vessels  of  the  largest  ton- 
nage during  the  greater 
part  of  the  year.  The  cli- 

Portuguese  Kowiock  mate   of  Goa  is  generally 

healthy,   though    smallpox 

and  cholera  have  from  time  to  time  broken  out  there  with 
great  virulence. 

Never  was  any  place  so  totally  unlike  what  I  had  expected 
—in  fact,  it  did  not  in  the  least  correspond  to  the  idea  which 
any  of  us  had  formed  about  it.  The  palace  of  the  Governor 


(who  was  for  over  three  centuries  called  the  Viceroy)  stands  in 
the  city  of  Pangim,  or  New  Goa,  which,  as  I  have  already  said, 
has  been  built  on  the  river  Mandovi,  about  five  miles  from 


Cape   Goa  Entrance 

its  mouth.  Curiously  enough,  the  present  Governor  of  Goa 
is  our  old  friend  Captain  da  Carvalho,  who  commanded  the 
corvette  '  Affonso  Albuquerque '  \vhen  she  brought  the  King  of 
Portugal  to  Plymouth  last  year,  and  lay  alongside  us  for  a 
fortnight  in  lovely  Barn  Pool,  under  the  shadow  of  the  Mount 
Edgcumbe  trees.  As  we  steamed  over  the  bar  and,  aided  by 
a  strong  flood-tide,  quickly  ascended  the  river,  we  next  came 
to  the  pretty  village  of  Eaibandar,  passing  between  low  reedy 
banks  fringed  with  cocoa-nut  palms  and  other  vegetation. 
The  distant  Ghats  formed  a  fine  background  to  the  picture, 
which  included  several  white-spired  English-looking  churches, 
perched  here  and  there  on  convenient  knolls.  The  inhabitants 
of  the  district,  however,  composed  as  they  are  of  descendants 
of  the  original  natives  found  here  by  the  Portuguese  con- 
querors at  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century,  with  a 


84  THE  ARCH  OF   THE    VICEROYS 

subsequent  slight  admixture  of  European  blood,  bore  no  re- 
semblance to  the  British  type.  Those  whom  we  saw  on  the 
river  wore  scarcely  any  clothing,  and  paddled  about  in  little 
canoes  somewhat  similar  to  those  used  in  the  South  Sea 
Islands  and  Ceylon.  These  boats  are  extremely  narrow,  and 
are  provided  with  an  outrigger  in  the  shape  of  an  enormous 
rough  block  of  wood,  connected  with  the  canoes  by  bent  spars 
some  four  feet  long. 

After  a  pleasant  voyage  of  about  eleven  miles  in  tow  of 
the  steam-launch,  we  were  suddenly  cast  off  at  some  steps 
leading  to  a  small  pier,  in  the  midst  of  a  large  grove  of  palm- 
trees,  and  were  told  that  we  had  reached  our  destination.  But 
where  was  Goa  ?  We  were  all  expecting  to  see  ruined  palaces, 
churches,  and  houses ;  whereas  all  that  was  visible  was  one 
massive  arch  and  gateway  about  a  hundred  yards  distant,  stand- 
ing, like  the  Irishman's  '  main  gate,'  in  the  centre  of  a  field, 
with  no  wall  on  either  side  of  it.  Meaningless  as  it  now  looked, 
this  was  the  celebrated  Arco  dos  Vicereys,  or  Arch  of  the  Vice- 
roys, originally  built  in  1 599,  and  composed  of  blocks  of  black 
granite,  now  partially  whitewashed.  Through  this  gateway 
each  successive  ruler  of  Goa  passed  on  his  way  to  the  ancient 
capital ;  on  which  occasions  it  was  always  splendidly  decorated. 
A  statue  of  St.  Catherine,  patroness  of  the  city  of  Goa,  occu- 
pies an  upper  niche,  while  beneath  her  is  a  figure  of  Yasco 
de  Gama,  with  features  somewhat  defaced  by  time.  The 
facade  used  to  be  adorned  with  paintings  representing  inci- 
dents of  the  Portuguese  war  in  the  Indies ;  but  they  are  now 
effaced  by  whitewash.  The  portico  bears  an  inscription  dedi- 
cating it  to  the  Immaculate  Conception,  and  commemorating 
the  emancipation  of  Portugal  from  Spain  in  1656. 

By  this  time  the  heat  had  become  so  great  that,  finding 
no  carriage  was  forthcoming,  I  had  almost  resolved  to  give  up 
the  idea  of  visiting  the  wonderful  old  palaces  and  churches 
which  we  had  taken  so  much  trouble  to  come  and  see ;  but 


CHURCHES  AND  RUINS  85 


Tom  and  the  Doctor  encouraged  me  to  make  an  effort,  and 
improvised  a  sort  of  carrying-chair  for  me.  We  accordingly 
proceeded  up  a  steep  hot  road,  through  the  aforesaid  arch,  to 
the  Eua  Direita,  so  called  because  it  once  led  direct  from  the 
Palace  of  the  Viceroys  to  the  Church  of  Misericordia.  The 
name  has  lost  its  meaning,  for  all  that  now  remains  of  the 
splendid  palace  is  a  portion  of  the  chief  gateway,  so  small  in 
extent  that  when  we  tried  to  take  a  photograph  of  it,  the  helmet 
of  one  of  the  gentlemen  who  chanced  to  stand  some  distance  in 
front  of  the  camera  completely  concealed  it.  Only  250  years 
ago  the  palace  must  have  been  the  most  conspicuous  building  in 
the  city.  At  that  time  a  large  square  stood  in  front  of  it  to 
the  south,  surrounded  by  fine  houses.  A  noble  staircase  led 
from  this  square  to  the  principal  hall  of  the  palace,  in  which 
were  hung  pictures  of  most  of  the  Portuguese  ships  which  had 
come  to  India  since  the  time  of  Vasco  de  Gama.  In  an  inner 
hall  the  Viceroy,  who  then  lived  in  a  style  of  regal  splendour, 
received  ambassadors  from  the  Indian  princes,  and  transacted 
important  business.  Da  Fonseca,  in  his  historical  and 
archaeological  description  of  the  City  of  Goa,  states  that  the 
Viceroy  rarely  stirred  out  of  his  palace,  except  to  make  a 
royal  progress  through  the  city.  '  A  day  previous  to  his 
appearance  in  public,  drums  were  beaten  and  trumpets 
sounded,  as  a  signal  to  the  noblesse  and  gentry  to  accompany 
him  on  the  following  day.  Accordingly,  early  in  the  morning 
about  three  or  four  hundred  hidalgos  and  courtiers  appeared 
in  the  Terriero  do  Pacfo,  clad  in  rich  attire,  mounted  on  noble 
steeds  with  gold  and  silver  trappings  glittering  with  pearls 
and  precious  stones,  and  followed  by  European  pages  in  rich 
livery.'  The  palace  began  to  fall  into  decay  when  the  city 
was  abandoned ;  and  although  from  time  to  time  there  was 
an  idea  of  repairing  it,  the  work  was  never  seriously  un- 
dertaken. In  1820  a  considerable  portion  of  the  splendid 
building  was  ordered  to  be  knocked  down;  and  though  the 


86  S.   CAJETAN 

remainder  stood  for  some  time,  even  so  lately  as  up  to  fifty 
or  sixty  years  ago,  it  has  gradually  fallen  to  pieces,  and  its 
ruins  are  now  covered  with  vegetation. 

The  small  Church  of  S.  Cajetan  was  the  first  place  we 
visited  after  passing  the  entrance  to  the  palace.  It  was  built 
by  some  Italian  friars  in  1640,  and  so  closely  adjoins  the 
palace  that  some  travellers  have  referred  to  it  as  the  Viceregal 
Chapel.  The  fa9ade,  with  its  Corinthian  columns,  and  the 
fine  cupola  rising  behind  them,  reminds  one  of  St.  Peter's  at 
Rome  in  miniature.  Outside  the  church,  exposed  to  the  full 
heat  of  the  burning  sun,  a  party  of  half-clad  natives  were 
scrubbing  with  soap  and  water  some  fine  full-length  oil  por- 
traits of  past  viceroys,  governors,  and  archbishops,  which  had 
been  removed  from  the  sacristy  for  this  purpose.  Among 
them  were  those  of  Yasco  de  Gama,  and  of  Affonso  Albu- 
querque, the  first  European  conqueror  of  Goa.  The  church 
had  not  yet  been  opened,  so  we  waited  in  a  long  room  in 
the  adjacent  convent,  through  which  the  sea-breeze  blew  with 
delicious  coolness.  After  a  short  rest  we  went  out  into  a 
balcony  and  looked  with  delight  over  a  forest  of  tropical  vege- 
tation, to  the  blue  river  running  swiftly  through  the  trees, 
with  the  paler  grey  of  the  distant  ghats  beyond.  When  at 
last  we  gained  admittance  to  the  church,  we  much  admired  its 
graceful  dome  and  the  fine  altar-piece  in  the  principal  chapel. 
Close  to  and  in  striking  contrast  with  this  grand  painting 
stood  a  little  group  of  scantily  clothed  natives,  who  had 
evidently  taken  advantage  of  the  opportunity  of  inspecting  the 
sacred  edifice  which  our  visit  afforded.  The  windows  of  the 
church  are  made  of  small  panes  of  the  thin,  semi-transparent 
inner  scale  of  the  pearl  oyster,  used  in  place  of  glass — a  fashion 
still  followed  in  many  of  the  private  houses  of  Goa.  These 
shell  windows,  the  materials  for  which  must  formerly  have 
been  very  plentiful  in  the  neighbourhood,  admit  a  peculiarly 
soft  and  tender  light. 


S.   CATERINA 


From  S.  Cajetan  we  proceeded  to  the  Cathedral  of  S. 
Caterina,  one  of  the  oldest  buildings  of  Goa,  and  the  only 
church  in  which  daily  religious  service  on  a  grand  scale  is  now 
held.  Albuquerque  was  the  founder  of  this  sacred  edifice, 
which  took  seventy-five  years  to  build,  and  has  been  well 
described  as  '  worthy  of  one  of  the  principal  cities  of  Europe.' 


St.   Xavier,   Goa 


Dr.  Eussell,  visiting  it  with  H.E.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
speaks  of  its  '  vast  and  noble  proportions.'  We  were  amazed 
by  the  richness  of  the  materials,  and  the  artistic  beauty 
of  the  elaborate  carving  which  met  the  eye  in  every  direction. 
The  vaulted  ceiling,  the  mosaic  covered  side-chapels,  and  the 
high  altar,  near  which  stands  the  Archbishop's  chair,  are  the 


88  THE  INQUISITION 

features  most  worthy  of  attention.  The  cathedral  is,  indeed,  a 
stately  pile,  the  nave  being  over  70  feet  high  and  140  feet  long, 
and  the  total  length  of  the  building  more  than  270  feet.  The 
vestries  and  sacristies  are  full  of  rich  vestments  and  valuable 
plate,  now  seldom  seen  except  by  a  few  priests,  or  an  occasional 
foreign  visitor  like  ourselves,  or,  at  still  rarer  intervals,  by  the 
general  public  when  a  grand  exhibition  is  held,  to  which  the 
faithful  flock  in  crowds.  Even  the  exhibitions  have  been  discon- 
tinued of  late  years,  for  it  was  found  that  the  gathering  together 
of  a  large  concourse  of  people  in  so  unhealthy  a  locality  led  to 
the  spread  of  infectious  disorders.  The  site  of  Old  Goa  is, 
indeed,  terribly  malarious.  The  Government  having  aban- 
doned the  city,  it  was  deserted  by  everybody  else,  the  finest 
houses,  after  standing  empty  for  years,  gradually  falling  to 
pieces,  so  that  literally  not  one  stone  remains  above  another. 
Old  Goa  was  one  of  the  headquarters  of  the  terrible  Inquisi- 
tion, and  until  comparatively  recent  days  its  most  cruel 
decrees  were  there  executed  with  stern  and  heartless  rigour. 
The  tower  of  the  Cathedral  of  S.  Caterina  contains  five  bells, 
the  largest  of  which,  still  in  daily  use,  is  the  same  which  was 
formerly  tolled  on  the  occasion  of  the  auto-da-fe.  It  was  quite 
thrilling  to  listen  to  its  deep  knell,  and  to  think  that  those 
same  tones  must  have  fallen  upon  the  agonised  ears  of  the 
poor  victims  of  an  odious  tyranny. 

Close  to  the  cathedral  once  stood  the  Palace  of  the  Inqui- 
sition, a  vast  and  magnificent  building,  the  space  occupied  by 
which  is  now  filled  with  dense  jungle.  It  is  the  home  of  veno- 
mous snakes,  not  to  be  met  with  in  any  other  part  of  the 
island.  Probably  some  special  shrub  or  herb  which  they  like 
grows  there  and  nowhere  else.  From  the  cathedral  we  passed 
across  an  open  space  to  visit  the  Church  of  Bom  Jesus,  con- 
taining the  chapel  and  tomb  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,  and  a  fine 
altar,  in  the  centre  of  which  stands  a  colossal  image  of  St. 
Ignatius  of  Loyola.  St.  Francis  (who  died  at  Sanchan,  in 


THE  STAKE 


89 


Malacca)  rests 
in  a  crystal  and 
silver  coffin 
within  a  mag- 
nificent sarco- 
phagus. The 
body,  clad  in 
the  richest  vest- 
ments, is  said 
to  be  still,  after 
the  lapse  of 
three  centuries, 


Inquisition  Stake,  Goa 


M 


90  PANG  A  UM 


in  a  wonderful  state  of  preservation — a  fact  testified  to 
by  the  chief  surgeon  of  Goa  in  an  official  report  made  in 
1859. 

Never  was  there  a  city  so  unlike  a  city,  or  even  the  remains 
of  one,  as  Old  Goa,  unless  it  were  Palmyra.  Goa  is  now,  in 
fact,  only  a  forest  of  palm-trees  with  patches  of  jungle  here 
and  there,  made  gay  by  tropical  flowers,  such  as  the  scarlet 
coral-tree,  the  pimelia  with  its  bright  golden  convolvulus-like 
flowers,  and  scarlet  and  apricot-yellow  euphorbias.  From  this 
mass  of  vegetation  the  spire  of  a  church  rises  or  the  tower 
of  some  ancient  building  occasionally  peeps  forth.  No  other 
traces  of  its  bygone  splendour  could  be  seen,  whether  one 
looked  upward  from  the  level  of  the  earth  or  downward  from 
the  roof  of  one  of  the  few  buildings  which  still  remain. 

On  our  return  to  the  landing-place  we  found  that  the 
railway  officials  had  kindly  lent  us  their  large  steam-launch, 
in  the  cosy  little  cabin  of  which,  sheltered  by  Venetian  blinds, 
we  enjoyed  our  well-earned  lunch,  for  it  was  now  past  three 
o'clock,  and  we  had  breakfasted  soon  after  six.  The  sea- 
breeze  blew  refreshingly  as  we  steamed  down  the  river,  and 
once  clear  of  the  land  the  heat  was  not  at  all  oppressive. 

Pangauni,  or  Nova  Goa,  is  a  nice  clean-looking  little  town, 
of  some  15,000  inhabitants,  at  the  foot  of  a  hill  covered  with 
palm-trees.  It  is  of  comparatively  recent  growth ;  for  although 
the  viceregal  residence  was  transferred  here  from  Old  Goa  in 
1759,  when  a  terrible  epidemic  broke  out  in  that  place,  it  was 
not  until  1 827  that  any  vigorous  steps  were  taken  to  reclaim 
the  land  on  which  it  now  stands.  In  1843  it  was  formally 
declared  to  be  the  capital  of  Portuguese  India,  and  the 
Governor,  the  Archbishop,  and  other  authorities  and  digni- 
taries now  live  there.  The  Causeway  of  Eibandar,  which 
connects  Pangauni  with  the  city  of  that  name,  is  a  wonderful 
construction,  nearly  two  miles  in  length,  built  in  1633  by 
order  of  the  then  Viceroy. 


THE    VOYAGE  RESUMED  91 

Only  the  gentlemen  landed  during  our  brief  stay ;  and 
they  soon  returned  from  their  stroll,  having  seen  most  of  the 
objects  of  interest  in  the  place.  I  had  in  the  meantime  occu- 
pied myself  in  taking  some  photographs — under  somewhat 
difficult  conditions,  for  the  breeze  was  stiff  and  strong,  and 
the  steam-launch  was  by  no  means  steady.  As  soon  as  we 
returned  on  board  the  '  Sunbeam '  we  were  met  by  an  extor- 
tionate demand  on  the  part  of  the  Portuguese  officials — which, 
I  am  glad  to  say,  was  successfully  resisted — for  the  payment  of 
eighty  rupees,  in  return  for  the  privilege  of  anchoring  in  the 
roads  without  the  aid  of  a  pilot.  Then  we  had  to  bid  adieu 
to  kind  Mr.  Norman  Oliver,  regretting  much  that  time  would 
not  admit  of  our  seeing  more  of  him  and  making  the 
acquaintance  of  his  wife.  The  anchor  was  soon  weighed,  and 
the  '  Sunbeam '  once  more  spread  her  wings  to  the  favouring 
breeze,  before  which  we  sailed  so  quickly,  and  at  such  an  angle, 
that  the  more  sensitive  members  of  the  party  began  to  fancy 
it  was  rough,  and  would  not  come  down  to  dinner.  Later  in 
the  evening  it  was  delightful  to  sit  on  deck  and  watch,  by  the 
light  of  the  young  crescent  moon  and  the  brilliant  stars,  the 
vessel  racing  along  through  the  cool  evening  air. 

In  the  course  of  the  next  day  we  passed  Carwar,  about  fifty 
miles  south  of  Goa,  and  one  of  the  most  interesting  ports 
in  India.  Adjoining  it  is  a  backwater,  such  as  are  often 
met  with  on  the  south-west  coast  of  India,  along  which  it 
is  possible  to  sail  for  many  miles  in  a  native  boat  with  great 
comfort  and  ease.  Further  south  is  Honahwar,  whence  the 
famous  Falls  of  Gairsoppa,  in  Mysore,  can  easily  be  reached. 
Just  now  the  waters  of  the  river  Kauri  are  rather  low  ;  else, 
I  think,  we  should  have  made  an  effort  to  visit  the  falls 
(which  have  a  drop  of  r,ooo  feet  in  one  place)  notwithstand- 
ing the  shortness  of  the  time  and  the  difficulties  of  the 
journey,  which  can  only  be  performed  in  rough  country 
carts. 


92  LIFE  AT  SEA 


The  wind  was  light  all  day  ;  but  the  old  '  Sunbeam  '  glided 
gracefully  along,  and  made  good  progress  through  the  hot  air. 

February  28th. — The  sun  becomes  perceptibly  more  power- 
ful each  day.  At  noon  we  were  off  Mangalore,  formerly  a 
place  of  considerable  importance,  where  the  British  forces 
have  stood  more  than  one  siege.  Like  the  rest  of  the  ports 
on  this  coast,  it  has  been  deserted  by  trade,  and  has  now  fallen 
more  or  less  into  a  state  of  decay  and  ruin. 

We  have  now  resumed  our  usual  life-at-sea  habits.  In 
the  morning  we  go  on  deck  at  a  very  early  hour,  to  enjoy 
the  exquisite  freshness  of  the  dawn  of  the  tropical  day.  Tom 
and  the  Doctor  help  to  man  the  pumps,  sometimes  assisted 
by  the  children,  who  appear  to  like  the  work  of  scrubbing 
decks  as  much  as  they  did  in  the  old  days  of  our  first  long 
voyage  round  the  world.  Then  we  are  most  of  us  hosed. 
An  open-air  salt-water  bath  is  a  luxury  not  to  be  appreciated 
anywhere  so  thoroughly  as  in  these  tropical  climates.  After 
an  early  breakfast  we  settle  down  to  our  several  occupations 
—the  children  to  lessons,  till  it  is  time  for  sights  to  be 
taken  and  calculations  made  ;  Mr.  Pritchett  elaborates  the 
sketches  which  he  has  made  on  shore  during  our  recent 
wanderings ;  the  Doctor  makes  himself  generally  useful,  and 
has  plenty  of  time  to  devote  to  this  benevolent  work,  for  at 
present  he  has  hardly  any  patients.  Later  on  he  kindly 
gives  the  children  a  lesson  in  arithmetic,  while  Mr.  des 
Graz,-  assisted  by  Prior,  spends  a  considerable  time  in  de- 
veloping, printing,  and  toning  the  photographs  which  we 
have  taken.  I  have  always  plenty  to  do  in  the  way  of 
writing,  reading  and  general  supervision.  Often  do  I  look 
wistfully  at  the  many  books  which  I  long  to  read,  and  think 
regretfully  of  the  letters  and  journal  that  ought  to  be  written  ; 
but  a  good  deal  of  time  has  to  be  spent  in  less  interesting, 
and  certainly  more  prosaic,  work.  In  the  afternoon  there  is 
more  reading,  writing,  and  lessons  ;  and  after  tea  there  is  a 


EVENING  IN  THE    TROPICS  93 

general  taking  off  of  coats  by  the  gentlemen,  a  putting  on  of 
suitable  costumes  by  the  children,  and  a  grand  game  of  hide- 
and-seek  and  romps  during  the  short  twilights  until  the 
dressing-bell  gives  warning  to  prepare  for  dinner. 

Landsmen  can  never  know  how  delightful  it  is  to  be  able 
to  sit  quietly  on  deck  late  in  the  evening,  in  the  open  air, 
without  any  tiresome  wraps,  and  to  enjoy  the  soft  silvery 
light  of  the  stars,  scarcely  dimmed  by  the  brighter  rays  of  the 
young  moon.  It  is  indeed  a  period  of  tranquil  happiness. 
One  is  only  agreeably  fatigued  by  the  exertions  of  the  day ; 
and  one  feels  so  soothed  by  the  beauty  and  peacefulness  of 
the  scene  as  to  be  quite  content  to  do  absolutely  nothing, 
and  to  rest  satisfied  with  the  mere  pleasure  of  existence. 
Indeed  it  is  only  the  recollection  of  the  charms  of  early  rising 
which  induces  any  of  us  to  leave  the  deck  at  last. 

February  2gt1i. — By  noon  to-day  we  had  only  run  seventy- 
five  miles.  The  air  is  still  occasionally  hot  and  oppressive. 
About  3  P.M.  a  large  steamer  was  seen  coming  up  astern,  and 
with  a  glass  we  made  her  out,  by  the  white  band  round  her 
funnel,  to  be  one  of  the  British  India  Line.  For  some  time 
we  seemed  to  hold  our  own  with  her,  even  after  the  breeze  fell 
light,  almost  to  a  calm  ;  and  it  was  9  P.M.  before  she  actually 
passed  us,  steaming  ahead  full  speed.  The  '  Sunbeam  '  sails 
like  a  witch  in  her  new  suit  of  light  canvas,  and  we  pass 
the  little  native  craft  as  if  they  were  standing  still,  even  in 
the  lightest  of  breezes,  for  which  they  are  specially  built. 

March  1st. — However  it  may  mean  to  go  out,  March  has 
come  in  like  the  quietest  of  lambs,  and  we  could  well  do 
with  a  little  more  wind  to  help  us  on  our  course. 

At  noon  we  were  off  Calicut,  a  curious  old  town  of  nearly 
50,000  inhabitants,  to  which  belong  many  ancient  stories  and 
traditions.  As  we  all  know,  it  gives  its  name  to  that  useful 
and  familiar  material — calico.  This  was  the  first  point  of 
India  touched  at  by  Vasco  de  Gama  nearly  400  years  ago, 


94  THE  MALABAR   COAST 


after  his  long  voyage  from  Portugal.  Not  far  from  Calicut, 
near  Mahe,  a  high  rock  rises — one  of  the  few  places  in  India 
where  sea-swallows  build  their  edible  nests.  Further  south 
is  Tellicherry,  whence  the  highly  appreciated  cardamoms  of 
Waiina  are  exported.  The  plant  (Amomum  repens)  which  pro- 
duces them  is  not  unlike  the  ginger  shrub  in  appearance, 
bearing  small  lilac-coloured  flowers.  Cardamoms  are  so  in- 
dispensable in  all  Indian  cookery  that  great  pains  are  taken  in 
their  cultivation. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  river  lies  Beypoor,  one  of  the  ter- 
minal stations  of  the  Southern  Indian  Railway,  whence  it  is 
possible  to  proceed  by  rail  in  almost  any  direction.  Mysore, 
Bangalore,  and  Seringapatam  can  be  easily  reached  from 
here ;  and  last,  though  not  by  any  means  least,  one  can 
travel  via  Pothanore  and  Metapalliam  to  Ootacamund,  that 
loveliest  and  healthiest  of  Southern  hill  stations  in  the  Neil- 
gherry  Mountains,  familiarly  called  '  Ooty.'  This  delightful 
place  of  refuge  restores  the  enfeebled  health  of  the  European, 
and  makes  it  possible  for  husband  and  wife,  parents  and 
children,  to  be  spared  the  terrible  separations  incidental  to  a 
career  in  India  ;  for  the  climate  of  Ootacamund  is  as  cool  and 
invigorating  as  that  of  England. 

March  2nd. — The  distance  run  at  noon  was  106  knots, 
the  wind  during  the  previous  twenty-four  hours  having  been 
stronger  and  more  favourable. 

We  passed  Cochin  in  the  course  of  the  day,  but  not  near 
enough  to  see  much  of  it.  It  must  be  an  interesting  old  place, 
dating,  like  Calicut,  from  the  ninth  century,  or  even  earlier, 
with  inland  waterways  to  Quilon  and  other  ports  on  the 
Malabar  coast,  by  delightfully  smooth  and  sheltered  back- 
waters, always  navigable  for  the  native  boats,  even  in  the 
full  strength  of  the  monsoon.  Trivandaram,  the  capital  of 
Travancore,  is  near  this.  The  Rajah  of  Travancore  on  the 
occasion  of  the  Great  Exhibition  of  1851  sent  our  Queen 


SUNSTROKE  95 


a  most  beautifully  carved  ivory  chair,  made  in  his  own 
dominions,  which  her  Majesty  now  uses  whenever  she  holds 
a  Chapter  of  the  Order  of  the  Garter  at  Windsor. 

One  of  the  bedroom  stewards  got  a  touch  of  sunstroke 
this  morning,  and  suffered  a  good  deal.  I  was,  of  course,  very 
sorry  for  him,  but  could  not  help  feeling  rather  annoyed,  for 
it  was  entirely  his  own  fault.  The  men  are  just  like  children, 
and  will  not  or  cannot  understand  the  power  of  the  sun  and 
the  danger  of  exposure  to  it.  They  will  run  up  on  deck  bare- 
headed to  look  at  some  passing  object,  and  then  are  surprised 
that  they  at  once  get  a  bad  headache.  They  are  all  well  pro- 
vided with  pith  hats,  and  awnings  are  spread  everywhere,  so 
that  one  cannot  feel  quite  as  much  sympathy  for  them  as  if 
they  were  sufferers  in  the  cause  of  duty. 

Marcli  $rd. — An  absolutely  calm  and  uneventful  day. 

We  are  now  getting  towards  Tuticorin,  whence  it  is  a 
short  journey  by  rail  to  the  splendid  temples  of  Madura,  or 
to  Tinnevelly,  the  great  missionary  station  of  Southern  India. 
Tanjore  with  its  famous  rock  and  its  wonderful  history,  and 
Trichinopoly,  with  its  temples  and  caves,  are  also  easy  of 
access. 

We  had  hoped  to  have  been  able  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  great 
temples  on  Kameshuwaran  and  Manaar,  two  of  the  islands 
forming  what  is  known  as  Adam's  Bridge,  which  partially 
connect  Ceylon  with  the  mainland ;  but,  to  our  disappoint- 
ment, we  find  that  they  are  unapproachable  from  the  west- 
ward, and  we  cannot  get  through  the  Pamban  Passage,  as 
its  depth  is  but  ten  feet  of  water,  whereas  we  draw  thirteen. 
In  order  to  reach  the  temples  it  would  consequently  be 
necessary  for  us  to  make  the  circuit  of  Ceylon,  which  would 
take  far  too  much  time.  We  shaped,  therefore,  as  direct  a 
course  for  Colombo  as  the  light  and  variable  breezes  would 
admit  of. 

March  4th. — To-day  was  calmer  and  hotter  than  ever.    At 


96  MA  LADES  IMAGINAIRES 

noon  we  had  run  eighty-eight  knots,  from  which  time  until 
8  P.M.  we  were  in  the  midst  of  a  flat  oily  calm,  beneath  a 
burning  sun.  We  were,  consequently,  all  much  relieved  when, 
in  the  course  of  the  evening,  fires  were  lighted,  awnings  spread, 
wind-sails  set,  and  we  began  to  make  a  little  air  for  ourselves. 
Sailors  are  amazingly  like  sheep  in  one  respect ;  for  if 
one  does  anything  at  all  out  of  the  ordinary  course,  it  is  ten 
to  one  that  his  shipmates  feel  bound  to  follow  his  example. 
Yesterday  morning,  for  instance,  after  the  cases  of  sunstroke 
of  the  day  before,  several  of  the  crew  reported  themselves 
to  the  Doctor  as  sick,  though,  upon  examination,  he  found 
that  they  were  only  suffering  from  the  effects  of  a  too-vivid 
imagination.  Some  medicine  of  a  nauseous  but  otherwise 
innocent  character  was  accordingly  prescribed,  with  the  satis- 
factory result  that  all  the  maladcs  imayinaires  are  '  Quite 
well,  thank  you,  sir,'  this  morning. 


— , _, 


COLOMBO. 

March  5?/<. — At  9.30  A.M.  we  dropped  an- 
chor in  the  harbour  of  Colombo,  having  come 
twelve  miles  under  sail  between  noon  and 
1 1  P.M.  yesterday,  and  ninety-eight  since  we 
began  steaming. 

Colombo  seems  to  have  grown  and  improved  since  we  were 
here  ten  years  ago.  We  were  soon  comfortably  established  in 
the  new  and  splendid  Oriental  Hotel,  and  busy  with  letters 
and  newspapers. 

In  the  afternoon  we  did  some  necessary  shopping  beneath 
the  welcome  shade  of  the  hotel  arcades.  Later,  as  soon  as 
the  air  had  become  a  little  cooler,  we  drove  along  the  sea- 
front,  called  Galle  Face,  and  enjoyed  the  delicious  sea-breeze. 


98  COLOMBO 


Everybody  seemed  to  be  out,  driving,  riding,  or  walking. 
In  one  spot  officers  and  soldiers  were  playing  cricket  and 
football  as  energetically  as  if  they  had  been  on  Woolwich 
Common. 

We  passed  a  horse-dealer's  establishment,  containing,  be- 
neath a  long  rowr  of  red  shanties,  a  very  decent-looking  lot  of 
ponies  of  various  kinds,  some  of  which  were  being  trotted  out 
for  the  inspection  of  a  circle  of  possible  purchasers.  Every 
bungalow  seemed  to  be  provided  with  one  or  two  tennis- 
grounds,  and  all  had  players  on  them.  When  at  last,  by  a 
charming  drive,  we  reached  the  formerly  forsaken-looking 
Cinnamon  Gardens,  we  found  some  lawn-tennis  grounds 
established  in  their  midst,  as  well  as  a  fine  museum  sur- 
rounded by  a  well-kept  garden.  In  fact,  the  appearance  of 
the  wrhole  place  has  been  completely  changed  since  we  last 
saw  it. 

On  our  way  back  we  were  overtaken  by  a  funeral  proces- 
sion. First  came  two  of  the  quaint  little  bullock-carts  pecu- 
liar to  Ceylon,  drawn  by  the  small  oxen  of  the  country,  both 
carts  being  literally  crammed  full  of  .people,  apparently  in 
the  highest  spirits.  Then  followed  a  long,  low,  open  vehicle, 
rather  like  a  greengrocer's  van  painted  black.  In  the  rear  of 
the  procession  was  another  bullock-cart,  fuller  than  ever  of 
joyous  mourners,  and  drawn  by  such  a  tiny  animal  that  he 
seemed  to  be  quite  unable  to  keep  up  with  his  larger  rivals, 
though  urged  to  his  utmost  speed  by  the  cries  and  shouts  of 
the  occupants  of  the  cart.  Altogether,  anything  more  cheerful 
and  less  like  one's  ordinary  conception  of  a  funeral  procession 
I  never  saw. 

Our  homeward  road  lay  partly  through  jungle,  the  track 
crossing  various  small  streams  fringed  with  vegetation  so 
tropical  in  character  that  each  little  river  might  have  been  a 
miniature  Amazon.  Presently  we  came  to  the  Lotus  Tank, 
full  of  handsome  white  double  water-lilies  on  erect  stems, 


TO  If  ANDY 


99 


with 

lotus- 
like   cen- 
tres, though 
they  are  not 
the   real   lotus 
flower.  A  hundred 
people  sat  down  to 

dinner  at  the  hotel,  among  whom  were  one  or  two  old  friends. 
When  dinner  wras  over  we  all  adjourned  on  board  the  '  Sun- 
beam,' and  later  Tom  took  them  back  to  their  steamer,  the 
'  Sirocco,'  the  largest  vessel  of  the  Messageries  Maritimes 
fleet. 

March  6th. — We  were  called  at  4.30  A.M.,  to  enable  us  to 
start  by  the  seven  o'clock  train  for  Kandy.  After  a  great 
bustle,  we  found  ourselves  at  the  station,  only  to  be  told  that 
the  time  of  the  departure  of  the  train  had  been  changed  to 
7.35.  The  beauty  of  the  journey  by  rail  up  to  Kandy  in  the 
cool  air  of  the  early  morning  quite  compensated  us  for  the 
inconvenience  of  so  early  a  start.  A  comfortable  saloon 
carriage,  with  luxurious  armchairs,  had  been  attached  to  the 

N 


ioo  PADDY-FIELDS 


train  for  our  use,  besides  a  well -arranged  refreshment  car,  in 
which  civil  waiters  served  an  excellently  prepared  meal. 

After  leaving  Colombo  we  passed  through  vast  fields  of 
paddy,  some  covered  with  the  stubble  of  the  recently  cut  rice, 
while  others  were  being  prepared  for  a  new  crop  by  such 
profuse  irrigation  that  the  buffaloes  seemed  to  be  ploughing 
knee-deep  through  the  thick,  oozy  soil.  It  was  easy  to  under- 
stand how  unhealthy  must  be  the  task  of  cultivating  a  rice- 
field,  and  what  swampy  and  pestiferous  odours  must  arise 
from  the  brilliant  vegetation.  '  Green  as  grass '  is  a  feeble 
expression  to  those  familiar  with  the  dazzling  verdure  of  a 
paddy-field.  Grain  cultivation  in  Ceylon  does  not,  however, 
appear  to  be  a  very  profitable  occupation,  and  seems  to  be 
pursued  by  the  natives  for  sentimental  rather  than  for  prac- 
tical reasons.  Sir  C.  P.  Layard,  who  was  for  many  years 
Governor  of  the  Western  Province,  has  stated  that  '  the  culti- 
vation of  paddy  is  the  least  profitable  pursuit  to  which  a  native 
can  apply  himself.  It  is  persevered  in  from  habit,  and  because 
the  value  of  time  and  labour  never  enters  into  his  calcula- 
tion. Besides  this,  agriculture  is,  in  the  opinion  of  a  Cinga- 
lese, the  most  honourable  of  callings.'  All  the  grain  grown 
in  Ceylon  is  consumed  in  the  island,  and  the  supply  has  to  be 
largely  supplemented  by  imports  from  India  and  elsewhere. 

After  our  train  had  ascended,  almost  imperceptibly,  to  a 
considerable  height,  we  came  to  the  Valley  of  Death,  so  called 
because  of  the  enormous  mortality  among  the  workmen  em- 
ployed upon  this  portion  of  the  railway.  Thence  we  passed 
through  scenes  of  wondrous  beauty  to  Rambukkana,  where 
the  train  really  begins  to  climb,  and  has  to  be  drawn  and 
pushed  by  two  engines — one  in  front  and  one  behind.  It 
would  be  wearisome  even  to  name  the  various  types  of  tropical 
vegetation  which  we  passed  ;  but  we  thought  ourselves  fortu- 
nate in  seeing  a  talipot  palm  in  full  bloom,  with  its  magnifi- 
cent spike  of  yellowish  flowers  rising  some  twenty  feet  above 


PLANTING  IN  CEYLON 


101 


a  noble  crown  of  dark  green  fan-shaped  leaves.  This  sight 
is  uncommon,  for  the  trees  never  bloom  till  they  are  seventy 
or  eighty  years  old,  and  then  die  directly. 

Just  before  arriving  at  Peradeniya,  the  new  line  branches 
off  to  Nanu-oya,  128  miles  from  Colombo,  and  5,300  feet 
above  the  sea-level.  Nuwarra-Ellia  is  reached  in  about  four 
hours  from  this,  the  line  passing  through  some  of  the  richest 


and  best  of  the  tea- 
estates — formerly  co- 
tations.  The 
leaf  fungus, 
tatrix  —  the 
lent  of  the 
of  the  Colo- 
has  ruined 
ters  in  Cey- 
there  seems 
prospect  of 
this  year,  not 
but  of  every  - 
There  are 
dred  thou- 
ground  under 
tion  in  Cey- 
pared  with 
of  coffee, 
of  tea,  650,000 


Talipot  Palm 


and  quinine  -  growing 
vered  with  coffee  plan- 
horrid  coffee- 
Heinileia  ras- 
local  equiva- 
phylloxera,  or 
rado  beetle — 
half  the  plan- 
Ion,  although 
to  be  a  fair 
a  good  crop 
only  of  coffee 
thing  else, 
over  six  hun- 
sand  acres  of 
rice  cultiva- 
lon,  as  com- 
130,000  acres 
1 7  5,000  acres 
acres  of  palms, 
of  cinchona.  Cin- 
spices,  besides  to- 


and  35,000  acres 

namon     and     other 

bacco,  cacao,  and  other  trees  and  plants,  are  also  more  or  less 

extensively  grown.      Sugar-cultivation  has  proved  a  failure, 

probably  owing  to  the  too  great  dampness  of  the  climate. 

The  Satinwood  Bridge  at  Peradeniya,  across  the  Mahaweli- 
ganga,  seemed  quite  a  familiar  friend  ;  though  the  old  English- 


THE   BOTAXICAL    GARDEXS 


man  who  for  so  many  years  washed  the  sand  of  the  river  in 
search  of  gems  is  dead  and  gone. 

In  the  afternoon  I  went  to  keep  my  appointment  with  Dr. 
Trimen,  the  present  curator  of  the  gardens,  and  successor 
to  our  friend  Dr.  Thwaites.  The  group  of  india-rubber  trees 
outside  the  gate,  and  the  palms  just  within  the  enclosure,  were 
old  acquaintances,  and  looked  as  graceful  as  ever.  Close  by 
stood  a  magnificent  Amherstia  nolrilis  in  full  bloom,  its  great 
tresses  of  vermilion  flowers  spotted  with  yellow,  hanging  in 
gorgeous  profusion  among  its  bright  glossy  leaves.  In 
Burmah  these  flowers  are  laid  upon  the  altars  in  front  of  the 
images  of  Buddha  as  a  sacred  offering.  Dr.  Trimen  appears 
to  feel  the  greatest  pride  in  the  management  of  the  garden, 
and  he  took  much  trouble  to  show  us  all  there  was  time 
to  see.  The  principal  trees,  shrubs,  and  plants  have  been 
labelled,  so  that  he  who  runs  may  read.  A  good  deal  of  vege- 
tation has  also  been  cut  down  and  cleared  away,  and  the  more 
valuable  specimens  of  trees  stand  boldly  out  on  the  grassy 
lawns.  The  present  curator  has  erected  a  charming  little 
summer-house,  in  the  form  of  a  Kandyan  temple,  in  memory 
of  Dr.  Thwaites  and  his  thirty  successful  years  of  office.  It 
stands  on  a  small  knoll,  surrounded  by  the  fragrant  bushes 
of  the  jessamine-like  Plumieria,  which  is  also  known  as  the 
temple-flower,  and  is  regarded  as  sacred. 

We  scarcely  got  back  in  time  to  dress  for  dinner  at  the 
Pavilion,  as  they  call  the  Governor's  residence  here.  The 
children  were  tired,  and  went  to  bed.  Tom,  Mabelle,  Mr.  des 
Graz,  and  I  therefore  started  without  them,  and  arrived  punctu- 
ally at  eight  o'clock.  Lord  and  Lady  Aberdeen  were  of  the 
part}*,  which  included  a  good  many  interesting  people.  The 
table  was  decorated  with  lovely  ferns,  and  no  less  than  seventy- 
two  vases  of  sunflowers  !  The  effect  of  the  servants'  liveries  was 
quaint  and  decidedly  picturesque,  and  I  believe  the  fashion 
in  which  they  are  made  is  very  old.  The  smartly  cut,  long 


LIVERIES 


103 


swallow-tail  black  coat,  profusely  braided  with  red  and  yellow, 
is  worn  over  a  snowy  white  cloth  wrapped  round  the  waist 
and  reaching  to  the  feet,  and  the  smooth  hair  is  kept  in  its 
place  by  a  large  circular  comb  at  the  top  of  the  head.  Out 
of  doors,  a  gracefully  carried  umbrella  is  the  sole  protection 
from  the  sun. 


104 


THE  JIKRIKISHA 


j\Larcli  Jth. — The  morning  broke  misty,  foggy,  and  deci- 
dedly cold  for  our  early  start  back  to  Colombo.  We  found 
this  change  rather  trying  after  the  heat  through  which  we 
have  been  voyaging.  We  left  at  eight,  relying  upon  break- 
fast in  the  train  ;  but  in  this  hope  we  were  disappointed,  and 
had  to  content  ourselves  with  biscuits  and  some  rather  un- 
ripe fruit ;  for  the  breakfast-car  is  only  attached  to  upward 
trains,  to  suit  travellers  from  Colombo  who  want  to  make 
the  trip  to  Nuwarra-Ellia  or  to  Kandy  and  back  in  one  day. 
The  scenery  was  so  lovely,  however,  that  there  was  plenty  to 
occupy  and  distract  our  minds,  and  we  were  able  to  do  all 
the  more  justice  to  our  good  lunch  when  we  reached  the 
comfortable  Galle  Face  Hotel. 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  business  still  to  be  done  at 
Colombo,  including  the  engagement  of  a  new  under-cook,  the 
purchase  of  additional  cool  clothing  for  the  crew,  and  the  lay- 
ing in  of  fresh  stores  and  pro- 
visions. It  was  therefore  not 
until  the  evening  that  we  were 
able  to  start  upon  a  little  expe- 
dition, I  in  a  jinrikisha,  Tom 
on  foot,  followed  by  another 
jinrikisha,  into  which,  to  the 
great  amusement  of  the  group 
of  lookers-on,  he  insisted  on 
putting  our  interpreter,  or 
'  English-speak-man,'  as  he 
calls  himself. 

There  is  always,  to  my 
mind,  something  supremely 
ludicrous  in  the  sight  of  a 
half-naked  individual  trudg- 
ing gaily  along  under  an  umbrella  in  pouring  rain.  His 
clothes  cannot  be  spoiled,  for  he  wears  none ;  and  one 


Governor's   Peon,  Kandy 


CALADIUM  LEAVES 


105 


Cingalese  Weapons 


would     think    that 
his  body  must  long 
ago    have    been    acclima- 
tised   to    every   degree    of 
moisture.      The  natives  of  Ceylon 
get  over  the  difficulty  very  well  by 
gathering  one  of  the  many  beauti- 
fully spotted  large  caladium  leaves 
which  abound  in  the  roadside  ditches. 
For    a    time    it    serves    its    purpose, 
combining  utility  with  elegance,   and 
when  the  shower  is  over  it  is  thrown 

away.  I  have  also  seen  these  leaves  used  as  sunshades,  but 
they  do  not  answer  so  well  in  this  capacity,  for  they  wither 
directly  and  become  limp  and  drooping.  We  had  a  pleasant 
stroll  through  the  town  and  outskirts,  exploring  some  lovely 
little  nooks  and  corners  full  of  tropical  foliage.  Colombo  seems 
to  be  progressing,  and  to  have  benefited  greatly  by  the  railway 
We  went  to  the  station  to  meet  the  train  from  Nuwarra- 
Ellia,  by  which  the  children  were  expected  to  arrive,  but,  as  the 
time-tables  have  just  been  altered,  we  found  ourselves  too  early. 
The  interval  was  pleasantly  filled,  however,  by  an  instructive 
and  interesting  little  chat  with  the  traffic-manager.  At  last 
the  train  appeared,  and  with  it  the  children,  who  expressed 
great  delight  at  the  procession  of  six  real  Japanese  jinrikishas 
which  we  had  organised  to  convey  them  and  the  rest  of  the 
party  from  the  station  to  the  hotel. 


io6 


DEPARTURE  FROM  COLOMBO 


During  the  day  we  had  heard  that  several  old  friends  hap- 
pened to  be  at  Colombo,  so  we  convened  them  all  to  dinner. 
Their  number  included  Mr.  Macbean  and  Captain  Middleton, 
of  the  old  93rd,  both  of  whom  had  been  married  since  we  last 
met  them,  and  Colonel  Carey,  a  Rugby  friend  of  Tom's,  now 
commanding  the  Engineers  here. 

We  have  had  great  difficulty  to-day  in  obtaining  possession 
of  a  box  sent  on  to  us  from  Bombay.  I  left  orders  yesterday 
that  it  was  to  be  obtained  from  the  shipping-agents  this 
morning,  but  it  was  only  after  an  infinity  of  trouble  to  our- 
selves and  to  the  people  on  shore,  who  had  locked  up  their 
offices  and  gone  home,  that  we  were  able  to  get  hold  of  it  this 
evening.  At  last  everything  and  everybody  were  collected  on 
board  ;  our  usual  parting  gifts  of  books  and  newspapers  to 
barracks,  hospitals,  and  schools  were  sent  ashore,  and  we 
steamed  slowly  out  of  the  harbour  and  round  the  breakwater. 
Then  '  Full  speed  ahead  '  was  the  order  given,  and  once  more 


Point  de  Galle 


we  left  the  lights  and  luxuries  of  land  behind  us  and  sailed 
forth  into  the  soft  tropic  twilight. 

Tuesday,  March  8th, — It  was   i.io  A.M.  as  we  passed  the 


FIRST   VIE IV  OF  TRINCOMALEE  107 

lighthouse.  I  stayed  on  deck  until  the  land  seemed  to  be 
swallowed  up  in  the  darkness ;  hut  when  I  canie  up  again 
at  6  A.M.  we  were  still  running  along  the  coast,  near  enough 
to  see  some  of  its  beauties,  though  not  so  close  as  to  make 
it  possible  to  appreciate  the  exquisite  loveliness  of  the  Bay 
of  Galle.  Once  the  principal  port  of  call  for  all  the  most  impor- 
tant lines  of  steamers,  the  town  of  Galle  is  now  comparatively 
deserted,  and  the  charms  of  the  neighbouring  country  are 
unknown  to  the  modern  traveller.  The  difficulties  of  landing 
there  were  always  great  during  the  monsoon  period,  and  more 
facilities  having  been  afforded  at  Colombo  by  the  construction 
of  Sir  John  Coode's  great  breakwater,  all  the  steamers  now 
make  use  of  that  port  to  take  in  water,  coal,  and  provisions. 

At  noon  we  had  run  95  miles,  and  Trincomalee  was  244 
miles  distant.  At  10  P.M.  we  passed  inside  the  Great  Bass 
Rock,  and  afterwards  the  smaller  Bass  Rock. 

Wednesday,  March  gtJt. — At  noon  to-day  184  miles  had 
been  made,  and  Trincomalee  is  only  now  twenty  miles  ahead. 
We  had  passed  Batticaloa,  the  capital  of  one  of  the  divisions 
of  the  island,  and  early  in  the  morning  saw  the  celebrated 
rock  called  '  Westminster  Abbey,'  which  is  curiously  like  that 
grand  old  pile,  especially  when  the  two  pinnacles  are  seen 
from  a  distance.  As  you  pass  it  to  the  northward  the  resem- 
blance gradually  becomes  lost. 

The  sun  was  sinking  fast  when  we  shaped  our  course  for 
the  entrance  to  the  harbour  of  Trincomalee.  I  w7as  on  the 
topgallant  forecastle  with  Tom,  and  most  delightful  it  wras  in 
that  airy  position.  A  fisherman  in  a  curious  little  catamaran 
boat  offered  his  services  as  pilot ;  and  though  they  were  not 
required  we  stopped,  intending  to  ask  him  to  come  on  board 
and  have  a  chat  ;  but  he  w^as  lazy  with  the  oars,  and  before 
he  had  come  alongside  our  patience  w?as  exhausted.  The  moon 
now  began  to  show  her  light,  while  the  stars  twinkled  over- 
head;  and  the  two  lighthouses— one  on  either  hand — sent 

o 


io8 


THE  HARBOUR 


forth  rays  which  glistened  on  the  calm  surface  of  the 
water.  I  half  regretted  the  departure  of  the  daylight,  for 
I  should  have  liked  to  have  seen  more  plainly  the  entrance 
to  this  wonderful  harbour,  pronounced  by  Nelson  to  be  one 
of  the  finest  in  the  world;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  the  ex- 
quisite beauty  of  the  scene  made  up  for  its  want  of  distinct- 
ness. The  glorious  full  moon,  gaining  power,  shone  into  every 


creek  and  cranny,  and  beamed  brilliantly  over  the  water 
as  we  steamed  ahead,  until  at  last  we  dropped  anchor  off 
the  dockyard  of  Trincomalee.  Just  previously,  from  the  little 
fort  above,  had  come  loud  shouts  of  '  Sunbeam,  ahoy ! '  and 
then  many  hearty  cheers  burst  from  the  throats  of  the 
artillerymen  and  engineers  who  are  quartered  there. 

After  dinner  Tom  and  I  went  for  a  row  in  the  '  Flash,' 


A   HEA  VY  MAIL  109 


and  explored  the  harbour  by  moonlight.  There  was  a  good 
deal  of  singing  at  a  row  of  cottages  ashore,  where,  I  suppose, 
the  dockyard  labourers  live.  Even  the  workshops  looked 
quite  romantic,  covered  as  their  rough  walls  were  •  by  palms, 
creepers,  and  other  tropical  vegetation.  We  went  on  towards 
the  Admiral's  house,  passing  through  the  submarine  mining 
flotilla,  which  looked  singularly  out  of  place  among  these 
picturesque  surroundings.  The  night  was  absolutely  perfect ; 
the  moonlight  on  the  water,  the  distant  mountains,  the  near 
forts,  and  the  white  sandy  beach,  all  making  up  an  ideal 
picture  of  tropical  beauty  and  repose. 

Shortly  after  we  had  come  to  an  anchor,  Mr.  Black,  the 
assistant  naval  storekeeper,  arrived  on  board,  bringing  with 
him  kind  letters  from  Sir  Frederick  Richards,  the  Commander- 
in-chief  of  the  East  India  station,  offering  us  his  house  and 
garden  whilst  we  remain  here.  The  '  Jumna,'  which  brought 
these  letters,  left  four  days  ago  ;  and  the  '  Bacchante,'  Sir 
Frederick's  flagship,  is  not  expected  for  a  week  ;  so  that  we 
have  just  missed  both,  greatly  to  our  disappointment.  Mr. 
Black  kindly  promises  to  meet  us  again  to-morrow,  and  to 
pilot  us  to  the  famous  hot  springs  at  Kanniya  and  to  the 
alligator  tank. 

March  loth, — At  6  A.M.  we  all  went  on  shore,  and  were 
met  by  Mr.  Black  with  sundry  little  gharries  and  turn-turns, 
into  which  we  soon  packed — all  except  Tom,  who  remained 
behind  to  inspect  the  dockyard.  The  harbour  looked  finer 
in  some  ways,  though  perhaps  not  so  poetic  as  by  moon- 
light. We  could  see  more  of  the  landscape ;  and  as  we 
drove  along  a  good  road  skirting  the  bay  the  peeps  through 
the  foliage  were  lovely.  After  passing  the  Admiral's  house 
we  drove,  through  a  straggling  village  embosomed  in  trees, 
to  the  post-office,  where  we  deposited  a  mail  which,  to  judge 
from  the  astonished  looks  of  the  officials,  must  have  been 
much  larger  than  they  usually  receive.  It  certainly  was 

*  o  2 


I  10 


AN  ECCENTRIC  PONY 


somewhat  voluminous,  consisting  as  it  did  of  letters,  books, 
manuscripts,  legal  documents,  and  newspapers.  It  would 
have  to  be  carried  some  eighty  miles  by  runners  to  reach  the 
mail-coach,  and  then  travel  another  hundred  miles  before 
being  deposited  in  the  train ;  so  that  I  fear  it  will  give  some 
trouble.  The  poor  letter-carriers  are  bound  to  take  any  parcel 
weighing  eleven  pounds.  I  suppose  an  extra  man  will  have 
to  be  employed  for  our  mail,  but  this  cannot  be  a  serious 

matter  where  wages  are  so  cheap. 


Jumping  Fish 

From  the  post-office  our  way  lay  through  a  dense 
jungle,  but  still  along  a  good  road,  where  many  birds 
of  brilliant  plumage  and  sweet  song  flew  gaily  before  us  or 
perched  on  the  telegraph  wires  alongside.  Jungle-cock  ran  in 
and  out  across  the  road.  They  are  rather  good-looking  birds, 
something  like  a  very  '  gamey  '  domestic  fowl,  with  a  fine  up- 
standing tail. 

Our   progress  was   greatly  delayed   by  the   eccentricities 


ELEPHANTS  in 


of  Mr.  Black's  pony.  Ho  always  stood  still  when  we  met 
anything,  stopping  so  abruptly  as  almost  to  shoot  us  out 
of  the  gharry.  Then,  having  once  halted,  he  refused  to 
move  on  again  without  much  urging  and  coaxing.  Before 
going  down  hill  he  planted  his  feet  obstinately  on  the  ground, 
declining  to  proceed ;  and  at  the  bottom  of  an  ascent  he 
turned  short  round.  If  a  bird  flew  suddenly  out  of  the  jungle 
he  jumped  over  into  the  opposite  ditch,  and  many  times 
nearly,  though  never  quite,  upset  us.  After  these  perform- 
ances, I  was  not  surprised  to  hear  that  this  pony  had  never 
been  in  harness  before. 

At  last  we  reached  the  hot  springs,  seven  in  number, 
where  we  found  a  temple  and  other  little  buildings  close  by. 
The  water  bubbles  up  through  square  and  round  holes,  and 
was  so  hot  (i  15°)  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  bear  one's 
hand  in  it ;  but  we  caught  two  little  turtles  swimming  gaily 
about.  The  curious  '  sea-horses,'  which  carry  their  young  in 
their  mouths,  are  said  to  live  in  the  streams  running  from  the 
springs. 

While  waiting  for  the  rest  of  the  party  to  arrive  I  took 
several  photographs.  We  sent  a  native  up  a  tree  for  fresh 
cocoa-nuts,  and,  having  climbed  in  the  orthodox  manner, 
with  feet  tied  together,  he  threw  us  down  nuts,  green  and 
smooth,  full  of  deliciously  cool  clear  milk,  with  a  thick  creamy 
coating  inside,  most  grateful  to  the  palate. 

After  taking  more  photographs,  some  of  the  party  set  out 
for  the  alligator  tank,  where  the  probability  of  seeing  any 
alligators  seemed  so  doubtful,  that,  as  a  long  and  fatiguing 
walk  was  much  more  certain,  I  thought  it  better  to  under- 
take, instead  of  accompanying  them,  to  drive  a  pair  of  jibbing 
ponies  back  to  Trincomalee. 

On  the  way  back  we  saw  an  opening  made  in  the  dense  jungle 
by  the  passage  of  an  elephant,  which  had  evidently  crushed 
through  into  the  road  since  we  had  passed.  Wild  elephants 


112  THE  ALLIGATOR    TANK 


are  very  numerous  hereabouts,  and  a  hundred  were  killed  not 
long  since  by  one  sportsman  in  a  comparatively  short  time. 
Another  hunter  made  great  preparations  for  sport,  and  spent 
a  considerable  time  in  the  neighbourhood  waiting  his  oppor- 
tunity, but,  after  failing  to  get  a  single  shot,  determined  to 
return  by  bullock-cart  and  coach  to  Kandy.  At  one  of  the 
rest-houses  he  was  cleaning  and  putting  away  his  rifle,  when 
some  excited  coolies  rushed  in  and  begged  him  to  kill  a  rogue- 
elephant  which  they  had  caught  sight  of  quietly  walking  down 
the  road.  The  sportsman  accordingly  took  up  his  position 
behind  a  tree,  and  killed  the  huge  beast  quite  easily.  The 
carcase  remained  in  the  road  for  several  weeks,  poisoning  the 
atmosphere  and  rendering  the  rest-house  almost  uninhabit- 
able, until  at  last  an  official  of  rank,  passing  that  way,  gave 
orders  for  it  to  be  burnt,  which  was  promptly  done  by  the 
inhabitants  of  the  neighbourhood,  who  had  nearly  arrived  at 
the  conclusion  that  the  possible  attacks  of  a  live  elephant 
W7ere  a  less  serious  matter  than  the  certain  ill-effects  of  the 
proximity  of  a  dead  animal.  To  me,  independently  of  the 
sanitary  aspect  of  the  case,  it  appears  a  sad  pity  and  an 
altogether  wasteful  proceeding  to  massacre  so  powerful  a 
beast,  with  such  capabilities  of  usefulness,  as  an  elephant, 
simply  for  the  sake  of  amusement ;  for  neither  hide,  feet, 
tail,  nor  bones  are  of  much,  if  of  any,  value,  and  it  would 
surely  be  better  to  catch  and  tame  the  poor  creatures  if 
possible. 

Arrived  on  board  the  yacht,  1  found  Tom  just  returned 
from  a  long  examination  of  the  dockyard  and  naval  establish- 
ment. The  remainder  of  the  party  appeared  later  on,  all  rather 
exhausted,  and  disappointed  at  not  having  seen  any  alligators. 
They  were,  however,  laden  with  lovely  lotus-like  water-lilies, 
collected  during  a  pleasant  little  paddle  on  the  tank  in  a  very 
leaky  canoe. 

During  the  morning  we  had  many  visitors  on  board,  all 


CROCODILES  113 


profuse  in  kind  offers  of  hospitality,  and  desirous  of  doing 
everything  to  make  our  brief  stay  agreeable.  The  children 
went  back  with  the  ladies  to  spend  the  afternoon  at  the  fort, 
while  Tom  and  Mabelle  landed  to  play  lawn-tennis. 

About  five  o'clock  Major  Nash  called  and  took  us  for  a 
drive  on  the  heights,  from  which  there  was  a  fine  view  across 
the  bay  and  harbour  beneath  us.  This  island  originally 
belonged  to  the  Dutch,  by  whom  it  was  ceded  to  us ;  and  it 
has  since  been  used  as  a  club  and  recreation-ground  for 
the  officers.  Several  pleasant  bungalows  have  been  estab- 
lished, and  a  good  breakfast,  lunch,  or  even  dinner,  can  be 
obtained  at  a  moment's  notice.  The  old  account-books  kept 
by  those  in  charge  of  the  mess  bungalow  are  still  preserved, 
and  many  a  now  celebrated  name  may  be  seen  entered  therein. 

We  went  to  Mr.  Millett's  house  to  see  what  he  called  a 
tame  cheetah,  but  which  was  really  a  wild  panther — a  hand- 
some little  beast,  who  became  greatly  excited  when  the  dogs 
appeared  on  the  scene.  We  also  saw  a  tiny  crocodile,  only 
a  month  old,  in  an  earthenware  pan,  which  snapped  and 
hissed  and  napped  his  tail,  and  was  altogether  as  angry  as 
any  creature  of  his  diminutive  size  could  well  be,  making 
it  quite  clear  that  only  the  power — not  the  will — to  eat  us  all 
up  was  wanting.  There  are  many  crocodiles  in  these  lakes 
and  streams,  and  they  occasionally  carry  incautious  people  off, 
especially  the  women  who  go  to  the  tanks  to  fill  their  water -jars. 

Mr.  Millett  had  also  quite  a  large  collection  of  elephants' 
heads,  tails,  and  feet — the  spoils  of  a  recent  shooting  expedi- 
tion. These  trophies  seemed  to  give  one  a  better  idea  of  the 
immense  size  of  the  elephant  than  the  sight  of  the  animal 
itself.  It  was  most  interesting  to  be  able  to  handle  and  to 
examine  closely  their  great  bones,  though  I  felt  sad  to  see  the 
remains  of  so  many  huge  beasts  sacrificed  just  for  the  love  of 
killing  something.  They  had  not  even  been  tuskers,  so  that, 
unless  their  heads  and  feet  were  used  for  mere  decorations,  I 


H4 


SAMI  ROCK 


do  not  see  that  their  slaughter  could  have  answered  any  useful 
end. 

We  next  drove  to  the  Admiral's  house — a  charmingly-placed 
dwelling,  with  one  end  for  each  monsoon  (south-west  from 
April  to  September,  north-east  from  November  to  February). 
A  well-cared-for  garden  encircles  it,  full  of  valuable  plants 
and  flowers ;  and  the  view  over  the  bay  is  wide 

and  lovely.     We  went  through     the     bar- 

racks,    and      then  ^/tjj^^,  walked,  or  rather 

climbed,    up    to  the       signal 

station,  below  $  which     a 

new  fort  is  /       ^x  being 

/  ffljjjVV:,  _y5S"i..  _  '  '  -C   1     - , 

made 


which 
will  carry 
heavy  guns. 
Close   by  is  a 
curious  old  Dutch 
graveyard,  with  a  few 
quaint   English  monu- 
ments in  it,  dating  from 
the  beginning  of  the  century. 
The  way  was  long  and  the  road 
rough ;  but  still  we  climbed  on 

and  on  to  reach  the  famous  Sami  Eock,  which  rises  sheer  from 
the  sea,  and  is  a  sacred  spot  for  Hindoos,  who  have  come 
here  by  thousands  to  worship  for  many  centuries.  Behind 
the  rock  stands  a  small  monument,  erected  in  memory  of  a 
young  Portuguese  lady,  who,  having  seen  her  lover's  ship 


DEPARTURE  FROM   TRINCOMALEE  115 


leave  the  harbour  and  disappear  below  the    horizon,  threw 
herself  in  despair  from  the  cliff. 

The  sun  had  now  set,  and  the  night  was  calm  and  bril- 
liant ;  but  so  powerful  had  been  the  sun's  rays  that  the  rocks 
burnt  our  feet  as  we  walked,  and  made  it  impossible  to  sit 
down.  We  returned  to  lower  levels  much  more  quickly  than 
we  had  ascended  ;  but  I  felt  very  tired  before  we  got  back 
to  the  gharries,  and  was  only  too  glad  to  '  rest  and  be 
thankful '  until  the  others  arrived  and  were  ready  to  start. 
They  had  had  a  delightful  afternoon,  and  had  caught  several 
walking-fish  (a  kind  of  perch),  after  seeing  them  both  walk 
and  swim  ;  besides  gathering  more  lotus-flowers,  and  enjoying 
several  good  games  at  lawn-tennis. 

The  drive  to  the  boats,  behind  Major  Nash's  fast-trotting 
pony,  was  all  too  short,  and  the  time  for  the  inevitable  fare- 
wells came  but  too  quickly.  Steam  was  up  when  we  got  on 
board,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we  were  leaving  this  beautiful 
harbour  behind  us,  exactly  twenty-four  hours  after  we  had 
entered  it,  and  under  almost  precisely  the  same  conditions  of 
wind  and  weather.  Trincomalee  is  certainly  a  noble  harbour, 
but  Tom  is  strongly  of  opinion  that  it  would  be  more  valu- 
able in  the  hands  of  the  Indian  Government  than  under  the 
Admiralty. 

Friday,  March  i  ith. — We  had  intended  to  go  south  of  the 
Andaman  Islands,  so  as  to  be  able  to  call  at  Port  Blair,  the 
convict  station  wiiere  poor  Lord  Mayo  was  assassinated  by 
the  convict  Shere  Ali  during  his  official  visit  in  1872.  The 
sailing-directions,  however,  gave  such  a  terrible  account  of  the 
malarious  climate  of  the  whole  group  of  islands,  the  savage 
character  of  the  inhabitants,  and  the  size  and  number  of  the 
many  venomous  reptiles,  that  we  reluctantly  decided  to  con- 
tinue our  voyage  straight  to  Burmah  without  stopping.  We 
accordingly  passed  to  the  northward  of  the  Andaman  group, 
making  what  is  called  '  The  Cocos  '  our  first  land-fall. 


At  noon  we  had  steamed  140  miles,  and  were  in  lat. 
9°  44'  N.  and  long.  83°  3'  E.,  Great  Coco  being  607  miles 
distant. 

Saturday,  March  1 2th. — Another  calm  day,  busily  occupied 
in  reading  and  writing.  At  noon  we  had  steamed  1 84  miles, 
and  were  471  miles  distant  from  Great  Coco,  in  lat.  10°  49'  N. 
and  long.  87°  i'  E. 

Sunday,  March  i^th. — We  had  the  Litany  at  11.30,  and 
evening  service  later,  with  most  successful  Chants,  the  result 
of  much  practising  yesterday  and  on  Friday.  At  noon  we  had 


Coco   Island  Light 

steamed  195  miles,  and  were  in  lat.  12°  16'  N.  and  long.  88° 
55'  E.  Great  Coco  distant  278  miles. 

Monday,  March  i^th. — There  was  a  nice  breeze  in  the 
early  morning,  and  sails  were  accordingly  set.  At  9  A.M.  we 
ceased  steaming,  and  proceeded  under  sail  alone.  At  noon 
we  had  run  1 8 1  miles,  and  were  distant  97  miles  from  Great 
Coco. 

Tuesday,  March  15^.— Little  Coco  was  sighted  at  daylight. 
Later  on  we  saw  all  the  other  islands  of  the  Preparis  group 
in  succession,  and  were  able  to  congratulate  ourselves  on 
having  made  a  good  land-fall.  At  noon  we  had  sailed  1 20  miles, 


AN  ACCIDENT  117 


and  were  in  lat.  14°  5'  N.  and  long.  93°  29'  E.,  the  Krisha  Shoal 
being  distant  1 50  miles. 

In  the  evening  we  had  our  first  nautical  entertainment 
since  we  have  all  been  on  board  together.  It  proved  a  real 
success,  and  appeared  to  afford  great  enjoyment  to  all,  the 
credit  being  mostly  due  to  Mabelle  and  the  Doctor,  who  took 
an  immense  deal  of  trouble  to  make  everything  go  off  properly, 
and  were  well  rewarded  by  the  universal  appreciation  of  their 
exertions.  I  am  sure  that  these  amusements  do  good  in  re- 
lieving the  unavoidable  tedium  and  monotony  of  a  long 
voyage. 

Wednesday,  March  i6th. — Soundings  were  taken  at  frequent 
intervals  throughout  the  morning,  for  \ve  were  uncertain  as 
to  the  strength  of  the  currents,  and  could  not  see  far  ahead, 
as  the  sky  was  both  overcast  and  misty.  About  noon  Tom 
got  an  observation,  and  found  that  we  were  in  lat.  15°  28' 
N.  and  long.  95°  40'  E.,  having  sailed  140  miles  during  the 
past  twenty-four  hours.  The  Krisha  Shoal  was  then  about 
ten  miles  to  the  N.W. 

Towards  five  o'clock  I  was  reading  quietly  on  deck,  when  I 
was  startled  by  an  appalling  shriek,  followed  by  a  good  deal 
of  commotion  forward.  A  moment  afterwards  I  saw  poor 
Pitt  bleeding  profusely  from  his  right  hand.  Having  sent  for 
the  Doctor  and  some  ice,  I  got  hold  of  the  wrist,  and  bound 
it  up  as  best  I  could  until  the  Doctor  appeared,  who  then 
proceeded  with  his  instruments  to  tie  the  arteries  properly 
and  to  sew  up  the  wounds.  While  opening  some  soda-water 
for  the  children  one  of  the  bottles  burst  in  the  poor  man's 
hand,  cutting  five  arteries  and  nearly  blowing  off  the  top  of 
his  second  finger.  It  was  a  ghastly  business  altogether, 
and  although  he  bore  it  bravely  he  could  not  help  crying 
out  occasionally.  I  stood  it  all  pretty  well  till  just  at  the 
end,  and  then  fainted,  which  was  stupid ;  but  sitting  in  the 
sun  in  a  cramped  position,  with  such  sights  and  sounds 


n8  'APPROACH  TO  RANGOON 

was  rather  trying.  It  was  a  comfort  to  know  that  I  was  able 
to  be  of  some  use  at  first. 

At  7.45  P.M.  we  made  Point  Baragu  Light,  and  at  10  P.M. 
sail  was  shortened,  for  by  this  time  we  were  rushing  along 
before  a  strong,  fair  wind,  and  did  not  quite  know  how  far 
it  might  carry  us  by  daylight.  After  dark  the  sea  was  bril- 
liantly lit  up  by  millions  of  minute  nautilidae,  and  from  time 
to  time  we  passed  through  shoals  of  large  medusae,  increasing 
and  decreasing  the  light  which  they  emitted  as  they  opened 
or  closed  their  feelers,  to  propel  themselves  through  the  water. 
They  looked  like  myriads  of  incandescent  lamps  floating  just 
below  the  surface  of  the  water  and  illuminating  everything  as 
they  passed  with  I  do  not  know  how  many  thousand  or  million 
candle-power.  The  effect  was  indeed  fairylike,  and  one  felt 
reluctant  to  go  below  so  long  as  there  was  even  the  faintest 
chance  of  seeing  another  blazing  shoal. 

Fortunately,  the  description  of  the  China  Bakeer  pilot-brig 
given  in  the  sailing  directions  is  very  precise  and  clear,  or  a 
wretched  little  native  boat,  on  the  look-out  for  a  job,  might 
have  imposed  herself  upon  us  as  the  genuine  craft,  and  have 
got  us  into  serious  trouble.  The  shoals  hereabouts  are 
numerous  and  the  water  generally  is  shallow.  This  native 
craft  was  rigged  very  much  like  an  ordinary  pilot-boat,  and 
flew  a  huge  ensign  at  the  main  until  dark,  besides  burning 
enough  blue  lights,  flash-lights,  and  flare-lights  afterwards  to 
draw  any  ship  from  her  safe  course.  It  would  therefore  not 
have  been  surprising  if  we  had  allowed  ourselves  to  be  misled 
by  her.  "VYe  heard  afterwards  that  only  a  few  days  ago  she 
nearly  led  H.M.S.  '  Jumna '  on  to  a  dangerous  shoal. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


RANGOON. 


Tliursday,  March  17$.— The  government  pilot  canie  on 
board  at  6  A.M.,  and  we  at  once  got  up  the  anchor  and  pro- 
ceeded under  steam  up  the  branch  of  the  Irrawady  called 
the  Eangoon  River,  leading  to  the  town  of  that  name.  Its 
banks  are  flat,  low,  and  densely  wooded.  The  Great  Pagoda 
is  seen  shortly  after  entering  the  mouth,  and  at  Monkey 
Point  the  river  divides  into  two  portions  (one  of  which  is 


120 


RANGOON 


only  a  creek,  while  the  other  is  the  main  branch,  which 
passes  Eangoon).  Later  on  the  factories,  wharves,  offices, 
public  buildings  and  houses  of  the  city  become  visible  in  quick 
succession. 

Little  more  than  thirty  years  ago  Eangoon  consisted  of  a 
mere  swamp,  with  a  few  mat  huts  mounted  on  wooden  piles, 
and  surrounded  by  a  log  stockade  and  fosse.  Now  it  is  a  city 
of  200,000  inhabitants,  the  terminus  of  a  railway,  and  almost 
rivals  Bombay  in  beauty  and  extent.  It  possesses  fine  palaces, 
public  offices,  and  pagodas  ;  warehouses,  schools,  hospitals, 
lovely  gardens  and  lakes,  excellent  roads,  and  shady  prome- 
nades. 

We  arrived  opposite  the  town  about  half-past  ten,  passing 
through  quite  a  crowd  of  shipping,  amongst  which  were  several 
fine  clippers  and  steamers,  bound  to  all  parts  of  the  world. 
The  rice  season  is  now  at  its  height,  and  everybody  is  working 


his  hardest.    So  great  is  the  competition,  that  some  merchants 
complain    that    they  have   made   no   profit    since   the   time 


BURMESE   COSTUMES  121 


of  the  great  Indian  famines  of  1874  and  1877,  the  only  success- 
ful traders  now  being  the  owners  of  mills,  who  derive  their 
gains  from  merely  crushing  rice. 

Early  in  the  afternoon,  Mr.  Symes,  Secretary  to  the  Chief 
Commissioner,  came  on  board,  bringing  a  kind  note  from  Mrs. 
Crossthwaite,  the  wife  of  the  Chief  Commissioner  (who  is  away 
in  Mandalay),  asking  us  all  to  go  and  stay  at  Government 
House  during  our  visit  to  Eangoon.  We  declined  this  proffered 
kindness,  but  accepted  an  invitation  to  dinner.  Several  other 
visitors  came  on  board  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon,  and  at 
five  o'clock  we  landed  and  went  for  a  drive. 

Important  as  are  the  commercial  aspects  of  the  place,  it 
is  not  these  which  interest  and  arrest  the  attention  of  the 
stranger,  but  rather  what  is  old,  quaint,  and  perhaps  more 
or  less  effete.  The  appearance  of  the  people  themselves, 
to  begin  with,  is  most  picturesque.  Nearly  all  the  men  are 
naked  to  the  waist,  or  wear  a  small  white  open  linen  jacket, 
with  a  voluminous  putso  wound  tightly  round  their  loins  and 
gathered  into  a  great  bundle  or  knot  in  front.  Their  long 
hair  is  beautifully  trimmed,  plaited,  and  oiled,  and  their  glossy 
locks  are  protected  from  the  sun  by  an  oiled-silk  umbrella. 
The  women  wear  much  the  same  costume,  except  that  the 
tamieri  which  replaces  the  putso  is  gayer  in  colour  and  more 
gracefully  put  on.  There  seems  to  be  a  strong  family  likeness 
between  our  own  Scotch  kilts,  the  Malay  sarongs,  the  Burmese 
putsos  and  tamieris,  and  the  Punjaubee  tunghis.  They  are 
evidently  the  outcome  of  the  first  effort  of  a  savage  people 
to  clothe  themselves,  and  consist  merely  of  oblong  or  square 
unmade  pieces  of  cloth  wound  round  the  body  in  a  slightly 
differing  fashion.  Some  people  profess  to  be  able  to  recog- 
nise the  Bruce  and  Stewrart  plaids  in  the  patterns  of  the 
sarongs.  Stripes  and  squares  are  comparatively  cheap,  while 
anything  with  a  curved  or  vandyked  pattern  is  expensive,  be- 
cause for  each  curved  or  vandyked  line  a  special  instrument 


122 


BURMESE   COSTUMES 


Great  Pagoda  Court 

called  a  loon,  must  be  used. 
Hence  the  probable  derivation 
of  langoti,  by  which  name  the  same 
garment  is  called  in  India.     The  rain- 
hats  are  also  remarkable,  being  sufficiently 
large  to  enable  the  wearer  to  dispense  with  an  um- 
brella, though  an  oiled-paper  parasol  is  generally  carried  in 
case  of  a  shower. 

But  it  was  not  only  the  people  who  interested  me.  There 
were  the  great  pagodas,  like  huge  hand-bells,  gilded  and 
decorated  in  various  styles,  with  curious  little  htees,  or  gilt 
crowns,  at  the  top,  ornamented  with  rubies  and  emeralds.  On 
the  extreme  summit,  in  the  place  of  honour,  is  almost  invariably 


PAGODAS 


123 


fixed  an  English  soda-water  bottle,  while  the  minor  positions 
of  importance  are  occupied  by  tonic-water  bottles,  which  are 
of  the  same  shape,  but  of  a  blue  colour.  The  still  more  inferior 
places  are  crowned  by  dark  green  square-shouldered  seltzer- 
water  bottles.  It  seems  a  curious  idea  that  a  crown,  which  is 


Entrance  to   Temple 


not  only  a  real  work  of  art,  but  is  made  of  rich  materials, 
and  worth    30,000^.  sterling,  after  having  been  placed  with 


124  -A   PHOONGYEE  FUNERAL 

much  ponip  and  ceremony  on  the  top  of  the  finest  pagoda  in 
Burmah  (Shway  Dagohu,  the  gilded  spire  of  which  rises  as 
high  as  St.  Paul's  Cathedral),  should  be  surmounted  and 
surrounded  by  the  most  commonplace  articles  of  the  con- 
quering '  barbarian  hordes.' 

Presently  we  passed  the  funeral  car  of  a  Phoongyee,  or 
Buddhist  priest — a  marvellous  structure,  reminding  one  of  the 
Juggernaut  cars  of  India.  The  funeral  of  a  Phoongyee  is  always 
made  the  occasion  of  a  great  function.  The  body  is  embalmed 
and  placed  on  one  of  these  huge  cars ;  and  the  people  from 
the  surrounding  villages  flock  to  the  ceremony,  bringing  cart- 
loads of  fireworks,  for  the  manufacture  of  which  the  Burmese 
are  celebrated.  Great  rivalry  arises  as  to  which  village  shall 
be  fortunate  enough,  through  its  representative,  to  set  the 
gorgeous  canopy  on  fire,  and  thereby  release  the  good  man's 
departed  spirit  and  send  it  straight  to  heaven  without  any 
further  transmigration  or  trouble.  This  happy  consummation 
is  supposed  to  occur  directly  the  large  funeral  pile,  wilich  is 
always  of  highly  inflammable  materials,  takes  fire.  The  result 
is  that  many  accidents  occur,  besides  a  great  deal  of  heart- 
burning and  loss  of  life;  for  sometimes  a  whole  quarter  of 
the  town  is  set  on  fire  and  much  property  destroyed  in 
these  contests. 

It  is  the  custom,  when  a  Phoongyee  of  the  highest  rank 
dies,  to  preserve  the  body  in  honey  until  the  funeral  car  has 
been  built,  which  is  generally  a  matter  of  some  weeks.  The 
body  of  the  car  is  surmounted  by  a  sort  of  baldacchino, 
decorated  with  blue  and  green  bottles  and  pieces  of  broken 
glass  or  porcelain.  "When  all  is  ready,  the  body,  attired  in  a 
common  yellow  robe  (during  life  the  robes  are  of  silk,  satin, 
or  velvet,  or  cotton,  according  to  the  priest's  rank),  is  placed 
on  the  car ;  women  then  seize  the  ropes  attached  to  the 
front  of  the  cumbrous  vehicle,  and  men  those  behind.  After 
.a  prolonged  struggle,  supposed  to  typify  the  conflict  between 


A    STRANGE   CEREMONY 


125 


good  and  evil  spirits,  the  women  gain  the  day,  and  the 
car  proceeds  on  its  way  to  the  funeral  pile,  upon  which 
the  body  is  placed,  and  which  is  finally  set  on  fire  by  huge 
rockets. 

The  avenue  leading  to  the  Shway  Dagohu  Pagoda  is 
guarded  at  the  entrance  by  twro  enormous  statues  of  Injlus,  or 
monsters,  erected  to  propitiate  the  evil  spirits ;  bylus  and  nats 


Dagcm 


being  to  the  Burmese  very  much  what  demons  and  devils  are 
to  us.     The  view  of  the  pagoda  from  the  avenue  is  indeed 

Q 


126 


SHIVA  Y  DAGOHU  PAGODA 


wonderful.     The   great   gilt   dome,  with  its   brilliant  golden 
htee,  grows  and  grows  and  increases  upon  the  vision, 

until  its  enormous  bulk  is  at  last  fully  realised.  Fancy 

a  vast  bell- shaped  erection,        \ 
with  a   pointed  handle  of 


Rangoon   Boat   (stern) 


solid  gold,  rising  to  nearly  the  height  of  the  cross  on  the  top 
of  St.  Paul's,  surrounded  by  numerous  smaller  pagodas  and 
dagolas,  bell-temples,  tombs,  and  rest-houses,  some  much 
dilapidated — it  being  considered  more  meritorious  to  build  a 
new  temple  than  to  repair  an  old  one.  Shway  Dagohu  itself 
stands  on  a  planted  terrace,  raised  upon  a  rocky  platform,  and 
approached  by  a  hundred  steps.  A  writer  of  about  forty  years 
ago  says : 

'  The  golden  temple  of  the  idol  may  challenge  competition, 
in  point  of  beauty,  with  any  other  of  its  class  in  India.  It 
is  composed  of  teak-wood  on  a  solid  brick  foundation,  and 
indefatigable  pains  are  displayed  in  the  profusion  of  rich 
carved  work  which  adorns  it.  The  whole  is  one  mass  of  the 


SHWAY  DAGOHU  PAGODA  127 

richest  gilding,  with  the  exception  of  the  three  roofs,  which 
have  a  silvery  appearance.  A  plank  of  a  deep  red  colour  sepa- 
rates the  gold  and  silver,  with  the  happy  effect  of  relieving 
them. 

'  All  round  the  principal  pagoda  are  smaller  temples,  richly 
gilt  and  furnished  with  images  of  Gautama,  whose  unmean- 
ing smile  meets  you  in  every  direction,  the  sight  of  which, 
accompanied  by  the  constant  tinkling  of  the  innumerable  bells 
hung  on  the  top  of  each  pagoda,  combines  with  the  stillness 


Rangoon   .Boat   (stem) 

and  deserted  appearance  of  the  place  to  produce  an  impres- 
sion on  the  mind  not  speedily  to  be  effaced.'  Close  by  live  a 
hundred  and  fifty  families,  called  '  slaves  of  the  pagoda,'  to 
whose  care  the  edifice  is  entrusted. 

On  the  walls  of  one  of  the  rest-houses  were  some  well- 
drawn  frescoes  illustrating  incidents  in  the  life  of  Gautama, 
and  statues  of  all  dimensions,  from  the  size  of  one's  hand 
to  something  quite  colossal.  These  figures  are  always  repre- 
sented in  one  of  three  positions — either  standing,  sitting,  or 
lying — the  features  of  each  wearing  exactly  the  same  amiable 
but  vacant  expression,  and  the  hands  and  feet  being  invariably 
turned  in  the  same  direction.  The  carvings  over  the  porch 
of  the  principal  temple  outside  the  strongly  fortified  pagoda 


128  BURMESE  BELLS 


represent  its  storming  and  capture  by  the  English,  under 
General  Godwin,  in  1852.  The  naval  officers  who  are  de- 
picted carry  telescopes  of  somewhat  inconvenient  length  for 
practical  purposes ;  but  the  uniforms  of  the  bluejackets, 
soldiers,  and  marines  are  fairly  correct,  and  all  the  figures 
are  carved  with  great  spirit. 

The  pagoda  is  supposed  to  have  been  commenced  588 
years  B.C.,  in  order  to  enshrine  some  hairs  of  Buddha  and  the 
bathing-gown  of  another  holy  man  who  lived  two  thousand 
years  before  him.  The  building  was  enlarged  from  time  to 
time  (especially  when  eight  hairs  from  Gautama's  beard  were 
added  to  the  sacred  collection),  and  is  now  a  solid  mass  of 
bricks,  arranged  in  rows  of  steps,  with  three  shrines  to  hold 
the  precious  relics,  erected  at  various  heights.  The  carved 
teak  with  which  it  is  covered  is  solidly  gilt  from  top  to  bottom, 
and  this  process  costs  3O,ooo/.  each  time  it  is  repeated.  The 
new  htee  was  sent  down  from  Mandalay  in  1882,  and  was 
received  with  the  greatest  pomp  and  ceremony  by  all  the 
officials,  both  European  and  Burmese. 

To  wander  round  the  top  platform  or  courtyard  outside 
the  pagoda  in  the  twilight  and  listen  to  the  bells  was  an 
extraordinary  experience  for  all  of  us.  The  big  Burmese  bells 
are  celebrated  for  their  tone,  especially  those  in  the  temples. 
The  smaller  bells  are  also  good,  as  are  the  triangular  gongs, 
called,  from  their  shape,  stirrup-gongs.  The  little  bells  which 
are  hung  on  the  htces  at  the  tops  of  the  various  pinnacles 
surrounding  the  soda-water  bottles  have  long  clappers,  easily 
moved  by  the  wind :  and  the  sound  of  these  various  bells 
and  gongs  borne  on  the  evening  breeze  is  harmonious  in  the 
extreme. 

The  King  of  Siam  has  constructed  a  fine  rest-house  just 
outside  the  gates,  for  the  use  of  the  people  of  his  nation, 
the  pagoda  itself  being  open  to  all  peoples,  kingdoms,  and 
races.  A  private  individual  also  built  a  magnificent  wooden 


THE  REST-HOUSE 


129 


rest-house,  at  the  cost  of  a  lac  of  rupees,  just  before  Lord 
Eipon  visited  Eangoon.  This  virtuous  act  was  supposed 
to  assure  him  on  his  death  immediate  nirvana,  or  transition 
to  Paradise  without  undergoing  the  process  of  transmigration 
or  the  ordeal  of  Purgatory.  As  a  mark  of  loyalty  and  admira- 
tion, the  founder  transferred  not  only  the  rest-house,  but  all 
the  eternal  privileges  which  he  had  gained  by  building  it,  to 
His  Excellency,  in  recognition  of  his  endeavours  to  gain  for 
the  natives  of  India  a  larger  amount  of  liberty  and  greater 
privileges. 

Mr.  Hodgkinson,  the  assistant  Commissioner,  met  us  at 
the  pagoda,  and  told  us  all  he  knew  about  it  in  the  most 
interesting  way.  The  drive  back  to  Eangoon  through  the 
Dalhousie  Park  and  Gardens,  once  the  appanage  of  a  royal 
palace,  was  perfectly  delightful.  It  was  rather  late,  and  there 
was  consequently  a  great  rush  to  dress  on  board  and  get  back 
to  shore  in  time  to  dine  with  Mrs.  Crossthwaite  at  Govern- 
ment House,  three  miles  from  the  landing-place.  It  is  a  large 
roomy  bungalow  with  a  big  verandah,  surrounded  by  trees. 


Moulmein 


1 3o 


ELEPHANTS  AT   WORK 


Mrs.  Crossthwaite,  her  daughter,  Mr.  Hodgkinson,  Mr.  Symes, 
Tom,  Mabelle,  Mr.  des  Graz,  and  myself  formed  the  party.    We 

had  a  very  pleasant  evening, 
but  our  long  and  tiring  day 
made  at  least  one  of  the 
guests  glad  to  get  on  board 
and  go  to  bed. 

Friday,  March 
1 8th. — Left  the  yacht 
about  seven  o'clock. 
Mr.  Hodg- 
kinson took 


us  to  see  a  timber-yard,  where  elephants  are  extensively  used. 
It  was  a  wonderful  exhibition  of  strength,  patience,  and  dex- 
terity. The  docile  creatures  lift,  roll,  and  push  the  logs  of 
timber  to  any  part  of  the  yard.  They  pile  it  up  into  stacks 
high  above  their  heads,  seizing  one  end  of  a  log  with  their 
trunk,  placing  it  on  the  pile  of  timber,  and  then  taking  the 
other  end  of  the  log  and  pushing  it  forward,  finally  placing 
it  on  their  heads,  and  sending  it  into  its  place.  They  work 
undisturbed  amid  the  buzz  of  circular  saws  and  machinery, 
where  it  would  seem  almost  impossible  for  animals  of  such 
huge  proportions  to  escape  injury.  They  carry  their  intelli- 
gence to  the  point  of  rigidly  enforcing  the  rights  of  labour. 


RICE 


Nothing  will  persuade  an  elephant  to  do  a  stroke  of  work, 
after  he  has  heard  the  workmen's  dinner-bell,  during  the  hour 
of  mid-day  rest  to  which  he  rightly  considers  himself  entitled. 
Their  mental  powers  seem,  indeed,  to  be  very  nearly  on  a  level 
with  those  of  the  human  workmen,  with  whose  efforts  their 
own  are  combined.  No  less  than  two  thousand  elephants  were 
formerly  employed  in  the  yard  of  the  Bombay  and  Burmah 


Company.      Steam   ma- 
chinery is  now  rapidly  super- 
seding  elephants,    for  each  animal 
requires  at  least  three  men  to  look  after  him. 
We  quitted  the  Bombay  and  Burmah  Trading  Company's 
teak-yard,  most  grateful  to  Mr.  Jones,  the  manager,  for  his 
kind  reception.     Then  our  party  divided,  some  going  to  see  the 
pagoda,  and  others  to  see  the  rice-mills.     At  this  season  of 
the  year  the  mill-hands  are  at  work  night  and  day,  while  from 
November  to  February  the  mills  are  as  a  rule  closed.     In  the 
establishment  which  we  visited  a  hundred  tons  of  rice  are 
turned  out  every  twelve  hours,  several  processes  having  to  be 
gone  through  before  the  '  paddy  '  is  converted  into  '  white  rice  ' 
of  the  first  quality. 


132 


AT  RANGOON 


While  rice  is  the  main  element  in  the  trade  of  Rangoon, 
teak  is  the  principal  article  at  Moulmein.  The  finest  teak 
forests  are  to  be  found  in  Northern  Burrnah.  The  tree  does 
not  flourish  south  of  the  1 6th  degree  of  latitude. 

Returned  on  board  to  breakfast,  to  which  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Pedley  came.  Busy  morning  with  letters  and  callers.  Among 
the  latter  were  Lord  and  Lady  Stafford,  on  their  way  to  join 
the  '  Kilwa,'  hi  which  they  proceed  to  Moulmein  and  Singa- 
pore. Captain  Fanshawe  also  called,  and  Mr.  Syrnes  and  Mr. 
Hodgkinson  came  to  lunch.  Some  Burmese  curiosity-vendors 
paid  us  a  visit  in  the  afternoon,  and  we  made  some  purchases, 
chiefly  of  silver  and  gongs.  Posted  our  budget  of  letters  and 
sent  off  telegrams  in  the  evening,  and  sailed  from  Piangoon  at 

I  I   P.M. 


POINT  AMHERST 


Saturday,  March  igth. — Arrived  off  the  Salwen  River  abjut 
i  P.M.,  but  found  that  the  tide  did  not  suit  for  going  up  to 
Moulmein.  We  therefore  had  to  anchor  until  the  next  morn- 
ing. Coast  pretty,  undulating,  and  covered  with  jungle.  At 
five  o'clock  we  landed  and  went  to  the  water  pagoda  at  Point 
Amherst — a  curious  wooden  structure,  held  sacred  by  the 
Buddhists.  Pilgrimages  are  annually  made  to  this  spot  from 
all  parts  of  Burmah  and  Siam,  and  are  the  occasion  of  vast 
gatherings  of  people,  who  live  and  sleep  entirely  in  the  open  air. 
There  is  a  small  native  village  close  by,  and  also  a  post-office, 
telegraph-office,  and  pilot  station ;  while  in  the  neighbourhood 
are  many  of  the  summer-dwellings  of  the  Rangoon  and  Moul- 
mein merchants. 

Sunday,  March  2Oth. — Steam  up  early.  At  10  A.M.  we 
started  to  ascend  the  river  to  Moulmein.  Passed  the  '  Kilwa  ' 
coming  down,  and  arrived  about  one  o'clock.  Moulmein  is 

R 


134  MOULMEIN  CAVES 

admirably  situated  on  a  range  of  hills,  rising  to  a  consider- 
able elevation  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Salwen.  The  town  is 
embosomed  in  trees,  and  pagodas  and  shrines  occupy  every 
prominent  position.  The  population  consists  largely  of 
foreigners,  Chinese  and  Hindoos  forming  a  large  proportion 
of  the  aggregate  number  of  50,000.  The  navigation  from  the 
sea  to  Moulmein  up  the  Salwen  is  far  more  difficult  than 
the  passage  up  to  Rangoon.  The  Salwen  is  one  of  the  great 
rivers  of  Asia.  Its  upper  waters  have  never  yet  been  reached 
by  European  travellers.  About  half-past  four  we  landed  and 
drove  up  to  Salwen  Lodge,  where  we  had  tea  with  Colonel 
and  Mrs.  Plant.  Afterwards  to  church,  which  was  very  hot 
and  full  of  mosquitoes. 

Monday,  March  2ist. — Landed  early,  and  went  to  see  the 
jail  and  another  timber-yard  where  elephants  are  employed. 
At  the  jail  a  good  deal  of  wood-carving  is  done,  in  addition 
to  basket-making  and  carpentering.  Returned  to  the  yacht 
to  breakfast,  and  received  more  visitors,  including  Mr.  Men- 
henaick,  the  English  clergyman  here.  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Plant 
came  to  tea,  and  we  afterwards  landed  and  went  to  a  lawn- 
tennis  party  and  to  dinner  at  Salwen  Lodge. 

Tuesday,  March  22nd. — Started  very  early  to  see  the 
caves,  about  eight  miles  from  Moulmein.  The  smaller  of 
the  two  contains  a  large  number  of  sacred  images,  while  the 
other  is  of  vast  dimensions.  These  caves  are  situated  in  a 
sort  of  cliff,  rising  abruptly  from  the  plain.  The  lighting  had 
been  specially  arranged  for  us  by  the  kindness  of  Captain 
Dodd. 

A  large  portion  of  Burmah  is  still  uninhabited.  Much  larger 
in  area,  it  has  not  one-fifth  of  the  population  of  France.  But 
the  increase  is  immensely  rapid.  Between  1871  and  1881  it 
was  at  the  rate  of  34  per  cent. 

The  inferiority  of  Burmah  in  respect  of  population,  not- 
withstanding the  superior  fertility  of  the  soil,  is  to  be  traced 


POPULATION 


135 


to  the  physical  geography  of  the  country.  The  great  rivers 
of  India  flow  east  or  west.  The  great  rivers  of  the  Burmese 
peninsula  flow  from  north  to  south.  The  population  of  India 
could  readily  expand  without  material  change  of  climate.  In 
Cochin  China  navigation  down  the  valleys  of  the  great  rivers 
involves  changes  of  temperature  and  habit  such  as  human 
nature  is  not  generally  able  to  endure. 

At  an  early  hour  we  found  the  deck,  as  usual  when  we 
are   about   to   leave   a   port,  cumbered   by  an  inconvenient 
crowd  of  unwelcome  visitors,  consisting  in  the  present  in-, 
stance  of  dhobis,  gharry-wallahs,  hotel  people,   and  loafers 
and  idlers   generally,  all  of  whom  we 
at    once    proceeded   to   get    rid   of 
as    soon    as    possible.       Among 
the    authorised    visitors    were 
the  servants  of  some  of  our 


Entrance   to   Caves,  Mouimein 


136 


DEPARTURE  FROM  MOULME1N 


friends  on  shore,  who  had 
kindly  sent  us  parting  pre- 
sents of  fruit,  jams,  curries, 
curios,  and  the  most 
lovely  orchids,  the  lat- 
ter in  such  profusion 
that  they  were  sus- 
pended all  along  the 
boom,  causing  the 
quarter-deck  to  look 
more  like  one  of  Mr. 
Bull's  orchid  exhibi- 
tions than  part  of  a 
vessel.  We  photo- 
graphed some  of  them 
with  great  success,  and 
with  our  gods  from  the 
caves  in  the  back- 
ground, they  will  make 
an  effective  picture. 

The  clothes  from  the  wash  had  arrived  on  board,  for  a 
wonder,  though  the  much-needed  ice  had  not.  It  was,  how- 
ever, impossible  to  wait  for  it,  and  accordingly  at  12.45  we 
got  up  the  port-anchor,  and  at  1.30  the  starboard-anchor, 
and  proceeded  down  the  river,  taking  several  instantaneous 
photographs  en  route.  About  four  o'clock  we  met  the  'Ran- 
goon '  coming  up.  She  is  a  powerful  paddle-wheel  steamer, 
carrying  the  mails,  and  doing  the  distance  of  no  miles 
between  Rangoon  and  Moulmein,  or  rice  versa,  in  all  states 
of  the  tide — which  sometimes  runs  seven  knots — in  eleven 
hours.  Her  decks  were  crowded  with  passengers,  mostly 
natives.  In  the  bows  was  a  group  of  Phoongyees  in  their  yellow- 
robes. 

The  pilot-boat  met  us  at  Point  Amherst,  with  Tab  on  board, 


Ferry   at   Morcenatin 


A   BIR  THDA  Y  ENTER  TA INMENT  1 37 

bringing  more  fruit  and  orchids.  He  had  arrived  atEangoon 
on  the  2oth,  and  had  left  there  this  morning,  after  having 
had  a  real  good  time  of  it  with  Colonel  Euan  Smith  and 
the  Manchester  Eegiment,  his  only  regret  being  that  he  had 
not  killed  a  tiger.  We  waved  adieux  to  the  skipper,  pointed 
the  yacht's  head  to  the  southward,  made  sail,  and,  as  soon 
as  it  was  cool  enough,  lowered  the  funnel  and  set  the  main- 
sail. 

Wednesday,  March  2T,rd. — A  pleasant  but  very  shy 
breeze,  which  frequently  obliged  us  to  tack.  At  noon  we 
had  made  good  60  miles  under  steam,  and  40  under  sail, 
Singapore  being  distant  1,050  miles.  Lat.  I5°33/N.;  long. 
97°i3'E. 

Thursday,  March  24.th. — The  twelfth  anniversary  of  Baby's 
birthday.  She  was  delighted  with  the  presents  which  had 
already  been  collected  for  her  at  various  places,  and  with  the 
promise  of  others. 

A  hot  calm  day.  We  had  run  101  miles  since  noon  yester- 
day, and  were  in  lat.  I4°32'  N. ;  long.  97°2f  E.  At  3  P.M. 
we  raised  the  funnel,  and  at  4  began  to  steam. 

In  the  evening  we  had  our  second  nautical  entertainment 
in  honour  of  the  day.  Muriel's  '  first  appearance '  as  '  Little 
Buttercup,'  in  the  old-fashioned  costume  of  a  Portsmouth 
bumboat  woman,  consisting  of  a  blue  gown,  red  shawl,  and 
bonnet  of  antique  shape,  was  greeted  with  vociferous  applause, 
and  it  was  only  out  of  deference  to  her  feelings  of  mingled 
modesty  and  fatigue  (for  it  was  very  hot  and  airless  below  in 
the  crowded  '  assembly  room  ' )  that  her  song  was  not  raptur- 
ously encored.  The  evening's  entertainment  was  brought  to 
a  close  in  the  orthodox  manner  by  the  drinking  of  healths 
and  the  expression  of  good  wishes  for  all  friends,  absent  or 
present. 

Friday,  March  2$th. — A  fine  breeze  sprang  up  at  i  A.M. 
At  7. 30  we  ceased  steaming,  and  at  10  A.M.  lowered  the  funnel. 


138 


EDIBLE   BIRDS^   NESTS 


At  noon  we  had  run  138  miles  under  steam  and  32  under 
sail,  Singapore  being  837  miles  distant.  Position,  lat. 
iic4i'N. ;  long.  97°  14' E. 

We  saw  the  Moscos  group  of  islands  yesterday  evening, 
and  early  this  morning  sighted  the  North,  Middle,  and  South 
islands.  It  is  here  that  the  finest,  though  not  the  largest, 


Point  Amherst — Water  TempJe 


edible  birds'-nests  are  found  ;  but  the  nests  are  built  by  a  bird 
of  quite  a  different  species  from  that  of  Borneo. 

Saturday,  March   26th. — Early  this   morning   we   passed 
Tenasserim. 


AT  SEA 


139 


During  the  day  we  were  continually  sighting  various  little 
islands,  as  well  as  high  mountain-peaks  belonging  to  the  more 
distant  mainland.  At  noon  we  had  run  160  miles,  and  our 
position  was  lat.  9°  if  N. ;  long.  97°  o'  E.,  Singapore  being 
still  687  miles  distant. 

The  day  proved  intensely  hot  and  steamy,  with  scarcely 
any  air,  though  the  thermometer  was  not  so  high  as  one  would 
have  fancied.  Thankful  we  all  were  when,  after  some  little 
delay,  caused  by  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  sufficient  draught 


Bound   South 


in  the  furnaces,  we  were  able  at  four  o'clock  to  steam  ahead 
and  so  create  a  breeze  for  ourselves.  Lightning  flashed  and 
gleamed  on  all  sides,  and  the  air  felt  sulphurous  and  suffocat- 
ingly oppressive.  At  7.45  P.M.  we  were  overtaken  by  a  heavy 
squall  of  wind,  accompanied  by  thunder,  lightning,  and  rain, 
which  obliged  us  to  close  all  ports  and  skylights.  Fortunately 
the  storm  did  not  last  long,  though  the  weather  continued 
showery  all  night. 

Sunday,  March  27 th. — The  day  broke    dull,  cloudy,  and 
squally,  and  so  continued.     At  noon  we  had  run   1 39  miles 


140  SOUTHWARD  BOUND 

under  steam  and  n  under  sail,  Singapore  being  537  miles 
distant.  Position  by  dead  reckoning — no  observations  being 
possible— lat.  7°  5'  N. ;  long.  98°  16'  E. 

In  the  afternoon  we  made  the  Butan  Islands.  The  even- 
ing looked  dull,  but  the  sky  was  occasionally  lighted  up  by 
flashes  of  the  most  brilliant  lightning.  The  sea  was  so  full  of 
phosphorescence  that  when  Baby  and  I  had  our  ante-prandial 
'  hose  '  our  bathing-dresses  glistened  beautifully.  I  felt  rather 
unwell  all  day,  and  not  being  able  to  go  down  to  afternoon 
prayers,  listened  to  them  from  the  deck. 

Monday,  March  28th. — Another  squally  day,  with  a  good 
deal  of  rain  and  a  fresh  head- wind.  It  was  delightful  on  deck, 
but  very  hot  below. 

At  noon  we  had  run  1 70  miles  under  steam,  and  were  only 
350  miles  from  Singapore.  A  good  deal  more  lightning  at 
night,  and  a  great  deal  of  phosphorescence ;  also  a  very  bad- 
looking,  nearly  new  moon — flat  on  her  back  and  surrounded 
by  a  big  halo.  I  saw  a  moon  at  Tangiers  with  a  similar 
appearance  last  year,  just  before  the  terrible  cyclone  at 
Madrid, 

To-day  we  were  to  the  north  of  Acheen  Head  and  Brasse 
Island,  but  too  far  off  to  see  the  land.  Scarcely  any  Cape  in 
the  world  is  sighted  by  so  many  vessels  and  touched  at  by  so 
few  as  Acheen  Head.  Lord  Eeay  warned  us  most  strongly 
against  approaching  it  too  closely  in  our  comparatively  de- 
fenceless condition,  on  account  of  the  piratical  character  of 
the  inhabitants. 

Tuesday,  March  2gtli. — I  had  a  good  night  in  the  cool  deck- 
house, and  woke  refreshed.  I  have  been  rather  overworked 
lately,  and  am  consequently  beginning  to  sleep  badly  and  lose 
my  appetite. 

At  noon  we  were  in  lat.  2°  55'  X. ;  long.  101°  28'  E.  The 
run  proved  to  be  188  miles  under  steam,  and  left  us  175  miles 
from  Singapore. 


THE  SULTAN  OF  J  OH  ORE  141 

We  could  now  see  the  high  land  near  Sabagore,  and  in  the 
afternoon  found  ourselves  off  Cape  Eachada,  a  pretty  little 
place  with  tall  trees  nearly  to  the  water's  edge,  and  a  long 
line  of  snowy  white  beach  with  a  background  of  blue  moun- 
tains. 

Wednesday,  March  30^. — At  daybreak  we  were  off  Pulo 
Pisang,  and  shortly  afterwards  the  pilot  came  on  board — an 
unintelligible  and  unintelligent  sort  of  man,  who  could  not 
tell  us  anything,  and  who  had  great  difficulty  in  understand- 
ing what  we  said.  He  brought  us,  however,  the  latest  papers. 

At  7.30  A.M.  the  P.  &  0.  steamer  '  Bokhara,'  from  London, 
passed,  and  we  asked  her  to  report  us  as  following  her  closely. 
The  morning  was  brilliant,  and  the  lights  and  shadows  over 
the  city  of  Singapore  made  it  look  even  prettier  than  when  I 
last  saw  it.  As  we  had  to  coal,  we  proceeded  right  through 
the  new  harbour,  and  moored  alongside  Tanjong  Pagar.  Tab 
landed  to  make  arrangements  at  the  hospital  for  the  reception 
of  the  Doctor,  who  was  to  remain  there  during  our  stay  at 
Singapore,  and  soon  returned  with  a  very  favourable  report  of 
the  establishment.  Dr.  Simon,  who  was  chief  of  the  hospital 
at  Malacca  when  we  were  there  in  1 867,  now  occupies  a  similar 
post  here. 

We  had  not  been  long  at  the  coaling- wharf  when  our  old 
friend  the  Sultan  of  Johore  drove  down  and  came  on  board. 
He  was  delighted  to  see  us,  though  surprised  at  our  sudden 
appearance,  for  he  had  been  on  the  look-out  for  two  or  three 
days,  and  had  sent  two  steamers  out  to  meet  us,  which  we  had 
missed  by  taking  another  channel.  The  Sultan  was  profuse 
in  his  offers  of  hospitality,  and  wanted  us  to  stay  a  week  or 
two  with  him  and  to  make  all  sorts  of  interesting  excursions 
up  the  river  in  his  new  steam-yacht.  This  was  impossible : 
but  we  promised  to  go  to  tea  with  him  at  his  town  house  in 
Singapore  to-night,  and  to  visit  him  at  his  palace  at  Johore 
to-morrow. 


142 


THE  SULTAN'S    TOWN-HOUSE 


Traveller's  Palm,   Singapore 

We  had  many  visitors  in  the  morning,  including  one  or 
two  friends  who  had  just  arrived  by  the  'Bokhara.'  In  the 
afternoon  the  Doctor  landed  to  go  to  the  hospital,  and  later  on 
we  went  on  board  the  '  Bokhara,'  and  then  landed  and  drove 
in  the  Sultan's  carriages  to  the  hospital,  where,  after  some 
delay  and  difficulty,  we  found  the  doctor  established  in  a 
comfortable  room.  Afterwards  we  took  a  long  drive — very 
much  longer  than  we  had  expected — through  the  prettiest  part 
of  Singapore.  A  steep  climb  up  a  hill  and  through  a  pretty 
garden  brought  us  at  last  to  the  Sultan's  town-house,  which 
is  full  of  lovely  things,  especially  those  brought  from  Japan. 
Such  delightfully  hideous  monsters  in  bronze  and  gold,  such 
splendid  models,  magnificent  embroideries,  matchless  china, 
rare  carvings,  elaborate  tables  and  cabinets,  are  seldom  found 
collected  together  in  one  house.  After  a  Ion"  examination  of 


DEPARTURE  FOR  BORNEO  ^43 

all  these  pretty  things,  Tom  arrived,  and  then  we  had  to  show 
them  to  him  all  over  again.  By  this  time  we  were  quite  ready 
for  tea  served  in  the  verandah,  with  all  sorts  of  nice  fruits 
and  cakes.  Altogether  it  was  a  charming  little  entertainment, 
and  we  regretted  having  so  soon  to  return  to  the  hotel,  where 
a  numerous  company  assemhled  at  dinner  in  the  large  saloon 
and  verandah.  The  drive  down  afterwards  to  the  pier  in 
jinrikishas  proved  delightful  to  the  children. 

Thursday,  March  $ist. — Hove  the  anchor  up  at  1.30  P.M. 
and  proceeded  under  steam,  with  pilot  on  hoard,  through  the 
Straits  of  Johore  to  the  Sultan's  palace,  where  we  dined  and 
slept. 

Friday,  April  ist. — An  early  drive,  and  a  walk  through 
the  charming  gardens  which  surround  the  palace,  occupied  the 
first  part  of  the  morning  very  agreeably,  and  later  we  returned 
to  the  yacht  to  receive  a  number  of  visitors.  At  1 1.30  we  got 
under  way,  and,  with  the  Sultan  on  board,  steamed  through 
the  Straits  of  Singapore. 

Saturday,  April  2nd. — Weighed  anchor  between  i  and  2  A.M. 
and  proceeded  under  steam  towards  Borneo.  Mr.  Crocker, 
the  recently  appointed  Governor  of  North  Borneo,  who  was  on 
board,  gave  us  much  interesting  and  valuable  information 
during  the  voyage  about  the  new  colony  which  has  been  formed 
by  the  British  North  Borneo  Company. 

It  was  a  very  hot  day,  but  we  were  all  busily  occupied  in 
tidying  up  and  settling  down  again  after  our  short  but  pleasant 
run  on  shore. 

At  noon  we  were  in  lat.  i°  26'  N.,  long.  105°  39'  E.,  having 
run  105  miles.  At  4  P.M.  we  made  Victory  and  Barren  Islands, 
passing  close  to  them  later  in  the  evening. 

We  were  talking  to-day  of  the  St.  John  Ambulance  Asso- 
ciation, and  as  an  illustration  of  what  a  useful  institution  it 
would  be  in  these  parts,  Mr.  Crocker  spoke  of  the  case  of  an 
unfortunate  man  who  had  broken,  or  rather  smashed,  his 


144 


AMBULANCE    WORK 


arm  so  badly  as  to  make  it  evident  that  his  only  chance  of  life 
lay  in  removing  the  shattered  limb.  There  was  no  doctor 
near,  nor  anyone  who  knew  anything  of  surgery.  Somebody 
had,  however,  fortunately  seen  a  surgical  book  at  Government 
House.  This  was  brought,  and  one  man  read  aloud  from 
it,  while  the  other  did  his  best  to  follow  the  instructions,  and 
with  the  aid  of  an  ordinary  knife  and  saw,  cut  off  the  arm. 
The  wound  healed  in  a  marvellous  manner,  and  the  man  is 
now  alive  and  well. 

Such  an  incident  is  happily  quite  exceptional.  Indeed,  it 
is  almost  impossible  to  imagine  the  combination  of  courage, 
determination,  and  endurance  which  must  have  been  required 
on  both  sides.  But  minor  accidents  are  of  frequent  occurrence 
in  these  wild  regions,  and  a  knowledge  of  how  to  render  first 
aid  in  such  cases  would  often  be  of  invaluable  service. 

We  had  an  '  Ambulance  '  case  on  board  to-night,  for  a  vein 

burst  suddenly  in  the 
Doctor's  leg.  Fortunately 
Pratt  was  close  at  hand, 
and  with  ice  and  ligatures 


THE  RIVER  KUCHING  145 


checked  the  haemorrhage.  Without  his  prompt  help  the  con- 
sequences might  have  been  serious. 

Sunday,  April  3rd. — At  6  A.M.  sighted  St.  Pierre.  The 
wind  was  fair  and  light,  but  it  did  not  seem  to  temper  the 
intense  heat.  At  noon  we  were  exactly  under  the  sun,  and 
were  therefore  all  as  shadowless  as  Peter  Schlemihl.  Despite 
the  heat  we  had  the  Litany  at  half-past  eleven,  and  evening- 
service  at  half-past  six.  At  10  P.M.  we  anchored  off  Tanjong 
Pulo,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Kuching,  on  which  stands 
Kuching  itself,  the  capital  of  Sarawak. 

Tom  feels  the  heat  greatly,  and  has  been  unwell  for  the 
last  day  or  two.  To-night  I  had  an  anxious  time  looking  after 
him,  and  could  get  no  help  from  the  Doctor,  who  was  himself 
ill  and  delirious. 

Monday,  April  4^. — The  anchor  was  hove  at  6. 30  A.M.,  and 
we  proceeded  towards  the  entrance  to  the  river,  meeting  several 
natives  in  fishing-boats,  who  told  us  that  Piajah  Brooke  was 
away  at  Labuan  in  his  steam-yacht  the  '  Aline.'  We  there- 
fore hesitated  about  going  up  the  river,  especially  without  a 
pilot ;  but  it  seemed  a  pity  to  be  so  near  and  to  miss  the 
opportunity  of  seeing  Kuching.  So  off  we  went  up  the  narrow 
muddy  stream,  guided  only  by  the  curious  direction-boards 
fixed  at  intervals  on  posts  in  the  water,  or  hung  from  trees  on 
the  banks. 

This  plan  of  making  every  man  his  own  pilot  seems  both 
sensible  and  useful ;  but  the  general  effect  of  the  notice- 
boards  was  not  picturesque.  The  wording  of  some  of  the 
notices  was  brief  and  practical,  though  such  a  caution  as 
'  Hug  this  close  on  the  outside,'  painted  in  large  letters  on  a 
board  at  the  water's  edge,  had  a  certain  quaintness  about  it 
which  amused  us.  We  ascended  the  river  at  half-tide,  when 
the  channel  is  pretty  clearly  apparent ;  but  at  high  tide  the 
way  must  be  difficult  to  find.  The  scenery  wras  somewhat 
monotonous  until  we  approached  Kuching,  but  we  were  assured 


146 


KUCHING 


TO  KucvUN 


Hocx^ 

KEEP 


ROCKS 
HUG  THE 


Borneo 


that  further  inland,  to- 
wards the  mountains, 
it  becomes  really 
beautiful.  The  town 
itself  seemed  a  busy 
little  place,  and  there 
were  two  steamers  lying 
alongside  the  wharf.  Our  arrival, 
without  a  pilot,  caused  much  surprise, 
especially  as  we  had  not  been  expected 
until  a  day  or  two  later.  In  fact,  a 
pilot  was  just  starting  for  the  mouth 
of  the  river  to  look  out  for  us. 
The  'Lorna  Doone,'  a  small 
steamer,  had  also  been 
despatched  to  Labuan  to 
let  the  Rajah  know  that 
we  were  coming.  After 


PR  AH  US  147 

reaching  our  destination  we  found  great  difficulty  in  turning 
round,  owing  to  the  narrowness  of  the  river.  The  heat 
was  fearful,  and  the  sun  poured  down  through  the  double 
awnings  with  an  intensity  which  must  be  felt  to  be  under- 
stood. We  were  rather  afraid  of  both  the  fever  and  the  mos- 
quitoes, and  as  neither  the  Rajah  nor  Eanee  was  at  Kuching, 
we  decided  to  drop  dowrn  the  river  again  with  the  afternoon 
tide. 

After  a  short  delay  we  landed  with  Mr.  Maxwell  at  some 
neat  little  steps  close  to  the  jail,  where  there  appeared  to  be 
but  few  prisoners.  The  public  offices  and  buildings  of  Kuching 
seem  to  be  particularly  suitable  for  this  hot  climate.  Not  far 
off  is  the  market,  with  nothing  left  for  sale  in  it  except  a  few 
vegetables  and  pines,  the  meat  and  fruit  markets  being  over 
for  the  day,  and  the  fish — the  staple  commodity  of  the  place 
—not  having  yet  come  in.  At  high  tide  the  prahus  which 
we  had  seen  waiting  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  would  sail 
swiftly  up,  bringing  the  result  of  their  morning's  work,  the 
crew  of  each  eager  to  be  first  and  so  to  command  the  best 
prices. 

Most  of  these  prahus  are  propelled  by  two,  three,  and  four, 
or  even  eight,  paddles  ;  and  one  which  we  saw  had  twenty.  The 
larger  ones  only  come  out  as  a  rule  for  warlike  purposes  or  on 
high  days  and  holidays,  especially  on  New  Year's  Day,  which 
is  a  great  festival  in  Borneo,  when  five  hundred  warriors  fre- 
quently compete  in  one  race.  It  must  be  wonderful  to  see 
their  paddles  flashing,  their  boats  dashing  through  the  water, 
and  to  hear  their  wild  shouts  and  war-cries.  If  only  we 
could  have  stayed,  a  race  would  have  been  got  up  for  our 
edification,  although  most  of  the  warriors  are  out  on  the  war- 
path just  now,  looking  after  stray  jobs  in  their  line,  arising 
from  the  difficulties  between  the  Sultan  of  Brunei  and  the 
Kadyans. 

A   long  narrow  room  over   the   market   is   used   as   the 


148 


THE  MUSEUM 


museum  at  Kuching,  and  after 
climbing  up  by  a  steep  lad- 
der we   came   to   a   trap- 
door,   of  which   the  key 
could   not   be  found   for 
some  time.     The  collec- 
tion  is    interesting,   and 
gives  a  good  idea  of  the 
manners   and    customs   of 
the    Dyaks.      It    comprises 
specimens    of     their     house- 
hold utensils,  weapons,  dress, 
matwork,    besides   models    of 
their   dwellings    and    canoes. 
Some  of  the  basketwork  was 
cleverly   woven    in    beautiful 
patterns,     marked    out    and 
dyed  with  the  juice  of  coloured 
berries    and    seaweed.       The 
head-flatteners,  or  boards  used 
by  the  Milanos  to  alter  the  natural 
shape  of  their  infants'  heads,  specially 
attracted  our  attention,  and  I  felt  it 
difficult  to  decide  whether  the  inven- 
tion aimed  at  increasing  the  child's  beauty  or  its  brains. 

We  were  shown  one  of  the  ingenious  air-compressing  tubes 
which  have  been  used  by  the  natives  for  hundreds  of  years 
past  to  produce  fire.  It  seemed  to  afford  a  proof  of  the  truth 
of  the  old  adage  that  there  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun. 
Professor  Faraday  alluded  in  one  of  his  lectures  to  the  possi- 
bility of  producing  fire  by  means  of  compressed  air  as  a 
discovery  of  comparatively  modern  science ;  whereas  the  fact 
has  long  been  recognised  and  put  to  practical  use  in  these 
obscure  regions  of  the  earth.  The  war-jackets  were  made  of 


f 

i  N    >  V 


Fire  Tube 


CURRENT  COIN 


149 


birds'  feathers  and  wild  beasts'  skins,  or  of  the  barks  of  trees. 
Sometimes  these  garments  were  liberally  decorated  with  small 
bells,  cowries,  and  pieces  of  metal  cut  from  old  petroleum  and 
preserved  meat  tins,  which  jingle  and  rattle  as  the  wearer 
moves.  Others  were  like  chain-armour,  of  which  the  strips 
were  fastened  together  by  bits  of  hide  or  leather.  The  shields 
seemed  of  all  sorts  of  shapes  and  sizes,  some  long  and  narrow, 
some  circular,  and  some  large  enough  to  cover  a  man  com- 
pletely, and  they  were  nearly  all  ornamented  with  tufts  of 
black,  silky,  human  hair.  The  kreises  and  parongs  were 
similarly  decorated,  as  well  as  with  fine  horsehair  dyed  bright 
scarlet,  and  streaked 
with  white.  Some  of 
the  weapons  had  splen- 
didly carved  handles 
and  very  fine  bead- 
decorations,  and  many 
of  the  blades  wrere  in- 
laid with  gold  and  silver. 
Sulu  and  Brunei  have 
for  centuries  been  cele- 
brated for  their  arms, 
specially  for  their  steel 
and  damascene-worked 
armour,  as  well  as 
for  their  bronze  guns. 
The  latter  are  used  as 
current  coin  by  the 
native  tribes  in  their 
more  important  trans- 
actions. If  a  slave  be 
bought  or  sold,  or  a 
quantity  of  rice,  sago, 
or  beans  changes  hands, 


150  TURTLES'   EGGS 


the  value  is  almost  always  reckoned  in  bronze  guns.  Grey- 
shirtings,  a  more  convenient  form  of  money  for  small  dealings, 
have  now  gone  out  of  fashion,  but  blue  cloth  still  holds  its  own. 
Chinese  '  cash '  and  Spanish  dollars  are  in  circulation,  but  the 
natives  will  not  look  at  a  '  bit,'  nor  at  any  other  sort  of  coin, 
either  gold  or  silver.  The  metal  which  the  natives  prefer  for 
their  guns  is  composed  of  Chinese  cash  melted  up,  and  for  their 
swords  they  use  the  iron  bands  bj<  which  cotton  bales  are  kept 
together.  Outside  the  Government  buildings  stand  some 
beautiful  and  curious  cannon,  of  moderate  calibre.  Some 
came  from  Brunei,  while  others  had  only  just  been  captured 
on  the  Barram  and  Leyun  rivers,  during  the  Eajah's  expedi- 
tion, and  were  just  being  cleaned  up  and  placed  in  position. 
The  carving  and  modelling  of  many  of  them  were  extremely 
good. 

The  Rajah's  carriage,  a  neat  waggonette  and  pair,  driven 
by  an  English  coachman,  was  waiting  to  take  us  to  Mr. 
Maxwell's  house,  where  we  were  to  lunch.  We  drove  along 
excellent  roads,  passing  a  church,  school-house,  and  club,  to 
a  very  pretty  bungalow,  standing  in  a  pretty  garden,  and 
perched  on  the  summit  of  a  hill.  The  air  felt  much  cooler 
here  than  in  the  town  or  on  the  river,  and  gave  us  excellent 
appetites  for  a  nice  impromptu  little  lunch.  One  delicacy 
consisted  of  fresh  turtles'  eggs,  which  I  am  afraid  we  did  not 
all  appreciate,  for  they  tasted  like  ordinary  eggs  mixed  with 
coarse  sand.  They  are  quite  round,  about  the  size  of  a  small 
orange,  with  soft  white  leather,  or  rather  parchment-like 
shells,  and  are  found  in  great  abundance  on  an  island  near 
Kuching.  The  natives  make  a  coarse  oil  from  the  inferior  eggs. 

The  walls  of  the  dining-room  were  covered  with  shields, 
kreises,  spears,  and  arms  of  all  kinds,  collected  by  Mr.  Maxwell 
himself.  In  some  of  them  mason-bees  were  making  or  had 
already  made  their  nests !  No  wronder  Mrs.  Maxwell  com- 
plained bitterly  of  the  mischief  they  did,  and  of  the  ravages  of 


DOWN  THE  RIVER  151 

white  ants,  which  are  even  more  destructive.  The  dampness 
of  the  climate,  moreover,  makes  it  necessary  to  have  the  con- 
tents of  wardrobes  and  bookcases  frequently  taken  out  and 
shaken,  turned,  and  examined. 

We  drove  down  to  the  river,  intending  to  take  boat  and  cross 
to  the  island  and  fort,  but  were  only  just  in  time  to  rush  into 
the  Government  offices  and  so  escape  a  terrible  thunderstorm 
accompanied  by  torrents  of  rain.  In  this  shelter  we  had  to 
stay  until  it  was  time  to  embark  on  board  the  '  Adeh,'  in  which 
we  were  to  go  down  the  river. 

In  the  meantime  the  rest  of  our  party  had  been  lunching 
at  the  fort,  where  they  had  much  enjoyed  the  view  from  the 
heights — a  sight  which  I  rather  envied  them.  Presently  we 
saw  them  come  down  in  the  pouring  rain,  get  into  the 
Eajah's  ten-paddled  boat,  and  set  off  to  join  us.  We  were  all 
drenched  by  the  time  we  got  on  board  the  '  Adeh.'  Here 
we  wrere  joined  by  Major  and  Mrs.  Day,  as  well  as  by  two 
Dyak  soldiers  in  full  war-costume,  in  readiness  to  be  sketched 
or  photographed. 

Shortly  after  starting  the  strong  current  caught  our  bow 
and  carried  us  into  the  bank,  causing  us  to  collide  with 
and  considerably  damage  two  schooners,  as  well  as  the 
balcony  of  one  of  the  numerous  wooden  houses  standing  on 
piles  in  the  river.  The  bowsprit  of  one  of  the  schooners  was 
completely  interlaced  with  the  stanchions,  ropes,  and  railings 
of  our  gangway,  and  it  must  have  been  a  good  stick  not  to 
snap  off  short.  The  tide  was  now  much  higher  than  when 
we  came  up,  but  the  temperature  had  been  considerably 
lowered  by  the  thunderstorm,  and  was  still  further  reduced  by 
the  rain,  which  continued  to  fall  throughout  the  afternoon, 
making  photography  well-nigh  impossible.  The  Dyaks  seemed 
at  first  rather  frightened  by  the  camera,  which  they  called 
'  the  engine ; '  but  they  were  very  civil  and  obliging,  and 
assumed  all  sorts  of  attitudes,  warlike  and  otherwise,  for  our 


152  DYAKS 

edification.  Their  scanty  clothing  was  elaborately  orna- 
mented with  bead-work  and  embroidery,  and  the  little  mats 
which  they  carry  to  sit  down  upon  were  made  of  exquisitely 
fine  plaited  grass-work.  Their  arms  were  highly  decorated 
with  human  hair  of  various  colours,  as  well  as  with  cowries, 
beads,  and  little  woven  balls  of  Brunei  work. 

In  due  time  we  reached  Quop,  the  highest  point  to  which 
large  vessels  can  ascend  from  the  sea.  Here  we  quitted  the 
'  Adeh,'  and  took  all  the  party,  including  the  two  Dyaks — 


Such  ing 


who  were  very  much  astonished,  and  I  think  rather  frightened 
— on  board  the  '  Sunbeam '  to  tea  ;  after  which  we  said  fare- 
well with  regret  to  our  kind  friends,  and,  with  the  '  Adeh '  to 
guide  us  over  the  treacherous  shoals  and  mud-banks,  steamed 
away,  until  we  were  once  more  fairly  at  sea  and  had  lost  sight 
of  our  pilot  in  the  gathering  darkness. 

Tom  had  another  bad  night,  fancying  he  had  caught  the 
fever,  and  that  we  should  all  have  it  from  going  up  the  river. 
I  had  just  persuaded  him  to  take  a  sleeping-draught,  and  try 
and  get  some  comfortable  sleep,  when  I  heard  a  tremendous 


THE  RAT  153 

noise  on  deck.  I  feared  at  first  that  some  of  the  men,  as  often 
happens  in  these  out-of-the-way  places,  had  been  treated  to 
poisonous  liquor  and  were  now  suffering  from  the  effects  of  it ; 
but  on  running  up  to  make  inquiries,  and,  if  possible,  quiet  the 
disturbance,  I  was  just  in  time  to  catch  sight  of  the  rat,  whose 
presence  on  board  has  only  recently  been  detected,  scuttling 
off  in  the  bright  moonlight.  He  must  have  been  tempted  from 
his  lair  on  the  top  of  the  deck-house  by  the  fragrant  smell 
of  the  new  pineapples  from  Kuching,  which  were  hung  in  the 


The  Fort 


port  cutter,  but  on  venturing  forth  he  had  at  once  been 
'  spotted  '  by  one  of  the  men.  When  I  arrived  on  the  scene 
the  whole  crew  had  been  called,  and  were  in  hot  pursuit — I 
need  scarcely  say,  with  no  success  whatever. 

Tuesday,  April  $th. — A  calm,  close  day,  with  a  heavy  swell 
running  down  from  the  China  Sea,  probably  caused  by  a 
typhoon.  Everybody  most  uncomfortable.  Sails  and  boats 
were  several  times  reported,  but  they  turned  out  to  be  only 
little  islands  such  as  those  of  Nipa  and  Nibong,  or  else  groups 
of  floating  palms  swept  clown  by  the  Bruit  and  Barram  rivers. 


154  FLOATING  ISLETS 


These  two  rivers  and  the  Eajang  have  the  unpleasant 
peculiarity  of  washing  small  floating  islets  out  to  sea,  which 
seriously  endanger  navigation. 

At  noon  we  had  steamed  173  miles,  and  were  in  lat. 
3°  38'  N.,  long.  1 1 1°  56'  E.,  Labuan  being  222  miles  distant. 

Tom  is  still  unwell ;  but  I  think  it  is  better  that  he  should 
be  obliged  to  exert  himself  on  deck,  instead  of  remaining  in 
his  cabin. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

L  ABU  AN. 

Wednesday,  April  6th. — At  daybreak  it  was  so  hazy  that 
our  position  could  not  be  ascertained.  Between  10  and 
1 1  A.M.  sights  were  worked  out,  and  it  was  found  that  a 
current  had  set  us  thirty  miles  to  E.N.E.  At  noon  we  had 
run  230  miles  under  steam,  and,  putting  the  yacht's  head 
round,  we  steered  direct  for  the  northern  entrance  to  Victoria 
Harbour,  off  Labuan  Island,  where  we  dropped  anchor  at 
2  P.M. 

Not  long  afterwards  Lieutenant  Hamilton,  E.N.  (Harbour- 
master, Postmaster,  Captain  of  the  Port,  Treasurer,  and 
I  believe  the  holder  of  half  a  dozen  other  offices  under 
the  British  Government),  and  Mr.  Everett  called.  They 


1 56  A   BRITISH  COLONY 

told  us  all  the  news,  and  recommended  our  going  along- 
side the  wharf  to  coal  and  water  at  this,  the  last  British 
port  before  our  long  voyage  to  Australia.  It  is  quite  the 
funniest,  most  out-of-the-world  place  we  have  ever  been  in, 
just  as  Sarawak  is  the  most  wonderful  little  independent  state 
—well  managed,  complete  in  itself,  with  its  small  army,  still 
smaller  navy,  and  miniature  government.  Labuan  has  not 
possessed  a  Governor  since  Sir  Charles  Lees  (then  Mr.  Lees) 
left,  but  it  boasts  capital  public  offices,  a  first-rate  Government 
House,  Secretary's  residence,  church,  parsonage,  and  other 
amenities  of  advanced  civilisation.  Only  there  is  nobody 
to  govern,  and  hardly  anything  for  the  officials  to  do.  At 
present  the  colon}'  of  Labuan  seems  a  farce,  and  ought  either 
to  be  done  away  with  or  placed  on  an  entirely  different  foot- 
ing. The  best  plan  would  probably  be  to  make  it  an  adjunct 
to  the  Straits  Settlements,  at  the  same  time  establishing  a 
protectorate  over  Sarawak  and  Brunei. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Leys  came  on  board  in  the  afternoon,  and 
later  on  we  landed  with  them  at  the  very  rotten  and  rickety 
wooden  pier,  and  reached  a  grass  sward,  by  the  side  of 
which  stand  the  public  offices  and  a  few  shops.  Some  of  the 
party  walked,  while  others  drove  in  various  little  pony-car- 
riages. Baby  and  I  went  with  Dr.  Leys  to  see  a  party  of 
Sarawak  Dyaks  who  had  just  come  in  from  the  Barram  River 
with  wedges  of  gutta-percha,  which  the}*  were  offering  for  sale, 
as  well  as  some  weapons  and  clothing  just  captured.  We 
bought  a  good  many  interesting  things,  such  as  jackets  made 
of  cotton,  grown,  dyed,  and  woven  by  the  Dyaks,  horn  and 
tortoiseshell  combs,  kreises,  parongs,  knives,  pipes,  tobacco- 
pouches,  travelling-bags  of  plaited  matting,  and  sumpitans  or 
blowpipes  from  which  poisoned  arrows  are  discharged.  They 
prize  these  latter  very  highly,  and  are  generally  loth  to  part 
with  them,  so  that  we  may  consider  ourselves  fortunate  in 
having  come  across  these  few  members  of  a  tribe  just  returned 


PLURALITY  OF  OFFICES  157 

from  a  warlike  expedition  judiciously  combined  with  the  more 
peaceful  and  profitable  trade  of  gathering  gutta-percha  and 
india-rubber.  We  also  met  a  group  of  bird's-nest  collectors, 
from  whom  we  bought  some  nests  of  both  the  black  and 
white  varieties,  scientifically  known  as  Callocalia.  Then  we 
purchased  two  small  rhinoceros-horns,  greatly  prized  here  for 
their  supposed  medicinal  virtues,  and  considered  to  be  worth 
their  weight  in  gold.  We  succeeded  likewise  in  getting  some 
pairs  of  splendid  pearl-shells,  with  fine  golden  lips  and  inci- 
pient pearls  adhering  to  them ;  but  I  am  obliged  to  admit  that 
they  were  frightfully  expensive. 

After  visiting  all  the  shops  in  the  town — few  in  number,  and 
nearly  all  kept  by  Chinamen — we  went  for  a  drive  into  the 
country.  It  was  just  like  driving  through  one  vast  park,  along 
soft  springy  green  roads  leading  through  fragrant  jungle. 
There  were  no  fences,  and  fruit-trees  of  every  kind  abounded, 
heavily  laden  with  oranges,  pomaloes,  mangoes,  mangosteens, 
durians,  and  other  delicacies — all,  unfortunately  for  us,  at 
present  unripe. 

The  incongruity  of  some  of  the  things  which  were  pointed 
out  to  us  during  our  drive  was  very  amusing.  There,  for 
instance,  stood  a  large  jail,  in  the  happy  condition  of  being 
tenantless.  So  long,  indeed,  had  it  been  empty  that  the  gates 
stood  permanently  open,  and  the  jailers  had  all  departed  for 
other  lands,  with  the  exception  of  the  chief  official,  who  re- 
mained in  the  colony,  indeed,  but  who  had  long  since  turned 
his  attention  to  other  avocations.  The  system  of  plurality 
appears  to  prevail  in  Labuan,  and  it  is  said  that  amusing 
situations  have  more  than  once  arisen  in  consequence  of 
the  multiplicity  of  offices  centred  in  one  individual.  The 
postmaster,  for  instance,  has  been  known  to  write  to  the 
treasurer  for  payment  for  the  delivery  of  mails,  the  harbour- 
master to  the  same  official  for  the  value  of  coals  consumed, 
the  captain  of  the  port  for  the  homeward  passage-money  of 


I58 


THE  PENSION  LIST 


some  shipwrecked  sailors — all  three  letters  and  the  replies 
thereto  being  in  the  same  handwriting.  I  rather  think,  by  the 
way,  that  the  Labuan  treasury  was  at  a  low  ebb  when  we  were 
there ;  for  I  know  that  the  question  arose  whether  it  contained 
enough  money  to  meet  some  fifty  or  sixty  dollar  notes  of  ours 
which  we  had  given  in  exchange  for  our  purchases. 

The  pension-list  is  very  large  in  the  island  of  Labuan. 
There  is  a  church,  but  no  acting  clergyman,  though  there 
are  three  on  the  pension-list,  and  the  bishop  only  comes  twice 
a  year,  or  sometimes  twice  in  two  years,  according  to  the 


requirements  of  the  remainder  of  his  large  diocese,  which 
comprises  North  Borneo,  Sarawak,  and  Singapore,  besides 
Labuan.  He  is  expected  to  arrive  to-morrow  from  Sandakan, 
but  I  fear  we  shall  just  miss  him. 

There  is  an  hospital,  but  no  resident  doctor — only  two  on 
the  inevitable  pension-list.  I  believe,  however,  that  a  surgeon 
is  now  on  his  way  out  from  England  to  take  up  the  duties 
of  the  post.  Government  House  is  surrounded  by  a  charm- 
ing park  and  garden,  and  resembles  an  old-fashioned  West 
Indian  planter's  residence  of  the  best  class.  It  might  well 


BRUNEI  RIVER  159 


serve  to  illustrate  scenes  in  '  Tom  Cringle's  Log  '  or  '  Peter 
Simple.'  It  is  built  entirely  of  a  dark  wood  like  mahogany, 
and  the  rooms  themselves  looked  snug  and  well  arranged  ; 
but,  alas,  the  white  ants  have  attacked  one  wing  of  the 
house,  and  it  will  have  to  be  pulled  down  or  rebuilt. 

Snakes  are  not  numerous  in  Labuan,  but  the  other  day 
Mrs.  Leys  found  one  comfortably  coiled  up  on  the  sofa,  just 
where  she  was  going  to  lie  down.  Not  far  from  the  town 
Dr.  Leys  once  shot  an  alligator  on  its  nest,  which  contained 
thirty-nine  eggs.  Two  of  these  he  gave  me,  and  I  hope  to  get 
them  home  safely,  for  they  are  not  easily  to  be  procured.  We 
were  also  shown  some  beautiful  shells  and  weapons,  and  a 
war -jacket  made  of  bearskin,  decorated  with  small  bells  and 
pieces  cut  from  kerosene-oil  tins. 

Our  drive  down  to  the  shore,  along  the  grassy  roads  of  the 
park,  in  the  clear  moonlight,  was  most  delightful.  The  yacht 
had  gone  off  to  her  anchorage,  and  wTe  had  to  wait  some 
time  for  a  boat.  In  the  interval  we  amused  ourselves  with  a 
Chinese  open-air  theatre,  waxwork  exhibition,  and  a  puppet- 
show. 

Thursday,  April  "jtli. — Weighed  at  7  A.M.  Mr.  Everett 
and  Lieutenant  Hamilton  came  on  board,  and  soon  afterwards 
the  mail  steamer  arrived,  with  the  Bishop  on  board.  We 
steamed  across  to  the  mouth  of  the  Brunei  River,  admiring 
the  beautiful  views  on  our  way,  especially  at  Coal  Point,  where 
we  transferred  ourselves  to  the  Rajah  of  Sarawak's  steamer 
'  Lorna  Doone,'  and  proceeded  up  the  river,  the  scenery  of 
which  is  very  picturesque.  The  late  Sultan  built  a  wall  of 
stones  across  the  channel  with  the  view  of  keeping  out  the 
British  fleet  under  Sir  Thomas  Cochrane  and  Captain  Keppel 
— now  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  Sir  Harry  Keppel ;  and  although 
he  did  not  succeed  in  his  object,  the  result  has  been  to 
make  the  navigation  extremely  difficult.  The  bay  itself  is 
surrounded  by  vast  forests,  and  not  long  ago  a  steamer  was 

u 


i6o  BRUNEI 

prevented  from  entering  the  river  for  three  clays,  in  conse- 
quence of  a  fierce  jungle  fire,  the  dense  volumes  of  smoke  from 
which  completely  obscured  the  entrance.  The  hills  on  either 
side  of  the  river  are  prettily  wooded,  but  here  and  there  the 
land  has  been  cleared  and  laid  out  in  terraces  for  the  cultiva- 
tion of  pepper  by  the  Chinese.  Brunei  Eiver  has  been  called 
the  Rhine  of  the  East,  and  I  think  it  deserves  that  name 
better  than  the  town  does  its  proud  title  of  the  Venice  of  the 
East,  the  sole  point  of  resemblance  in  the  latter  case  being 
that  both  cities  are  built  upon  piles. 

Some  members  of  another  tribe  of  Dyaks  came  on  board 
to-day,  with  seven  heads  which  they  had  captured,  not  on 
the  war-path,  but  while  engaged  in  a  nominally  peaceful 
expedition  into  the  jungle  in  search  of  gutta-percha,  camphor, 
and  beeswax.  They  had  chanced  to  come  across  some 
natives  belonging  to  a  hostile  tribe,  and  had  promptly  secured 
as  many  heads  as  they  could. 

The  approach  to  the  town  of  Brunei  is  extremely  pictu- 
resque, but  the  place  itself  is  not  imposing.  The  wooden 
houses  stand,  as  I  have  said,  upon  piles,  and  there  is  no 
means  of  communication  between  them  except  by  boats, 
varying  in  size  from  house  or  shop  boats  to  tiny  canoes 
almost  invisible  beneath  the  widespreading  hats  of  their 
occupants.  The  flooring  of  the  houses  is  all  open,  and  all 
refuse-matter  falls  or  is  thrown  into  the  water  beneath. 

We  anchored  a  little  above  the  '  Packnam,'  and  sent  a 
messenger  to  the  Sultan  to  enquire  when  it  would  be  con- 
venient to  him  to  receive  us,  for  which  purpose  he  appointed 
two  o'clock.  In  the  interval  we  went  for  a  row,  in  quite 
the  intensest  heat  I  ever  felt,  to  see  something  of  the  town 
and  the  market.  The  women's  hats  were  enormous — from 
three  to  four  feet  in  diameter.  Anything  more  curious  than 
the  appearance  of  a  boat-load  of  these  ladies  can  scarcely  be 
imagined.  It  looked  just  like  a  bunch  of  gigantic  mushrooms 


MARKETING 


161 


which  had  somehow  got 
adrift  and  was  floating 
down  the  stream.  The 
marketing  is,  of  course, 
all  done  in  hoats ;  and 
it  was  interesting  and 
amusing  to  watch  the 
primitive  system  of  ex- 
change and  barter.  Very 
little  money  passed, 
though  some  of  the 
hideous  old  women  had 
little  heaps  of  Chinese 
cash  in  front  of  them. 
All  the  young  women 
are  kept  shut  up  in  the 
houses,  and  those  let  out 
to  buy  and  sell  are  in- 
deed frightful  specimens 
of  the  human  race.  A 
couple  of  durians  seemed 
to  buy  a  hat.  I  could 
not  arrive  at  any  idea  of 
the  price  of  other  articles. 
The  fish  is  brought  up 
here  from  the  sea,  just 
as  at  Knelling,  by  large 
boats  to  a  certain  point 
and  thence  in  prahus. 
Both  fresh  fish  and  stale 
fish — re/1//  stale  and  of- 
fensive it  seemed  to  us — 
appeared  to  be  the  lead- 
ing article  of  commerce. 


1 62  SAGO 

Besides  the  small  canoes  and  prahus  there  were  a  good  many 
large  house  and  shop  boats,  with  quite  a  goodly  supply  of 
stores,  all  owned  by  Chinese. 

Borneo  produces  about  half  the  sago  used  by  the  civilised 
world.  On  our  way  among  the  houses  we  had  many  oppor- 
tunities of  observing  the  primary  process  of  preparing  sago 
for  the  market.  It  is  not  very  inviting,  and  is  productive  of 
a  most  sickening  smell.  The  large  logs  of  the  sago-tree  are 
brought  down  from  the  jungle  by  river  and  moored  in  the 
dirty  water  against  the  piles  underneath  the  houses,  the  con- 
soling feature  of  this  arrangement  being  that  the  water  is 
running.  One  log  is  selected  at  a  time  for  treatment.  A 
man  stands  over  it,  and  with  an  instrument,  something  between 
a  hatchet  and  a  hoe,  extracts  all  the  pith  of  the  tree,  which  is 
the  sago.  This  he  pitches  on  to  a  mat  suspended  between 
four  poles  over  the  river,  and,  having  poured  water  over  it, 
he  and  any  members  of  his  family  who  may  happen  to  be 
available  proceed  to  run  round  and  jump  and  dance  upon  the 
whole  mass,  singing  and  smoking  all  the  time.  This  pressure 
has  the  effect  of  squeezing  the  fine  sago  starch  through  the 
mat  into  a  trough  below  (usually  an  old  canoe),  full  of  water, 
where  it  remains  until  it  settles.  The  water  is  then  run  off, 
and  the  white  sticky  mass  is  sold  to  Chinamen.  It  is  satis- 
factory to  know  that  it  goes  through  a  good  many  more  wash- 
ings before  it  is  considered  fit  for  the  market. 

Brunei  is  said  to  have  been  at  one  time  a  town  of  25,000 
houses — such  as  they  were — with  an  average  of  from  five  to 
seventeen  occupants  to  each  house.  This  does  not,  however, 
include  the  Sultan  and  his  relatives,  with  their  numerous 
retinues.  Then  the  numbers  dwindled  down  to  10,000  in- 
habitants ;  and  at  present  it  is  difficult  to  believe  that  there 
are  more  than  half  that  number  ;  but  we  are  told  that  some 
5,000  are  now  away  on  the  war-path. 

At  two  o'clock  exactly  we  landed,  or,  to  be  more  precise, 


THE  SULTAN  OF  BRUNEI  163 

climbed  up  a  narrow  ladder,  the  rungs  of  which  were  very  far 
apart,  to  a  wooden  staging  supported  on  piles.  It  was  a  dif- 
ficult feat  to  perform  gracefully,  and  the  noise  of  a  salute  of 
nineteen  guns,  fired  almost  in  our  ears,  did  not  tend  to  facili- 
tate matters  or  make  one  feel  more  comfortable.  Then  we  were 
led  up  a  long  wooden  pier,  on  which  stood  some  small  but 
beautifully  ornamented  cannon,  of  Brunei  manufacture,  until 
we  came  to  a  large  room,  at  one  end  of  which  stood  a  sort  of 
dais,  like  an  enlarged  bedstead,  covered  with  mats.  On  this 
the  Sultan — an  ugly,  smiling,  feeble  old  man — shortly  after- 
wards took  his  seat.  He  was  attended  by  retainers  bearing 
betel-boxes,  spittoons,  weapons,  and  all  sorts  of  things  which 
his  Majesty  might  want  or  fancy  that  he  wanted.  He  received 
us  affably,  shaking  hands  with  us  all,  and  inviting  us  to  be 
seated,  after  which  he  ordered  large  wax  candles  to  be  placed 
in  front  of  Tom  and  me,  Tom's  candle,  however,  being  much 
the  bigger  of  the  two.  This  was  intended  as  a  great  compli- 
ment, and  if  times  had  not  been  so  bad  and  beeswax  so  scarce, 
the  candles  would,  we  were  informed,  have  been  of  even 
greater  size.  We  were  then  offered  cigarettes  and  excellent  tea, 
flavoured  with  herbs,  very  hot  and  sweet. 

The  sides  of  the  room  had  been  left  open,  for  the  sake  of 
coolness,  but  the  surrounding  space  was  filled  by  a  dense  mass 
of  human  beings  eager  to  see  what  was  going  on,  so  that 
there  was  not  much  fresh  air.  Conversation  rather  languished, 
for  neither  of  the  interpreters  was  very  quick,  and  we  had 
considerable  misgivings  as  to  the  value  and  correctness  of 
their  translation  of  our  pretty  little  speeches. 

At  last,  after  presenting  the  Sultan  with  some  slight  offer- 
ings and  expressing  our  warm  thanks  for  the  kind  reception 
accorded  us,  we  retired,  being  escorted  to  the  boat  by  the 
First  Wazier  and  another  officer  of  state.  Having  again 
admired  the  cannon,  and  heard  the  history  of  their  manu- 
facture, we  re-embarked  in  our  boats  under  a  fresh  salute  of 


164 


A   RETURN   VISIT 


nineteen  guns.  I  fear  the  poor  town  of  Brunei  must  have 
been  put  to  great  expense  by  the  Sultan's  desire  to  do  us 
honour.  Just  as  we  were  starting,  the  large  candles,  hastily 
blown  out,  were  put  into  our  boat,  as  a  last  and  very  special 
compliment. 

We  returned  straight  on  board  the  '  Lorna  Doone,'  and 


had  scarcely  arrived  ere  we  saw  a  long,  smartly  ornamented 
thirty-paddle  canoe  emerge  from  among  the  houses  near  the 
Sultan's  palace,  and  come  swiftly  towards  us.  It  had  a  white 
flag  at  the  stern  and  a  green  flag  at  the  bow,  and  was  crowded 
with  people  carrying  umbrellas  of  all  sorts,  sizes,  and  colours. 


A   ROMANTIC  STORY  165 

which  served  as  insignia  of  the  rank  of  their  owners.  Among 
them  two  very  large  yellow  Chinese  umbrellas,  surrounded 
by  three  little  carved  galleries,  were  conspicuous.  One  was 
carried  over  Pangeran  Bandahara,  and  the  other  over  his 
younger  brother,  Pangeran  di  Gadong,  who  holds  the  position 
of  Second  Wazier  of  Brunei,  but  who  had  not  appeared  at  the 
palace  in  consequence  of  his  not  being  on  speaking  terms  with 
the  present  Sultan.  The  two  royalties,  without  their  umbrellas, 
but  accompanied  by  an  interpreter  and  a  few  of  the  chief  officers, 
came  on  board  the  '  Lorna  Doone,'  and  were  received  by  us 
in  the  extremely  small  deck-house,  the  remainder  of  the  suite 
having  to  content  themselves  with  looking  through  the  win- 
dows and  strolling  about  the  deck.  It  was  very  puzzling  to  be 
obliged  to  invent  fresh  civilities,  for  we  felt  that  our  recent 
visit  had  quite  exhausted  our  stock  ;  but  I  luckily  bethought 
me  that  there  was  some  connection  by  marriage  between  the 
Sultans  of  Brunei  and  Johore  ;  and  the  discussion  of  this 
point,  which  must  have  cost  the  poor  interpreters  much  mental 
effort,  lasted  us  a  long  time.  In  fact,  with  the  exception  of  a 
short  interval  spent  in  enquiries  as  to  our  respective  ages,  it 
carried  us  on  until  it  was  time  for  our  visitors  to  take  their 
departure,  which  they  did  with  many  effusive  hand-shakings, 
and  many  no  doubt  charming  little  farewell  speeches. 

The  way  in  which  the  connection  between  the  Sultans  of 
Brunei  and  Johore  came  about  is  rather  curious.  The  Sultan 
of  Sulu  had  been  engaged  in  negotiations  for  the  marriage  of 
a  princess  of  Johore  (an  aunt  of  the  present  Sultan)  to  one  of 
his  sons.  The  Sultan  of  Brunei  had  also  set  his  mind  on  the 
same  young  lady.  When  the  Sulu  fleet  of  prahus  started  to 
bring  the  fair — or  dark — princess  to  her  new  home,  the  Brunei 
fleet  followed  as  far  as  the  Straits  of  Johore,  and  anchored 
outside,  but  in  the  night  a  swift  Brunei  prahu  stole  softly  along 
the  shore,  carried  the  young  lady  off,  crept  through  the  fleets 
again,  and  was  soon  out  at  sea  on  its  way  back  to  Brunei.  The 


i66  SULUS 

next  morning,  when  the  princess  was  not  forthcoming  and  the 
true  state  of  affairs  was  discovered,  the  Sulu  fleet  was  naturally 
anxious  to  start  in  pursuit ;  but  the  Brunei  prahus  intercepted 
them,  and  before  the  Sulus  could  fight  their  way  through,  the 
lady  had  been  safely  lodged  in  the  Sultan's  harem  at  Brunei. 

If  the  weather  had  not  been  so  exhaustingly  hot,  and  Tom 
had  not  been  so  much  afraid  of  our  getting  fever,  I  should  have 
tried  to  persuade  him  to  take  us  to  Sulu,  which  must  be  a  most 
interesting  country,  judging  from  the  description  of  Burbridge, 
Wallace,  and  others.  The  natives  retain  many  traces  of  the  old 
Spanish  dominion  in  their  style  of  dress  and  ideas  generally. 
They  have  excellent  horses,  or  ponies,  and  are  adepts  at  pig- 
sticking. Occasionally  boar-hunts  are  organised  on  a  large 
scale,  which  allow  of  a  fine  display  of  horsemanship,  as  well  as 
of  gaudy  costumes.  At  the  feasts  given  by  the  Sultan,  the 
dishes,  and  even  the  plates,  are  all  of  mother-of-pearl  shells, 
of  the  finest  golden-lipped  variety,  each  with  one  or  more 
large  pearls  adhering  to  it.  In  some  cases  visitors  have  been 
tempted  to  pocket  their  plates,  and  strict  watch  and  ward 
has  therefore  to  be  kept  over  them.  There  were  some  Sulus 
on  the  '  Lorna  Doone '  with  us,  wearing  horsey-looking  trousers, 
short  jackets  with  buttons  on  the  sleeves,  bright  sashes  stuck 
full  of  knives  and  other  arms,  and  jaunty  little  turbans,  some- 
thing like  a  Maccaroni's  cap  with  the  traditional  feather  stuck 
in  it.  They  seemed  altogether  superior  in  point  of  civilisation 
and  appearance  to  the  Sarawak  and  Brunei  Dyaks ;  and  if  the 
taste  of  the  lady  whose  adventures  I  have  just  recorded  was 
at  all  consulted,  I  cannot  help  thinking  she  made'  a  mistake 
in  the  selection  of  her  adopted  country. 

After  the  Sultan's  nephew  had  departed,  we  had  a  visit 
from  Achu  Mohammed,  who  has  been  British  Consul  here  for 
many  years,  often  in  very  troublous  times.  With  him  came 
an  army  of  shopkeepers,  or  rather  manufacturers,  from  whom 
we  bought  several  curious  specimens  of  Brunei  wares.  The 


MUARA    COAL-MINES  167 

metalwork  is  really  beautiful,  especially  the  brass  sirrhi-boxes, 
and  some  kettles  with  an  ingenious  arrangement  in  the  lid, 
causing  them  to  whistle  loudly  when  the  water  boils.  This  place 
is  also  celebrated  for  its  earrings,  which  are  exactly  like 
champagne-corks  in  size  and  shape,  and  are  made  of  gold  or 
silver  gilt,  and  studded  with  rubies,  emeralds,  and  other  stones 
found  in  the  neighbourhood.  The  narrow  part  of  the  cork  is 
fixed  in  a  large  hole  in  the  ear,  down  the  back  of  which  a  row 
of  little  earrings  is  often  worn  in  addition. 

Brunei  looked  very  pretty  as  we  left  it,  in  the  light  of  the 
now  setting  sun.  The  '  Packnam  '  had  already  started  on  her 
return  journey,  and  there  was  not  much  time  to  spare  if  we 
wanted  to  save  the  tide  and  the  light.  On  our  way  down  the 
river  we  again  saw  the  heights  from  which  Sir  Harry  Keppel 
had  bombarded  the  town,  and  the  Chinese  pepper-terraces, 
now  fast  falling  to  decay.  By  five  o'clock  we  had  arrived 
alongside  the  '  Sunbeam,'  with  quite  a  cargo  of  purchases, 
and  soon  afterwards,  having  said  farewell  to  our  friends  and 
entrusted  to  their  care  a  very  heavy  mail  for  England,  we 
steamed  away. 

The  spot  where  we  had  anchored  in  Brunei  Bay  was  exactly 
opposite  the  Muara  coal-mines,  of  which  we  could  just  see  the 
shafts,  with  one  or  two  houses  beside  them.  On  our  return  to 
the  yacht  we  found  that  the  owners  of  these  mines  had  been  on 
board,  and  had  expressed  a  hope  that  we  would  postpone  our 
departure  long  enough  to  enable  us  to  visit  the  colliery,  which 
seems  likely  to  become  a  valuable  property.  The  seam  is 
twenty-six  feet  thick,  and  the  coal  is  of  good  quality.  After 
the  Labuan  failure,  however,  one  is  disposed  not  to  be  over- 
sanguine  in  such  matters.  "When  Mr.  Cowie  first  brought 
his  wife  out  here  the  place  looked  so  desolate  and  dreary 
that  she  absolutely  refused  to  land.  After  a  while  she  was 
persuaded  to  make  a  closer  inspection,  and,  being  a  very  bad 
sailor,  has  never  left  the  place  since,  except  once,  when  the 

x 


168  MODEL  HOUSEKEEPING 

Eajah  of  Sarawak  sent  his  steam-launch  for  her  on  New 
Year's  Day  to  enable  her  to  go  and  see  some  sports  at  Labuan. 
She  was  afraid  to  corne  on  board  the  yacht,  and  we  had  not 
time  to  call  upon  her  and  take  her  some  books  and  papers, 
as  I  should  like  to  have  done,  for  her  life  must  be  terribly 
isolated. 

I  have  often  been  astonished  to  see  how  well  people  re- 
sist the  relaxing  influences  of  these  out-of-the-way  places. 
Their  houses  all  have  a  nice  homelike  look  ;  the  ladies  are  well 
dressed,  and  apparently  keep  their  households  in  excellent 
order.  In  the  rare  case  of  unexpected  visitors  dropping  in, 
meals  are  produced  at  short  notice  without  bustle  or  confusion, 
the  table  being  often  decorated  with  flowers,  and  always 
arranged  with  refinement  and  elegance.  What  struck  me  as 
perhaps  even  more  remarkable  than  the  neatness  and  order  of 
their  houses  was,  that  these  ladies,  who  have  to  do,  or  at  all 
events  very  closely  superintend  the  doing  of,  the  more  im- 
portant part  of  the  household  work,  talk  far  less  about  their 
servants  and  domestic  troubles  than  many  people  in  England, 
who  only  have  to  give  an  occasional  order.  They  have  also 
plenty  of  conversation  on  other  than  local  subjects,  though 
there  are  no  circulating  libraries  within  reach,  and  the  supply 
of  books  and  newspapers  must  necessarily  be  limited.  It 
may  be  that  this  scarcity  leads  them  to  study  the  volumes 
which  they  possess  more  closely. 

Friday,  April  8th. — To  our  great  disappointment,  we  passed 
Gaya  Island  and  Bay  before  daybreak,  and  were  therefore  un- 
able to  see  anything  of  the  magnificent  harbour,  where  the 
North  Borneo  Company  has  one  of  its  many  stations. 

At  6  A.M.  we  opened  out  Ambong  Bay,  behind  which  rose 
Kina  Balu  (in  English  'the  Chinese  Widow'),  13,700  feet 
high,  looking  most  beautiful  through  the  morning  mist.  A 
little  to  the  north  of  this  spot  the  Tainpasick  River  runs  into 
the  sea,  and  we  are  told  that  the  best  way  of  reaching  the 


KUDA  T 


169 


lower  elevations  of  the  mighty  mountain,  with  their  endless 
wealth  of  orchids  and  pitcher-plants,  lies  on  that  side. 

Finding  that  to  pass  outside  Banguey  Island  would  involve 
our  making  a  large  circuit,  and  losing  some  fine  scenery,  we 
decided  to  go  through  the  Mallewalle  Channel,  and  to  anchor 
off  Kudat  for  the  night.     At  noon  we  had 
come  1 60  miles  under  steam,  Kudat  being 


Pitcher-plants  and.  Kina  Balu 

thirty  miles  distant.  At  2  P.M.  we  reached 
the  northernmost  point  of  the  island  of 
Borneo,  which  used  to  be  the  favourite 
place  of  assembling  for  the  large  fleets 
of  pirate  prahus,  formerly  the  terror  not 
only  of  the  neighbouring  Straits  but  of 
much  more  distant  seas  and  countries. 


i;o  ORANG-OUTANGS 


The  entrance  to  Marudu  Bay,  another  of  the  many  fine 
natural  harbours  on  this  gulf-indented  coast,  is  most  pic- 
turesque. At  4  P.M.  we  anchored  off  Kudat,  in  the  small  bay 
of  that  name,  which  is  only  an  indentation  of  the  shore  of 
the  larger  Marudu  Bay. 

We  landed  at  the  usual  rickety  Borneo  pier,  and  were 
met  by  Mr.  Davies,  the  Resident,  and  Dr.  Lamb,  the  company's 
doctor  for  this  district.  Tab  and  Mr.  Pemberton  soon  made 
friends  with  Dr.  Lamb,  and  went  out  snipe-shooting  with  him, 
the  rest  of  the  party  meantime  strolling  about  the  bazaars, 
which,  though  neither  large  nor  well  stocked,  afforded  an 
opportunity  of  picking  up  a  few  curios,  such  as  saws  from  the 
nose  of  a  saw-fish,  sirrhi-boxes,  gongs,  old  china  jars,  Java 
sarongs,  and  so  forth.  We  were  also  shown  two  large  heaps 
of  gum  from  the  interior,  lying  on  the  seashore  ready  for 
shipment.  Then  we  took  a  few  photographs,  including  one  of 
a  house  on  piles,  and  another  of  a  long  Borneo  house,  in  which 
many  families  live  under  one  roof,  with  separate  entrances 
for  each  family.  Afterwards  we  strolled  slowly  on  up  the  hill, 
towards  the  Residency.  It  was  a  pretty  walk,  but  rather 
tiring  this  hot  evening.  I  felt  nearly  exhausted  myself,  and 
was  grieved  to  see  how  completely  done  up  Tom  was  by  what 
ought  to  have  been  for  him  very  easy  work.  When  at  last 
the  verandah  was  reached  he  was  quite  worn  out  and  glad  to 
lie  down  in  one  of  the  comfortable  basket  chairs.  Delicious 
tea  and  cool  champagne-cup  soon  refreshed  us,  however,  and 
made  us  better  able  to  admire  the  charming  garden,  with  its 
profusion  of  plants  and  flowers,  and  to  watch  the  antics  of  two 
tame  mias,  or  orang-outangs,  which  were  chained  in  separate 
palm-trees  close  to  the  house.  They  were  ugly — nay,  hideous 
animals — but  very  amusing  in  their  ways.  Their  names  were 
Zachariah  and  Jane ;  and  Zachariah,  being  the  tamer  of  the 
two,  was  allowed  to  run  about  loose.  He  came  to  his  master 
to  be  fed,  then  ran  up  his  own  palm-tree,  from  which  he 


WILD   CATTLE 


171 


jumped  easily  on  to  Jane's,  and  tried  to  entice  her  to  other 
tree-tops  ;  but  of  course  her  chain  prevented  this.  It  made 
quite  a  little  comedy,  for  when  Zachariah  had  teased  her 
sufficiently  he  brought  her  bunches  of  fresh  leaves,  and 
evidently  did  his  best  to  induce  her  to,  as  it  were,  kiss  and 


Kudat 


make  friends.  We  watched  them  with  much  interest  for  a 
long  time,  and  at  last  tried  to  take  a  photograph,  but  I  fear 
they  were  too  restless  to  allow  it  to  turn  out  well. 

Some  fine  specimens  of  the  heads  of  wild  cattle  shot  by 
Mr.  Davies  stood  in  the  verandah.  One  head  alone  required 
four  men  to  move  it.  Mr.  Davies  gave  me  some  interesting 


172  VA  CCINA  TION 


curios  brought  from  a  village  where  a  rather  severe  fight  took 
place  recently.  The  natives  posted  themselves  with  great 
cunning  behind  some  rocks  on  the  top  of  a  hill,  which  our 
people  had  to  scale.  From  this  shelter  they  hurled  down 
spears  and  poisoned  arrows,  wounding  many  of  their  assail- 
ants, while  our  rifles  were  of  no  effect  against  them  until  the 
height  had  been  carried. 

On  our  way  back  to  the  yacht  we  had  to  cross  a  rickety 
wooden  bridge  over  a  muddy  creek,  in  which  some  of  the  party 
thought  they  saw  a  crocodile ;  not  a  rare  sight  on  this  coast, 
though  they  are  not  so  numerous  here  as  in  Sarawak,  where 
the  Government  offers  a  reward  of  a  dollar  a  foot  for  all  those 
killed.  Last  }-ear  2,000  dollars  were  paid  for  2,000  feet  of 
crocodiles  of  all  sizes  and  ages. 

Dr.  Lamb,  who  dined  on  board  with  us,  appears  to  be 
greatly  interested  in  his  work,  though  the  life  is  rather  rough. 
He  has  a  good  deal  of  riding  about  the  country  to  vaccinate 
the  natives,  who  seem  fully  to  understand  the  value  of  the 
operation  in  mitigating  the  ravages  of  smallpox — a  disease  by 
which  the  country  was  at  one  time  decimated.  Our  regret  at 
not  having  been  able  to  stop  at  Gaya  was  increased  when  we 
heard  from  Dr.  Lamb  that  the  Assistant  Eesident,  Mr.  Little, 
had  just  returned  from  a  successful  ascent  of  Kina  Balu, 
having  reached  the  summit  by  a  new  route,  and  brought  down 
a  wonderful  collection  of  plants  and  flowers. 

About  ten  o'clock  Mr.  Davies  came  on  board,  and  with  Dr. 
Lamb  and  Tab  started  off  on  a  shooting  expedition  across  the 
bay. 

Saturday,  April  gtli. — The  night  was  hot  and  oppressive, 
and  we  could  not  help  feeling  somewhat  anxious  about  the 
sportsmen,  whose  expedition  in  search  of  wild  cattle  has  a 
decided  spice  of  danger  in  it.  Two  o'clock  came,  and  then 
four,  and  still  they  did  not  return.  At  last,  to  our  great  relief, 
at  half-past  six  they  arrived  alongside,  bringing  with  them 


ON  THE  FORE  YARD 


173 


a  fine  young  Sambur  buck,  the  carrying  of  the  carcass  having 
delayed  them  considerably.  They  were  disappointed  not  to 
have  succeeded  in  killing  a  buffalo,  especially  as  they  had  seen 
several  herds  of  them  in  the  distance ;  but  the  natives  who 
had  been  sent  to  drive  the  cattle  performed  their  task  with 
such  indiscreet  ardour,  and  with  so  much  noise,  that  of  course 
they  frightened  the  cattle  away. 

Directly  the  sportsmen  came  on  board  we  started,  and  pro- 
ceeded under  steam  close  under  Malleangau,  and  thence  south- 
ward of  the  fatal  Egeria  Eocks  to  the 
western  extremity  of  the  island  of 
Mallewalle,    passing   to   the 
northward  of  Man- 
darilla,   and   to 
the  south- 
ward 
of  Kaka- 
bau,    whence 
steered     for 
By  noon  we 

had  steamed  eighty-seven 
miles  since  leaving  Kudat.  Tom 
went  up  on  the  foreyard  at  6.30  A.M., 
and  did  not  come  down  until  1.30  P.M., 
when  we  had  virtually  passed  the  most  dangerous  part  of  the 
coast.  We  sent  his  breakfast  up  to  him  in  a  bucket,  for  he 
did  not  dare  leave  his  post  for  one  moment,  the  channel  being 
most  intricate,  and  the  only  guide  the  difference  in  colour  of 
the  coral  patches.  He  suffered  considerably  from  the  heat  of 
the  almost  vertical  sun,  which  blistered  his  legs,  in  spite  of 
extra  protection,  and  made  the  glasses,  which  he  had  con- 
stantly to  use,  so  hot  that  they  burnt  his  hands  and  eyes,  as 
they  did  ours  when  he  brought  them  down  on  deck. 

About  4  P.M.  we  touched  on  a  coral  patch,  in  two  fathoms, 


174  THE   CORAL  PATCH 

not  marked  on  the  chart  (in  lat.  6°  40'  N.,  long.  1 17°  52'  E.), 
which  rather  astonished  us,  and  caused  us  to  go  still  more 
slowly  and  carefully  for  some  time.  The  sea  being  absolutely 
smooth,  and  the  sky  overcast,  there  was  neither  break  nor 
reflection  to  help  the  look-out,  though  Tom  thought  that  he 
had  noticed  something  peculiar  in  the  colour  of  the  water  a 
few  moments  previously.  He  was  almost  continuously  in  the 
foretop  again  from  two  o'clock  until  dark,  when  he  took  up 
his  position  on  the  topgallant  forecastle. 

We  passed  between  Tigabu  and  Lipeendung,  and  outside 
Sandy  Island,  Balhalla,  Lankayau,  Langaan,  and  Tong  Papat, 
entering  the  Bay  of  Sandakan  at  1 1.45  P.M.,  and  anchoring  off 
the  town  of  Eleopura  exactly  at  eight  bells. 


CHAPTEE   VIII. 

ELEOPURA. 


Easter  Sunday,  A2)ril  loth. — 
Eleopura  looked  extremely  pic- 
turesque in  the  pale  moonlight, 
with  the  grand  sandstone  bluff  of 
the  island  of  Balhalla  standing 
out  boldly  in  the  foreground 
against  the  starlit  sky ;  but  the 
coast-line  seemed  still  more  beau- 
tiful in  the  bright  morning  sun- 
shine. The  brilliant  light  was 
relieved  by  some  heavy  thunder- 
clouds fringing  the  Bay  of  Sanda- 
kan  and  hanging  in  denser  masses  over  the  mouths  of  the 
numerous  rivers  which  empty  themselves  into  it.  Balhalla, 
with  its  cliff  of  red  sandstone  running  sheer  down  to  the  sea, 


1 76  E  LEO  PUR  A 


is  clothed  on  the  shoreward  side  with  the  richest  tropical 
vegetation,  including  vast  quantities  of  the  beautiful  nepenthes, 
or  pitcher-plant,  which  forms  so  prominent  a  feature  in  the 
flora  of  Borneo. 

Mr.  Flint,  the  harbour- master,  came  on  board  at  six  o'clock 
to  offer  us  the  hospitality  of  his  bungalow.  After  breakfast 
he  and  Mr.  Crocker  landed  with  the  kind  intention  of  ar- 
ranging for  us  to  spend  a  short  time  on  shore  to  recruit  a 
little  from  the  effects  of  the  intense  heat,  the  air  being  natu- 
rally much  cooler  on  the  hills  than  down  in  the  bay.  We  had 
service  at  1 1.30,  and  the  present  Governor,  Mr.  Treacher,  and 
afterwards  two  other  gentlemen,  came  to  lunch.  Later  on  we 
all  landed,  some  of  us  going  to  the  little  church,  where  Tom 
read  the  service.  There  is  no  resident  clergyman  at  Sanda- 
kan,  but  the  Governor  supplies  his  place  every  Sunday,  except 
when  the  Bishop  happens  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  place,  as  he  did 
last  week. 

The  luxury  of  getting  on  shore  to  large  airy  rooms,  with 
deep  cool  verandahs,  and  the  feeling  of  perfect  rest  and  repose, 
can  only  be  fully  appreciated  after  a  long  and  anxious  voyage 
in  a  hot  climate  on  board  a  comparatively  small  ship.  Nor 
can  anyone  who  has  not  suffered,  as  we  all  have,  from  prickly 
heat,  understand  how  pleasant  are  fresh-water  baths.  We  all 
felt  far  too  comfortable  and  delightfully  indolent  for  letter- 
writing,  or  even  for  reading,  and  could  do  nothing  but  enjoy 
to  the  utmost  the  delights  of  the  shore  under  such  agreeable 
conditions.  Our  good-natured  host  had  turned  out,  bag  and 
baggage,  in  order  to  make  room  for  us,  and  had  gone  to 
Government  House,  leaving  his  comfortable  bungalow  entirely 
at  our  disposition.  Some  of  the  gentlemen,  for  whom  there 
was  not  sufficient  room,  went  to  another  bungalow  not  far 
distant. 

Monday,  April  nth. — We  were  all  up  early,  anxious  to 
make  the  most  of  our  time  in  this  pleasant  spot.  Tom  went 


COM  ANTON  CAVES 


177 


off  for  a  ride  with  the  Governor,  while  Mabelle  and  Baby  took 
a  long  walk  with  Mr.  von  Donop  (the  Secretary)  and  Mr. 
Callaghan  ;  and  Muriel  and  I  proceeded  to  the  top  of  the  hill 
to  see  the  Doctor.  Some  of  the  gentlemen  went  off  shooting, 
and  did  not  return  until  late  in  the  day. 

I  had  been  very  anxious  to  go  to  the  black  bird's-nest 


Mr    Flint's   Bungalow 


caves  of  Gomanton,  but  was  assured  by  everybody  that  the 
difficulties  would  be  found  insurmountable.  All  agreed  that 
it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  await  the  return  and  the  report 
of  Messrs.  Walker  and  Wilson,  who  had  gone  to  Gomanton 
to  survey  the  road  and  to  ascertain  the  practicability  of  utilis- 
ing the  vast  quantity  of  the  excellent  guano  with  which  the 

Y 


178  A    TIMBER  STATION 

floor  of  the  caves  is  thickly  covered.  A  shorter  expedition 
has  been  therefore  proposed,  and  it  is  arranged  that  we  shall 
cross  the  bay  and  look  at  the  bilian-wood  cutting.  The 
party  divided,  some  going  in  the  steam-launch,  and  some  in 
Captain  Flint's  boat  to  a  picnic  on  the  other  side  of  the  bay. 
The  distant  views  of  Sandakan  are  very  fine,  as  is  also  the  aspect 
of  the  north  bluff  of  the  island  of  Balhalla,  where  the  best 
white  birds' -nests  in  the  world  are  found,  and  are  collected 
at  terrible  risk  to  life  and  limb.  We  glided  through  a  perfect 
archipelago  of  small  islands,  where  we  saw  curious  houses, 
inhabited  by  Bajaus,  or  sea-gipsies.  These  huts  are  built  on 
piles  in  the  water,  and  round  them  dart  the  natives  in  their 
tiny  canoes,  throwing  spears  at  the  numerous  shoals  of  fish. 
So  pleasant  had  been  the  voyage  that  we  seemed  to  reach 
our  destination  almost  immediately.  It  was  a  long  un- 
finished pier,  composed  of  a  few  split  Nipa  palms  fixed,  at  in- 
tervals of  a  couple  of  feet  apart,  on  piles  driven  into  the  bed 
of  the  river.  This  primitive  jetty  stretched  far  out  into  the 
stream,  and  was  reached  by  a  ladder  of  the  same  rough  style, 
with  a  space  of  at  least  two  feet  between  each  rung ;  not  at  all 
a  landing-place  for  ordinary  mortals — European,  at  all  events 
— and  only  suitable  for  angels,  Dyaks,  .or  monkeys.  Never- 
theless it  is  the  timber-loading  station  for  ships  trading  with 
Sandakan,  and  stands  at  the  mouths  of  Sapa  Gaya  and  Suan- 
lamba  Elvers,  down  which  most  of  the  best  timber  is  floated 
in  rafts  or  towed  by  steam-launches  from  the  interior.  For- 
tunately some  native  prahus  were  drawn  up  alongside  the 
pier,  and  into  these  we  stepped,  and  so  got  ashore,  climbing 
up  the  steep  bank  to  the  cosy  little  bungalow  above.  There 
we  found  Messrs.  Walker  and  Wilson,  now  on  their  way  back 
from  the  caves,  of  which  they  gave  an  interesting  descrip- 
tion. They  seemed,  however,  to  be  firmly  impressed  with 
the  idea  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  us  to  visit  them, 
the  difficulties  of  the  expedition  being  far  too  great  for  anyone 


A   DIFFICULT  EXPEDITION 


179 


unaccustomed  to  Borneo 
jungle-life.  They  had  been 
obliged  to  swim  rivers,  wade 
through  mud  up  to  their 
arms,  sleep  in  damp  caves, 
and  endure  other  hardships 
not  very  conducive  to 
health  in  a  malari- 
ous district.  Of 
course  they  had 
got  completely 
soaked  through, 
|  baggage  and  all, 
and  were  now 
doing  their  best 
to  dry  everything 
on  the  grass — a 
process  not  facili- 
tated by  a  tre- 
mendous thun- 
der-shower which 


Kapuan  Timber   Station 


i8o  BILIAN-WOOD 


came  on  suddenly  during  our  visit.  The  effect  of  the  storm  was 
very  grand,  as  the  heavy  clouds  came  rolling  up  the  bay  to 
discharge  their  burden  of  electricity  and  rain  just  over  our 
heads  ;  but  the  moment  it  passed,  out  came  the  sun  as  brightly 
as  ever.  We  had  a  most  cheery  picnic  in  the  little  five-roomed 
bungalow.  The  one  piece  of  furniture,  except  the  table  and 
two  chairs,  which  our  hosts  had  brought  with  them,  was  a 
comfortable  hammock-cot,  of  which  the  children  at  once  took 
possession,  to  make  a  swing.  "While  we  were  sitting  in  the 
deep  verandah,  a  steamer  arrived  alongside  the  pier,  towing 
several  rafts,  which  we  saw  unlashed  and  pulled  to  pieces  in 
true  primitive  fashion,  the  heavy  bilian-wood  or  ironwood  of 
which  they  were  composed  being  simply  cast  into  the  river, 
as  near  the  shore  as  possible,  to  be  fished  out  at  low  tide. 
Bilian-wood  when  newly  cut  is  of  a  dark  sand-colour,  and, 
being  hard  and  durable,  is  used  for  purposes  where  those 
qualities  are  required. 

All  pleasant  things  must  come  to  an  end,  and  we  were  soon 
obliged  to  start  again  on  our  return  voyage.  We  shipped  Mr. 
Walker  and  Mr.  Wilson  on  board  the  steam-launch  and  towed 
their  boat.  All  went  well  till  we  got  near  the  entrance  to  the 
Bay,  where  we  encountered  such  a  high  sea  that  we  had  to 
cast  the  boat  adrift  to  prevent  her  from  being  swamped.  We 
stopped  at  the  yacht  to  give  our  friends  an  opportunity  of 
seeing  her.  Nearly  all  the  crew,  and  even  the  stewards,  were 
ashore  at  rifle-practice.  Several  visitors  came  on  board  and 
detained  us  for  some  time ;  so  that  when  we  landed  we  were  only 
just  able  to  have  a  look  at  the  Museum  and  get  up  to  Mr. 
Flint's  bungalow  in  time  to  dress  for  dinner  at  Government 
House,  where  we  found  quite  a  large  party  of  gentlemen 
assembled  to  meet  us. 

None  of  our  sportsmen  turned  up  to  dinner  except  Mr. 
Cook.  Afterwards  various  kinds  of  dances  were  performed 
by  the  natives  for  our  entertainment.  In  some  of  the  war- 


NATIVE  DANCES 


181 


dances  the  men  displayed  much  agility  and  gracefulness,  dart- 
ing from  side  to  side  in  their  war-cloaks  of  toucans'  feathers, 
which  floated  out  behind  them  with  each  movement.  They 
were  armed  with  shields,  spears,  and  kreises.  It  was  really  a 
most  picturesque  scene,  and  the  large  open  verandah  of  Go- 
vernment House,  with  the  background  of  sea,  sky,  and  distant 


Dyak   Dance 

mountains,  seen  in  the  bright  moonlight,  with  the  '  Sunbeam ' 
peacefully  at  anchor  in  the  foreground,  formed  an  appropriate 
setting.  The  Dusuns  and  Sundyaks  are  very  fond  of  dancing, 
and  seize  every  opportunity  of  indulging  in  the  amusement. 
In  times  of  abundant  harvest,  it  is  said,  dancing  goes  on  in 
every  village  all  night  long,  and  night  after  night. 


1 82  CURIOSITIES 

Tuesday,  April  12th. — Mabelle  and  the  children  went  out 
for  a  ride  this  morning,  while  Tom  and  I  paid  a  visit  to  Dr. 
Hoffmeister,  whom  we  found  much  better.  It  was  very  hot 
work  walking  down  to  the  shore  again,  and  even  the  children 
seemed  to  find  the  temperature  rather  trying.  Fortunately 
for  the  inhabitants  of  Sandakan,  the  nights  are  always  cool, 
a  fact  to  which  the  little  community  owes  its  excellent  health 
and  the  preservation  of  its  strength  and  energy. 

In  the  course  of  the  morning  we  visited  the  town  to  see 
the  bazaars  and  have  another  look  at  the  Museum.  There  is 
a  fish  and  general  market  at  Eleopura,  besides  Government 
buildings,  barracks,  a  hospital,  hotels,  several  stores,  and  a 
club,  to  say  nothing  of  a  small  temporary  church,  a  mosque, 
and  a  joss-house.  On  the  green  in  front  of  the  Govern- 
ment building  stands  a  handsome  Irish  cross,  raised  to  the 
memory  of  poor  Frank  Hatton  and  other  explorers  who  have 
perished  in  North  Borneo.  At  the  Government  Offices  we 
found  a  few  interesting  curiosities,  particularly  some  finely 
woven  mats  that  had  been  prepared  in  the  interior  for  the 
Colonial  Exhibition  in  London  but  were  not  ready  in  time ; 
an  elephant's  tusk  of  enormous  size,  and  some  teeth  found  in 
the  jungle  near  here.  This  collection  will  doubtless  form  the 
nucleus  of  a  larger  museum.  It  comprises  also  gems,  wea- 
pons, rat-traps,  bird-calls,  eggs,  stuffed  orang-outangs,  and 
specimens  of  native  stuffs  and  mats.  The  sarongs  from  Java, 
and  Celebes  are  very  curious,  the  pattern  being  elaborately 
worked  in  a  sort  of  thick  coloured  wax,  which  makes  them 
quite  stiff.  Some  of  them  are  expensive,  costing  sixty  or 
seventy  dollars  each.  There  did  not  seem  to  be  any  of  the 
curious  fire-tubes  for  producing  fire  which  we  had  seen  in  the 
Museum  at  Kuching. 

I  returned  early  on  board  the  '  Sunbeam  '  to  complete  the 
arrangements  for  resuming  our  voyage  this  evening.  Further 
deliberation  has  convinced  us  that  the  visit  to  the  Gomanton 


THE  HOSPITAL  183 


Caves  is  quite  out  of  the  question,  notwithstanding  the  kind 
offers  of  assistance  which  we  have  received  from  Mr.  Treacher 
and  others.  We  have  accordingly  decided  to  content  our- 
selves with  an  attempt  to  reach  the  Madai  Caves  in  Darvel 
Bay,  which  are  said  to  be  somewhat  easier  of  access.  Mr. 
Treacher,  Mr.  Crocker,  and  Mr.  Callaghan  have  offered  to  ac- 
company us,  and  to  engage  the  requisite  men  for  the  expedition. 

There  was  a  large  party  to  lunch  at  Government  House, 
and  more  came  in  afterwards  to  attend  my  informal  Ambu- 
lance meeting,  at  which  the  Governor  took  the  chair,  and 
Tom  explained  the  work  of  the  society.  I  also  ventured  to 
say  a  few  words,  and  Mr.  Crocker  supported  the  movement 
very  cordially.  Everybody  in  Eleopura  was  present,  besides 
many  from  Kudat  and  Silam,  and  all  seemed  interested  in  the 
subject.  Dr.  Walker  took  the  scheme  up  warmly.  I  earnestly 
hope  it  may  go  on  and  prosper.  There  can  be  no  country 
where  it  would  be  more  likely  to  be  of  use,  considering  the 
wild  sort  of  life  people  have  to  lead  here.  I  presented  the 
new  centre  with  a  roll  of  anatomical  drawings  and  a  good 
many  books  and  papers.  I  trust,  therefore,  that  we  may  re- 
gard the  Eleopura  branch  of  the  Ambulance  Association  as 
fairly  started. 

After  the  meeting,  feeling  very  tired,  I  went  in  my  chair 
with  Mr.  Wilson  to  the  church,  which  is  a  pretty  little  build- 
ing, and  thence,  a  little  higher  up  the  hill,  to  the  hospital. 
This  appears  to  be  an  excellently  well-managed  institution, 
but  is  still  sadly  in  want  of  a  European  ward,  especially 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  trade  and  population  of  the  place 
are  rapidly  increasing.  Ascending  a  few  steps  higher  we  arrived 
at  the  club,  with  its  deep  verandahs  and  spacious  windows  and 
doors,  arranged  to  catch  every  breath  of  air,  and  to  command 
the  finest  views.  The  cemetery  lies  in  another  valley  right 
behind  the  club.  It  is  a  pretty  spot,  nicely  kept,  and  quite 
away  from  the  town. 


1 84 


THE  RIFLE-BUTTS 


From  the 
club  we 
proceeded 
to  the  rifle- 
butts,  pass- 
ing through 

so  narrow  and  overgrown  a 
path  that  my  bearers  declined  to  pro- 
ceed, until  Mr.  Wilson  peremptorily 
insisted  upon  their  doing  so.   Even  as 
it  was,  I  had  to  walk  the  last  part 
of  the  way.      Arrived  at 
the  butts,  we  found  that 
•  our    forecastle  -  cook   had 
proved   himself   the   best 
shot  by  several  points. 


L_ 


Borneo   Weapons 


ENTRANCE  TO    EDIBLE   BIRD    NEST   CAVES.    MADAI     BORNEO 


DEPARTURE  FROM  E  LEO  PUR  A 


185 


Altogether,  the  practice  may  be  regarded 
as  highly  satisfactory,  considering  how 
long  it  is  since  our  men  have  had  an  op- 
portunity of  handling  a  rifle.  I  distributed 
certificates  of  efficiency,  and  then  we  all 
went  back  to  an  early  dinner  at  Mr.  Flint's, 
after  which  we  had  to  re-embark.  The 
nice-looking  Sikhs  who  are  in  charge  of 
the  convicts  here  having  carried  our  lug- 
gage down  to  the  boats,  there  was  nothing 
for  us  to  do  but  to  say  good-bye  to  our 
kind  hosts,  and  return  to  the  '  Sunbeam ' 
once  more.  We  found  her  lying  alongside 
the  wharf,  where  she  had  come  to  take  in 
water,  and  quite  crowded  with  our  new 
friends,  who  were  determined  to  see  the 
last  of  us,  and  who  almost  all  brought  us 
some  little  curio  to  keep  in  remembrance 
of  our  visit  to  Sandakan.  The  tide  was 
low,  and  it  was  no  easy  task  to  get  down 
to  the  deck  of  the  yacht  from  the  some- 
what lofty  pier.  At  last  we  were  safely 
on  board,  and  slowly  steamed  away,  amid 
a  volley  of  ringing  cheers,  which  we  re- 
turned by  sending  up  blue  lights  and 
flights  of  rockets. 

The  carrying  capacity  of  the  yacht 
was  now  rather  severely  tested,  for  in  ad- 
dition to  our  own  party  we  had  Messrs. 
Treacher,  Crocker,  and  Callaghan  as  pas- 
sengers, besides  some  thirty  Sikhs,  police- 
men, coolies,  and  others,  whose  services 
would  be  required  for  the  expedition  to  the 
Madai  Caves. 


1 86  DARVEL  BAY 


Wednesday,  April  \~$th. — Oppressively  hot.  "We  made 
Tanjong  Unsang  at  daylight,  and  steamed  southward  and 
westward  along  a  fine  coast.  At  noon  we  had  come  135 
miles,  and  were  in  lat.  4°  57'  N.,  long.  1 18°  47'  E. 

All  hands  were  busily  engaged  during  the  morning  in  pre- 
paring the  large  cutter  for  Tab's  projected  shooting  expedition 
this  afternoon.  She  is  a  fine  big  boat,  temporarily  fitted 
with  a  ridge-roofed  awning  and  boards  on  which  beds  can 
be  placed,  thus  making  her  almost  like  a  house-boat.  Every- 
thing that  could  be  thought  of  as  likely  to  be  wanted  was 
put  into  her  ;  but  notwithstanding  all  that  foresight  and  care 
could  do,  I  felt  rather  uncomfortable  about  this  lonely  and 
somewhat  risky  enterprise. 

In  the  afternoon  we  steamed  down  a  little  out  of  our 
course  towards  the  island  of  Tirnbu  Mata,  which  is  said  to 
abound  with  deer  and  wild  pig,  to  drop  the  cutter  with  Tab 
and  four  men  from  the  crew  in  her,  all  armed  with  rifles,  cut- 
lasses, and  revolvers,  besides  their  sporting  weapons.  Then 
we  proceeded  on  our  course  to  Silarn  in  Darvel  Bay,  1 7  5  miles 
from  Sandakan,  where  we  anchored  about  6  P.M.  A  prahu 
came  alongside  at  once,  manned  by  natives,  and  having  on 
board  a  specimen  of  the  worst  type  of  rough  Australian  gold- 
diggers — very  tipsy,  poor  man,  and  very  anxious  to  come  on 
board  the  yacht.  His  efforts  in  this  direction  were,  however, 
repulsed,  and  wre  finally  induced  the  native  crew  to  take  him 
back  to  the  shore. 

Darvel  Bay  is  a  most  lovely  spot,  and  in  the  sunset  light 
I  thought  that  I  had  never  seen  anything  more  beautiful  in 
the  world.  We  went  ashore  as  soon  as  possible,  having,  how- 
ever, first  to  climb  with  extended  though  uncertain  strides  up 
one  of  the  dreadful  wide-runged  ladders  which  confront  us  at 
every  pier.  This  performance  landed  us  on  what  appeared 
to  be  a  very  rickety  kind  of  platform,  with,  as  usual,  a  great 
deal  of  open  space  in  the  flooring.  Being  assured  that  it  wras 


A   PRIMITIVE  PIER 


187 


quite  safe  if  we  only  stepped  out  boldly  and  with  confidence, 
we  advanced  as  well  as  we  could,  and  found  the  task  not  so 
difficult  after  all,  though  it  must  be  confessed  that  the  flooring 
seemed  terribly  springy  and  elastic.  The  two  small  dogs  were 
carried,  but  poor  '  Sir  Eoger '  was  left  to  follow  us  as  best  he 
could,  meeting  with  many  a  slip  and  many  a  tumble  on  his 


Entering    River    Madai 


way.  It  was  too  dark  to  see  much  of  the  town,  which  ap- 
peared to  be  clean  and  tidy,  with  several  well-furnished  shops 
in  the  principal  streets.  There  is  also  a  Government  station 
here,  and  an  experimental  garden.  The  harbour  is  well  shel- 
tered, and  although  it  contains  a  good  many  coral-banks, 
vessels  drawing  sixteen  feet  of  water  can  anchor  quite  close 
to  the  settlement. 


188  AN  EARLY  START 

The  reports  of  explorers  in  search  of  gold  on  the  Segania 
Eiver  are  satisfactory.  A  road  is  now  being  constructed  which 
will  render  access  to  the  gold-fields  much  easier  than  at  present. 
It  is,  however,  impossible  for  Englishmen  to  work  the  fields, 
and  Chinese  labour  will  most  likely  have  to  be  employed.  The 
process  adopted  by  the  natives  of  extracting  the  gold  is  primi- 
tive in  the  extreme. 

We  met  our  friend  the  Australian  digger  again,  and  heard 
that  he  had  come  down  from  the  fields  with  three  companions, 
all  ill  with  fever,  one  being  so  bad  that  he  had  to  be  carried 
all  the  way.  Still  they  were  satisfied  with  their  success,  and 
were  now  celebrating  it  by  drinking  their  profits  away  as  fast 
as  possible. 

After  strolling  slowly  up  to  Mr.  Callaghan's  comfortable 
bungalow,  we  rested  a  little  and  had  tea,  and  then  returned 
on  board  to  pack  up  and  make  ready  for  our  early  start  to- 
morrow. The  steam-launch  was  already  afloat  with  her  boiler 
in  her,  but  a  good  deal  had  yet  to  be  done  in  the  way  of 
preparing  the  gig,  fixing  the  awning,  and  stowing  the  stores, 
photographic  gear,  &c. 

Thursday,  April  14.111. — It  was  nearly  midnight  before  all 
had  been  arranged  in  readiness  for  our  early  start  and  possible 
camp-out  for  at  least  one  night ;  and  even  then  there  was  a 
great  deal  that  had  to  be  left  unsettled,  precise  information 
as  to  roads,  rivers,  distances,  and  so  forth  not  being  easily 
obtainable  in  this  partially  developed  country. 

At  3.30  A.M.  I  was  called,  and  tried  to  dispel  my  drowsi- 
ness by  the  pleasing  consciousness  that  an  expedition  to 
which  I  had  long  looked  forward  with  such  deep  interest 
was  about  to  be  undertaken,  and,  as  we  had  reason  to  hope, 
through  the  kind  exertions  of  Mr.  Treacher  and  Mr.  Callaghan, 
duly  accomplished.  An  hour  later,  these  two  gentlemen, 
accompanied  by  Mr.  Crocker,  came  on  board ;  and  then  we 
started  directly  in  a  long  native  canoe,  with  a  crew  and  escort 


THE  FLOTILLA 


189 


of  thirty  coolies,  Stilus, 
Dyaks,  and  policemen.  Our 
destination  was  the  famous 
caves  of  edible  birds' -nests 
at  Madai.  The  steam- 
launch,  well  laden  with 
extra  coal  in  bags,  and  a 
few  spare  coolies,  led  the 
way,  having  in  tow  the 
heavy  gig,  filled  with  pro- 
visions of  all  sorts,  and 
materials  for  camping  out. 
Then  came  the  long  prahu 
— also  in  tow — laden  almost 

to  the  water's  edge  with  her  thirty  passengers  and  their 
gear.  The  extent  and  weight  of  this  little  flotilla  reduced  our 
progress  to  a  speed  of  about  five  knots.  It  was  a  perfect 
morning,  and  the  air  was  quite  calm  except  for  the  slight 
breeze  which  we  created  for  ourselves  as  we  progressed. 
Soon  after  seven  o'clock  the  sun  became  unpleasantly  hot, 
and  we  were  glad  to  spread  our  awning.  At  eight  we  break- 
fasted extremely  well,  the  necessary  cooking  being  done  over 
a  small  spirit-lamp,  in  the  absence  of  kerosene  or  any  of 


190  UP  THE  RIVER 


the  mineral  oils,  the  use  of  which  is  not  allowed  on  board  the 
'  Sunbeam  '  or  any  of  her  satellites. 

A  little  before  nine  we  reached  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and 
safely  accomplished  some  intricate  navigation  through  narrow 
channels  between  coral  reefs.  The  mists  were  still  lying  in 
solid  white  masses  in  the  valleys  and  between  the  mountain 
peaks  ;  but  the  small  densely  wooded  islets  that  dotted  the 
bay  were  mirrored  in  its  unruffled  surface.  The  scene  was 
altogether  most  picturesque,  and  reminded  me  a  good  deal  of 
the  splendid  harbour  of  Kio ;  but  without,  of  course,  the  Cor- 
covado  or  Sugar-loaf  Hill,  or  those  curiously  shaped  Organ 
Mountains  in  the  background.  Once  in  the  river,  the  view 
became  quite  different,  and  much  more  shut  in,  owing  to  the 
dense  walls  of  mangrove  and  other  tropical  vegetation  which 
lined  either  side  of  the  wide  stream,  up  which  the  tide  was 
swiftly  flowing.  The  air  now  seemed  fresh  and  pure ;  but 
in  other  states  of  the  tide  it  is,  I  am  told,  very  much  the 
reverse. 

In  about  half  an  hour  we  reached  a  junction  of  two  streams, 
where  the  boats  composing  our  flotilla  had  to  part  company — 
the  steam-launch  to  be  left  behind,  the  prahu  to  lead  the  way, 
and  the  cutter  to  be  paddled  and  punted  up  after  us  as  far 
as  she  could  go.  This  point  proved  to  be  only  to  a  small 
landing-place,  at  which  eight  prahus  were  drawn  up  near  two 
temporary  wooden  kajang  huts  belonging  to  the  bird's-nest 
takers,  members  of  the  Eraan  tribe,  to  whom  the  caves  are 
let.  Birds' -nests,  it  may  be  remarked,  are  a  profitable  pro- 
perty, yielding  a  royalty  of  15,000  dollars,  or  over  2,500?.  a 
year,  to  the  North  Borneo  Company. 

From  the  cutter  we  embarked  in  the  prahu,  and  from  the 
prahu  we  finally  landed  in  a  swamp,  where  an  hour's  rest  was 
allowed  for  the  coolies  to  get  their  food,  whilst  we  completed  the 
arrangements  for  our  return  voyage,  which,  on  account  of  the 
tide,  promised  to  be  much  more  difficult. 


THROUGH  THE  JUNGLE  191 

At  10.45  A-M-  we  commenced  the  real  hard  work  of  the 
expedition.  Everyone  walked  except  me,  and  I  had  to  be 
carried  in  a  very  light  chair  by  two  coolies,  who  were  frequently 
relieved.  It  was  rather  serious  work  for  the  bearers — to  say 
nothing  of  my  feelings — for  they  had  never  carried  a  chair 
before,  and  the  way  lay  through  thick  jungle,  constantly  inter- 
spersed by  morasses  and  swamps,  and  obstructed  by  fallen 
trees,  overhanging  branches,  thorny  creepers,  and  marshy 
streams.  At  first  I  had  many  misgivings,  but  soon  gained 
confidence  when  I  saw  how  careful  the  men  were,  and  how 
anxious  to  avoid  an  accident.  Two  coolies  went  on  in  front, 
and  with  their  sharp  parongs  cut  down  or  hacked  away  the 
more  serious  obstacles.  If  either  the  chair  or  I  caught  in  a 
tree  or  a  thorn,  or  if  any  special  difficulty  presented  itself, 
somebody  appeared  from  somewhere  and  rendered  prompt 
assistance. 

I  scarcely  know  how  they  managed  to  make  their  way  at 
all  through  the  dense  jungle  which  hemmed  us  in  on  every 
side,  or  to  disentangle  themselves  from  the  numerous  obstacles 
which  beset  our  path.  If  one  of  the  bearers  suddenly  plunged 
up  to  his  waist  in  a  morass,  someone  else  instantly  came  for- 
ward to  pull  him  out  and  to  raise  the  chair  again.  When  huge 
fallen  trees  obstructed  the  way,  one  or  two  men  rushed  forward 
to  assist  in  lifting  the  chair  and  me  over  the  barricade.  In 
less  than  two  hours  I  had  been  borne  over  an  intricate  and 
fatiguing  path,  up  hill  and  down  dale,  with  frequent  changes 
but  with  no  stoppages,  until  at  last  we  fairly  faced  the  lime- 
stone cliffs  which  we  had  seen  from  the  distance  rising  straight 
out  of  the  jungle.  We  had  passed,  and  in  fact  followed  for 
some  distance,  the  fresh  spoors,  eighteen  inches  in  diameter,  of 
an  elephant,  the  sight  of  which  caused  great  excitement  among 
the  natives,  especially  when  we  met  other  natives  armed  with 
guns. 

One   bird's-nest   taker   whom  we  passed    had  just    seen 


192 


WILD  BEES 


two  elephants,  and  a  great  palaver  ensued,  in  which  the 
word  '  harden,'  or  some  such  equivalent  for  ivory,  frequently 
occurred.  Many  of  the  trees  on  the  line  of  route  were  very 
fine,  specially  the  tapangs,  the  splendid  stems  of  which,  sup- 
ported by  natural  buttresses,  rose  in  several  instances  at 
least  two  hundred  feet  from  the  ground,  unbroken  by  a 
single  branch.  In  the  stem  of  the  tapang  the  wild  bees  build 
their  combs,  and  beeswax  is  an  important  and  valuable 
product  of  the  country.  These  trees,  either  singly  or  in 
groups,  are  the  property  by  inheritance  of  the  natives ;  so 
that  whenever  any  attempt  is  made  at  clearing,  or  even 


A    PICTURESQUE   SCENE  193 


cutting  down  a  single  tree,  one  of  these  small  proprietors  is  sure 
to  come  forward  and  swear  that  his  interest,  derived  from  his 
father,  his  grandfather,  or  some  even  more  remote  ancestor,  is 
likely  to  be  affected.  The  timber  itself  is  valuable,  and  where 
two  buttresses  occur  exactly  opposite  to  one  another  the  width 
of  the  tree  is  often  so  great  that  large  slabs,  with  a  fine  grain 
capable  of  taking  a  high  polish,  and  large  enough  to  form  a 
dining-table  for  twenty-four  people,  have  been  cut  from  them. 
The  Borneo  jungle  is  so  dense,  and  is  so  completely  over- 
shadowed by  the  trees  rising  from  it,  that  there  is  no  under- 
growth, and  the  effect  of  bareness  is  produced  ;  though  I  dare 
say  that,  if  one  could  only  look  down  on  the  forest  from  the 
car  of  a  balloon,  the  flora  of  creepers,  orchids,  and  para- 
sites would  be  very  beautiful  wherever  the  light  and  air  could 
penetrate. 

Presently  we  came  across  a  good  subject  for  a  sketch.  I 
was  waiting  at  the  edge  of  a  broad  and  winding  river,  shaded 
by  tall  trees,  and  flowing  over  a  gravelly  bed,  while  two  men  went 
on  in  advance  to  sound  the  depth  of  the  stream  before  attempt- 
ing to  carry  my  chair  across.  Just  then  two  hunters  appeared 
from  the  forest  and  seated  themselves  on  large  mossy  boulders 
a  short  distance  apart.  They  put  down  beside  them  their 
baskets  and  bundles  of  nests,  their  little  mat  travelling-bags, 
and  their  elaborately  carved  and  cased  spears,  holding  fast 
to  their  kreises,  parongs,  and  bows  and  arrows.  They  wrere 
literally  armed  to  the  teeth  in  their  own  fashion — a  very  for- 
midable fashion  it  is  too — and  I  very  much  doubt  whether 
the  gun  which  one  of  them  had  lying  beside  him  was  not  the 
least  terrible  weapon  which  he  possessed,  so  skilled  are  they 
in  the  use  of  their  simpler  implements  of  the  chase  and  of 
warfare. 

Continuing  our  difficult  way,  we  at  last  emerged  from  the 
green  darkness  of  the  forest  and  found  ourselves  within  view 
of  the  limestone  rock  or  mountain  in  which  are  the  marvellous 

A  A 


194  TtfE  MA  DAI  CAVES 


bird's-nest  caves  which  we  had  come  so  far  to  see.  The  cliff 
presented  a  striking  effect,  rising  white  and  shining  in  the 
bright  sunlight,  slightly  veiled  by  the  tall  trees  and  creepers, 
the  leaves  of  which  shimmered  in  the  hot  noontide  haze.  The 
dark  entrance  to  the  caves,  stuffy  as  it  was,  and  obstructed  by  the 
curious  framework  of  rattans  on  which  the  nest-hunters  sleep 
and  cook  and  stow  their  arms,  was  a  pleasant  relief  to  the 
heat  and  glare  without.  Still  more  welcome  was  the  sight 
of  the  coolies  bringing  refreshments  and  cooling  drinks.  If 
I,  who  had  been  carried  all  the  way  in  comparative  luxury, 
felt  glad  to  see  them,  it  can  be  imagined  what  must  have 
been  the  feelings  of  the  rest  of  the  party,  including  Mabelle, 
who  had  walked  the  whole  distance,  and  struggled  gallantly 
over  a  most  uncertain  and  treacherous  forest  track.  We  were 
not  able  to  get  into  the  cave  at  the  opening  where  the  men 
were  encamped,  and  had  to  go  some  way  round  to  another 
entrance. 

From  this  point,  each  provided  with  a  candle  to  light  our 
way,  we  advanced  into  the  darkness,  stumbling,  sliding,  and  oc- 
casionally falling  on  the  slippery  rocks,  but  still  able  to  admire 
the  noble  proportions  of  the  caves,  their  lofty  grandeur,  and  the 
fantastic  shapes  of  the  limestone  pillars  by  which  the  vaulted 
roof  was  supported.  The  whirring,  fluttering,  and  twittering 
of  many  birds  and  bats  could  plainly  be  heard  in  the  larger 
caves,  which  were  densely  peopled  with  winged  and  feathered 
inhabitants,  and  the  roofs  and  sides  of  which  were  blackened 
by  their  nests.  The  Segama  River,  which  we  had  ascended 
earlier,  flows  through  these  vast  caverns,  sometimes  over  a 
hard,  stony  bottom,  but  oftener  over  or  through  a  mass  of 
guano  many  feet  in  thickness,  into  which  our  guides  more 
than  once  sank  suddenly,  emerging  in  a  state  which  can  be 
better  imagined  than  described.  Split  palms  were  laid  across 
the  most  awkward  places ;  but  it  was  extremely  difficult  to 
keep  one's  footing  on  this  primitive  causeway,  and  despite 


PERILOUS    WORK  195 


the  assistance  of  the  gentlemen,  who  carried  me  across  many 
of  the  streams,  it  was  impossible  to  escape  an  occasional 
wetting. 

At  one  point  the  guides  and  leading  members  of  the  party, 
going  on  rather  too  rapidly,  left  us  in  complete  darkness,  and 
after  waiting  some  time  in  the  hope  that  they  would  discover 
their  mistake  and  return,  we  had  no  alternative  but  to  struggle 
up  a  most  fearful  precipice  towards  the  only  ray  of  light  which 
we  could  see  in  the  distance.  It  really  was  hard  work,  not  only 
on  account  of  the  steepness  of  the  ascent,  but  of  the  slippery 
and  slimy  condition  of  the  rocks.  Sometimes  we  knocked  our- 
selves with  painful  abruptness  against  hard  projections,  at 
other  times  we  sank  to  our  knees  in  a  mass  of  soft,  wet  guano 
teeming  with  animal  life  of  various  kinds,  but  mostly  of  the 
biting  or  stinging  character.  Mr.  Crocker  slipped  and  fell 
down  some  thirty  feet  or  so,  but  fortunately  emerged  unhurt, 
though  covered  with  black  slime  from  the  crown  of  his  head 
to  the  sole  of  his  foot. 

After  tremendous  exertions  we  reached  the  end  of  our 
climb,  during  which  I  had  been  not  only  once  but  many 
times  sorely  tempted,  and  even  strongly  urged,  to  turn  back. 
When  we  paused  to  rest,  our  eyes,  by  this  time  accustomed  to 
the  dim  religious  light,  could  perceive  human  figures  crawl- 
ing and  clambering  about  the  roof  and  pinnacles  of  the  vast 
cavern  in  which  we  now  found  ourselves,  and  could  observe 
many  narrow  rattan  ladders  hanging  in  the  most  precipitous 
places,  or  stretching  horizontally  across  almost  unfathomable 
abysses. 

Fixed  among  the  rocks  on  every  side  were  strong  hooks  and 
pegs,  to  which  the  intrepid  monkey-like  nest-hunters  attach 
their  long,  swinging  ladders.  Clinging  to  these,  they  proceed 
to  prod  all  the  nests  within  reach  with  a  long  bamboo  pole, 
split  into  the  shape  of  a  three-pronged  fork  at  one  end,  with 
a  candle  attached.  They  easily  detach  the  nests,  and  rapidly 


196  LOST  IX  THE   CA  VES 

transfer  them  to  a  basket  hanging  by  their  side.  Having 
cleared  the  accessible  space  around  them,  they  then  unhook 
one  end  of  their  frail  ladders  and  set  themselves  swinging 
like  a  pendulum,  until  they  manage  to  catch  another  hook  or 
peg,  and  then  proceed  to  clear  another  space  in  the  same 
way. 

All  this  goes  on  throughout  the  day,  and  very  often  through- 
out the  night  as  well,  for  the  birds  are  then  at  home,  and  by 
their  appearance  the  natives  can  judge  more  accurately  of  the 
age  of  the  nests,  on  which  their  value  depends.  Occasionally, 
but  not  very  often,  a  ladder  breaks  or  a  peg  becomes  rotten,  and 
the  hardy  climbers  tumble  into  the  depths  below,  with  almost 
invariably  fatal  results.  The  ladders  employed  are  sometimes, 
I  was  told,  as  much  as  500  feet  in  length,  and  we  saw  some 
ourselves  over  1 50  feet  long.  Truly  the  seekers  after  birds 
and  their  belongings,  whether  eggs,  feathers,  or  nests,  are  a 
daring  race,  alike  on  the  storm-beaten  cliffs  of  St.  Kilda  and 
of  Norway  and  in  the  mysterious  caves  of  Borneo  and  of 
Java. 

Imagine  our  disappointment  when,  after  another  severe 
effort,  we  reached  the  fissure  in  the  rock  which  admitted  the 
light  from  above,  and  found  that  it  afforded  no  means  of  egress 
except  for  bats  and  birds.  Not  even  a  Dyak  or  Sulu  could 
have  squeezed  his  way  in  or  out  by  it,  and  there  was  nothing 
for  it  but  to  retrace  our  steps.  Fortunately,  however,  we  had 
not  gone  far  before  we  met  our  guides  with  lights  coming  at 
last  to  look  for  us,  and  they  led  us  to  a  comparatively  easy 
exit  from  the  cave ;  though  in  order  to  reach  it  we  had  to  pass 
over  horrible  morasses  of  guano,  into  which  we  were  only  pre- 
vented from  sinking  by  a  path  or  bridge  of  two-inch  palm 
stems  affording  a  most  uncertain  foothold.  On  the  way  we 
passed  more  nest-hunters,  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  cave  we 
found  another  camp  of  wooden  framework  huts,  on  the  top 
of  which  lay  several  men  smoking,  with  their  kreises,  parongs, 


/%'.-      I  I  .    L 


RETURN  THROUGH  THE  JUNGLE  197 

spears,  and  travelling-bags  of  matwork  beside  them.  They 
would  not  part  with  any  of  their  weapons  or  implements, 
even  for  more  than  four  times  their  value,  alleging  that  it 
would  bring  them  ill-luck  to  sell  them  while  engaged  in  an 
expedition,  but  adding  that  if  we  would  go  to  their  village, 
after  their  return,  they  would  not  only  sell  but  willingly  give 
us  anything  we  might  take  a  fancy  to. 

In  the  course  of  our  descent  from  the  cave  we  came  across 
ten  or  a  dozen  bilian-wood  coffins,  which  were  excavated  in 
this  spot  about  fifty  years  ago.  They  were  of  the  plainest 
possible  make,  and  were  evidently  rapidly  falling  to  pieces.  It 
is  thought  that  further  excavations  will  lead  to  the  discovery 
of  finer  and  older  coffins,  for  it  is  almost  certain  that  wherever 
these  caves  exist  they  have  been  extensively  used  at  one  time 
as  primitive  burial-places. 

Arrived  at  last  by  the  side  of  a  clear  running  stream,  we 
were  glad  to  take  the  opportunity  of  performing  some  much- 
needed  ablutions,  and  to  rest  for  a  while.  How  tired  we  all 
felt  I  need  not  attempt  to  say.  It  required,  indeed,  a  great 
effort  of  the  will  to  take  a  few  photographs  and  to  carefully 
pack  the  birds'  eggs  and  nests  which  we  had  collected,  before 
resuming  our  journey. 

We  were  all  sorry  when  it  was  time  to  leave  our  pleasant 
halting-place  at  Madai  and  start  on  our  homeward  way.  The 
path  through  the  jungle  was,  however,  delightfully  shady, 
and  was  altogether  easier  than  our  upward  course.  The  last 
view  of  the  cave,  looking  back  from  the  little  hill  facing  it,  just 
before  entering  the  jungle,  will  always  remain  in  my  mind, 
though  I  saw  it  somewhat  hazily  through  the  gauze  veil  in 
which  my  head  was  wrapped  up,  in  order  to  protect  me  from 
the  hornets,  which  had  already  stung  several  of  our  party 
severely. 

I  have  before  now  been  in  tropical  forests  and  jungles, 
and  they  always  produce  the  same  awe-inspiring,  and  indeed 


198 


A    PLEASANT  RESTING-PLACE 


depressing  effect.  The  almost  solid  green  walls  on  either  side 
of  the  narrow  track  ;  the  awful  stillness  which  prevails,  only 
occasionally  broken,  or  rendered  more  intense,  by  the  shrill 
note  of  a  bird,  the  cry,  or  rather  pitiful  wail,  of  a  monkey,  the 
crashing  of  some  larger  creature  through  the  dense  under- 
growth, as  well  as  the  profound  solitude,  will  easily  account 

for  these  feelings. 
Having  overcome  my 
first  sensation  of 
nervousness,  caused 
by  constant  slips  and 
slides  on  the  part  of 
my  bearers,  I  had 
an  excellent  opportu- 
nity for  contempla- 
tion until,  in  little 
less  than  two  hours 
after  leaving  our  last 
halting  -  place,  we 
reached  a  spot  close 
to  where  we  had 
landed. 

It  was  delightful 
to  find  that  in  our 
absence  a  charming 
little  house  had,  by 

a  piece  of  kind  forethought,  been  built  for  us  on  the  banks 
of  the  clear  running  stream.  Raised  as  if  by  an  enchanter's 
wand,  this  hut  in  the  jungle  was  an  inestimable  comfort,  and 
enabled  us  to  rest  quietly  for  a  short  time.  At  first  it  was 
proposed  that  we  should  certainly  dine  and  possibly  sleep 
in  it ;  but  when  it  was  remembered  that,  pleasant  and  pictu- 
resque as  might  be  the  situation,  we  were  still  in  the  midst 
of  a  malarious  mangrove  swamp,  prudent  considerations  pre- 


Sulus   at   Silam,  Borneo 


DIFFICULTIES   OF   TRANSIT 


199 


vailed,  and  it  was  decided  to  move  on.  After  giving  time, 
therefore,  to  the  coolies  to  cook  and  eat  their  well-earned 
repast,  everything  was  put  into  the  prahu,  which  lay  half  in 
and  half  out  of  the  water.  Mabelle  and  I  then  seated  our- 


selves in  the  centre  of  the  boat,  while  everybody  else  pushed 
and  shouted ;  some  walking,  some  wading,  some  occasionally 
swimming.  Thus  we  proceeded  down  the  shallow  stream,  the 
prahu  frequently  on  her  beam-ends  on  one  side  or  the  other, 
until  righted  by  friendly  hands  ;  shipping  comparatively  little 


200  THE  RIVER'S  MOUTH 

water,  but  still  taking  in  enough  to  make  everything  damp  and 
uncomfortable. 

It  was  a  curious  sight,  the  long  boat,  pushed  by  fifty  or 
sixty  natives  and  about  a  dozen  Europeans,  now  in  the  water, 
now  almost  out  of  it.  More  than  once  I  thought  the  natives 
must  have  been  jammed  between  the  bank  and  the  boat 
when  they  slipped  into  a  deep  hole,  and  the  great  length  of 
the  prahu  prevented  her  from  turning  quickly.  At  the  nest- 
hunters'  landing-place  we  found  ourselves  fairly  high  and 
dry,  and  had  to  be  carried,  prahu  and  all,  for  some  little 
distance  until  we  reached  the  deeper  water  beyond,  only  to 
find  our  further  passage  blocked  by  the  trunk  of  a  huge  tree, 
so  firmly  imbedded  in  the  mud  that  the  united  efforts  of  our 
large  band  of  followers  were  powerless  to  move  it.  We  had 
therefore  to  be  pulled  and  hauled  over  the  obstacle — a  feat 
accomplished  with  much  shouting  and  hullabaloo.  First  our 
long  sharp  prow  rose  in  the  air,  submerging  our  stern,  and 
taking,  of  course,  some  water  on  board  ;  then  the  process  was  re- 
versed, and  we  went  bows  under.  At  last  we  emerged  quite  safely 
and  in  deep  water.  Most  of  the  swarm  of  swimmers  quickly 
scrambled  into  the  boat  and  converted  themselves  into  paddlers, 
while  the  remainder  swam  ashore  and  either  waited  on  the 
bank  for  the  return  of  the  prahu  or  shouldered  their  kajang 
mats  and  cooking-utensils,  and  trudged  off  again  through  the 
swampy  jungle  to  the  little  rest-house  which  we  had  quitted 
a  short  time  before.  In  the  fast-fading  twilight  the  scene 
looked  picturesque  and  characteristic. 

Resuming  our  now  rapid  voyage  down  the  stream,  we  pre- 
sently reached  the  spot  where  our  own  boats  were  waiting  for 
us.  Mabelle  and  I  at  once  took  possession  of  the  cutter,  the 
gentlemen  of  the  steam-launch,  and  all  proceeded,  as  far  as  cir- 
cumstances would  allow,  to  change  our  wet  and  dirty  clothes. 
Then  we  joined  company,  and  as  soon  as  the  prahu  had 
discharged  all  her  passengers  and  cargo  our  little  flotilla 


SAFE   ON  BOARD  AGAIN 


proceeded  in  the  original  order  down  the  river.  On  the  way 
we  enjoyed  a  capital  little  dinner,  commencing  with  small  fish 
about  three  inches  long  speared  by  a  boat-hook,  and  conclud- 
ing with  quite  the  most  delicious  pine  I  ever  tasted,  grown  in 
the  experimental  gardens  of  Silam. 

At  last  we  reached  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  were  once 
more  on  the  bosom  of  the  open  sea.  Bather  an  agitated 
bosom  it  was  too,  just  now,  heaving  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
toss  the  cutter  about  a  good  deal  and  threatening  to  com- 
pletely upset  the  native  boat  with  its  heavy  load.  In  fact,  the 
prahu  behaved  in  the  most  alarming  manner,  absolutely 
refusing  to  steer,  and  turning  broadside  on  to  the  constantly 
increasing  swell.  Our  native  pilot,  too,  in  the  steam-launch, 
did  not  mend  matters  by  steering  a  very  erratic  course,  and 
going  a  good  deal  further  out  to  sea  than  was  necessary.  The 
islands,  however,  soon  afforded  shelter,  and  the  moon  rose 
over  a  scene  of  comparative  calmness  and  repose.  Most  of  us 
took  advantage  of  this  condition  of  things  to  rest  a  little  after 
the  labours  of  the  day,  and  we  found  ourselves  actually  along- 
side the  yacht  before  we  had  any  idea  we  were  near  her.  It 
was  exactly  half  an  hour  after  midnight,  and  Tom  was  de- 
lighted and  greatly  relieved  to  see  us,  having  quite  abandoned 
all  hope  of  our  appearing  until  the  morning,  and  having  con- 
jured up  all  sorts  of  gloomy  forebodings  as  to  the  ill-effect  of 
sleeping  in  mangrove  swamps,  besides  attacks  from  hostile 
natives,  and  other  horrors.  The  three  gentlemen  went  off  in 
our  launch,  towing  the  prahu,  after  receiving  our  warm  thanks 
for  the  great  trouble  which  they  had  taken,  to  which  we  were 
entirely  indebted  for  the  success  of  a  most  interesting  expe- 
dition. With  a  grateful  heart  for  pleasure  enjoyed  and  diffi- 
culties overcome,  I  went  to  bed,  completely  worn  out,  at  the 
end  of  what  may  fairly  be  regarded  as  another  red-letter  day 
of  the  present  cruise. 

Tom  had  been  unable  to  accompany  us  on  our  expedition, 

B  B 


202  BORNEO  PORTS 


considering  it  a  public  duty  to  put  together  the  very  interest- 
ing information  which  had  been  communicated  to  him  by  the 
authorities  charged  with  the  administration  of  affairs  at  the 
numerous  ports  at  which  we  had  touched  on  the  coast  of 
Borneo.  He  wished  to  complete  his  work,  so  that  it  might 
be  read  to  Governor  Treacher  before  being  despatched  to  Eng- 
land. [This  paper  appeared  in  the  '  Nineteenth  Century.'  ] 


CHAPTER   IX. 

CELEBES. 


Friday,  April  i$th. — Although  it  was  nearly 
two  o'clock  before  I  went  to  bed,  I  was  up  before 
seven    this    morning   ready   to   go   ashore  with 
Tom  and  Mabelle  to  say  good-bye  to  our  friends, 
and  to  see   how  Silam  looked   by  daylight.     It 
is  a  neat,  picturesque  little  village  with  most  of  its  wooden 
houses  standing  upon  piles.    Landing  was,  as  usual,  a  difficult 
matter,  for  there  was  nobody  to  hold  the  boat,  and  no  one 
to  help  us.     The  people  in  Darvel  Bay  have  evidently  very 


204  PEARL-SHELLS 


little  curiosity,  for  they  scarcely  turned  their  heads  to  look  at 
us,  though  European  ladies  have  rarely  landed  here  before. 
Near  the  shore,  little  shops,  mostly  kept  by  Chinamen,  are 
established  on  either  side  of  the  pier.  Their  exterior  is  not 
imposing,  but  inside  a  very  fair  display  of  goods  is  to  be 
found. 

The  bay  looked  quite  animated  this  morning,  a  fleet  of 
small  boats  having  arrived  during  the  night,  filled  with  Sulus, 
Eraans,  and  Bugis.  Each  boat  carried  enormous  outriggers 
projecting  on  either  side,  and  had  an  awning  thatched  with 
kajang  mats  ;  while  dried  fish,  arms,  gongs,  cooking-pots,  bags, 
and  odds  and  ends  of  all  kinds  hung  from  the  poles  which 
supported  the  rooting.  A  great  deal  of  barter  was  going  on 
on  shore.  At  the  first  shop  I  went  to  I  saw  one  of  the  bird's- 
nest  collectors  whom  we  had  noticed  yesterday  pitch  down 
a  bundle  of  nests  on  the  floor  without  saying  a  word.  The 
Chinaman  at  once  fetched  some  weights,  weighed  the  nests, 
and  mentioned  the  price  in  one  word.  Three  words  escaped 
the  nest-hunter's  lips,  which  resulted  in  the  production  of 
sundry  bright-coloured  cotton  Manchester  cloths,  some  evi- 
dently modern  kreises  (probably  made  at  Birmingham),  besides 
bird-calls  and  pipes.  In  the  next  shop  were  two  dapper  little 
Sulus  in  Spanish-looking  costumes,  with  dozens  of  pairs  of 
the  golden-edged  pearl-shells,  which  we  had  searched  for  in 
vain  the  night  before  last.  The  bargain  was  not  yet  con- 
cluded, so  that  it  was  useless  for  us  to  try  to  trade.  The  shells, 
being  bought  and  sold  by  weight,  are  handled  rather  roughly ; 
but  it  was  in  vain  that  I  endeavoured  to  persuade  them  by 
signs  not  to  throw  them  about  so  carelessly  at  the  risk  of 
breaking  their  delicate  edges.  I  did  at  last,  however,  succeed 
in  getting  some  good  specimens,  finer  than  any  we  had  yet 
met  with.  In  the  same  shop  were  also  some  Bajans,  or  sea- 
gipsies,  whose  stock-in-trade  consisted  of  a  miscellaneous  col- 
lection, including  dried  trepang,  strings  of  very  uninviting 


FAREWELL    TO  BORNEO  205 

dried  fish,  smaller  pearl-shells,  little  skins  of  animals  and 
birds,  and  rattan  canes  in  the  rough,  but  much  cheaper  and 
better  than  those  to  be  bought  at  Singapore  or  elsewhere.  The 
rattan  is  the  stem  of  a  creeping  prickly  palm,  the  scientific 
name  of  which  is  the  calamus.  The  rotan  sac/a  is  the  ordinary 
rattan  of  commerce,  but  there  are  several  others  of  more  or 
less  value. 

We  walked  up  to  the  bungalow  along  a  grassy  path  with 
kids  and  calves  tethered  on  either  side.  Alas  !  their  mothers 
had  not  yet  returned  from  the  mountains,  so  that  the  promised 
supply  of  fresh  milk  and  butter  to  which  we  had  been  looking 
forward  was  not  forthcoming. 

Our  friends  at  the  bungalow  were  up  and  dressed,  and 
none  the  worse  for  their  fatigues  of  yesterday.  Having  mutu- 
ally congratulated  each  other  on  the  success  of  the  expedition, 
we  heard  how  lucky  we  had  been  in  escaping  the  Borneo 
pest  of  leeches.  It  has  not  been  raining  much  lately,  but  in 
wet  weather  they  are  worse  than  in  Ceylon.  Not  content 
with  attacking  the  passing  traveller  from  the  ground,  they 
drop  down  from  every  branch  or  leaf,  and  generally  the  first 
intimation  of  their  presence  is  the  sight  of  a  thin  stream 
of  blood  oozing  from  their  point  of  attack.  If  an  attempt 
to  pull  them  off  be  made,  their  heads  remain  fixed  in  the  flesh 
and  cause  festering  wrounds.  The  only  way  of  getting  rid  of 
them  is  to  apply  a  little  salt,  a  bag  of  which  is  always  carried 
by  the  natives  when  going  on  an  expedition  into  the  jungle. 
Strong  tobacco-juice  is  another  remedy. 

We  had  now  to  return  to  the  boat,  and  to  re-embark  in  the 
'  Sunbeam,'  leaving  the  curios  which  we  had  purchased  to  be 
sent  home  by  the  earliest  possible  opportunity.  Our  friends 
complimented  us  with  a  salute  of  nineteen  guns ;  to  which  we 
could  make  but  a  feeble  return,  as  our  armament  only  consists 
of  two  brass  guns  for  signal  purposes.  None  the  less  did  \ve 
quit  the  shores  of  North  Borneo  with  grateful  appreciation  of 


206  THE  SHOOTING  EXPEDITION 


its  beauties  and  a  vivid  sense  of  its  countless  undeveloped 
riches  of  every  kind.  Pleasant  reminiscences  of  almost  every- 
thing did  we  carry  away  with  us,  except  of  the  intense  heat, 
which  I  believe  has  been  rather  unusual  this  year,  even  the 
oldest  inhabitant  complaining  nearly  as  much  of  it  as  we  did. 
Just  at  the  last  moment  the  steam-launch  '  Madai '  arrived 
from  Sandakan  for  Mr.  Crocker  and  Mr.  Treacher,  bringing 
letters  and  presents  of  flowers,  as  well  as  things  which  we  had 
accidentally  left  behind.  She  appeared  to  be  a  frail  little  con- 
veyance for  a  voyage  of  so  many  miles  under  such  a  broiling 
sun,  and  a  good  fast  vessel  something  like  the  Rajah's  '  Lorna 
Doone  '  seems  needed  to  maintain  regular  communication  be- 
tween the  various  ports  of  North  Borneo,  Brunei,  Labuan, 
and  Singapore. 

We  got  under  way  at  8.45  A.M.,  and  were  much  relieved 
when,  at  about  ten  o'clock,  the  cutter  was  descried  in  the 
distance,  and  still  more  rejoiced  when  we  picked  her  up  be- 
tween the  isles  of  Timbu  Mata  and  Pulu  Gaya.  Tab  came 
on  board  directly,  looking  very  well,  but  tremendously  sun- 
burnt, as  were  also  his  four  companions ;  but  all  were  in 
great  spirits.  They  brought  with  them  two  deer,  of  which 
the  meat  was  too  high  to  be  used.  It  seemed  that  the  shoot- 
ing party  had  not  been  able  to  reach  the  island  on  the  day 
they  left  us,  for  the  '  Gleam '  draws  a  good  deal  of  water,  and 
the  passage  was  intricate  and  shallow.  They  therefore  slept 
comfortably  in  the  boat,  and  in  the  very  early  morning,  see- 
ing deer  grazing,  they  landed,  ascended  a  hill,  and  shot  two 
of  them.  They  also  saw  a  good  many  pigs,  but  could  not 
get  any.  Soon  afterwards  the  Sulu  chief  and  his  followers, 
whom  we  had  sent  to  look  after  the  sporting  party,  arrived ; 
the  chief  waving  the  letter,  of  which  he  was  the  bearer,  in 
his  hand,  in  order  to  allay  the  apprehensions  which  his  ap- 
pearance might  naturally  arouse.  He  and  his  people  quickly 
spread  themselves  over  the  island,  shouting,  and  waving  white 


WAITING  FOR    THE   YACHT 


207 


flags,  in  complete  disregard  of  all  the  usual  rules  of  civilised 
deer-stalking.  Of  course  no  more  game  could  be  got  that  day, 
for  it  was  impossible  by  signs  to  stop  the  noise.  While  two 
of  our  men  were  out  in  search  of  deer,  they  were  alarmed  by 
the  appearance  of  some  canoes  from  the  mainland,  contain- 
ing thirty  or  forty  natives.  They  proved,  however,  to  be  only 
harmless  fishermen  in  search  of  the  great  tepai  mother-of- 


pearl  shell  and  smaller  black  oyster-shell,  in  which  pearls  are 
found,  and  which  abound  on  the  shores  of  the  island.  The 
night  was  again  passed  on  board  the  cutter,  and  this  morning 
another  unsuccessful  deer-hunt  took  place.  They  found  wait- 
ing in  the  sun  to  be  picked  up  by  us  the  hottest  part  of  the 
entertainment.  The  tea  had  unfortunately  been  left  behind, 
but  they  had  some  very  good  cocoa,  which  supplied  its  place. 
At  9  P.M.  we  rounded  the  north  end  of  Sibuco  Island  and 


2o8  FLOATING  ISLANDS 

passed  through  the  Sibuco  Passage,  entering  the  Celebes  Sea 
at  about  1 1  P.M. 

Saturday,  April  i6th. — A  very  hot  day.  At  noon  we  had 
steamed  235  miles,  and  were  in  lat.  2°  47'  N.,  long.  1 19°  32'  E. 
Busy  settling  down  all  day.  Bather  an  anxious  time  as  re- 
gards navigation.  Tom  spends  most  of  his  time  in  the  fore- 
top.  About  10  P.M.  we  entered  the  Straits  of  Macassar. 

Throughout  the  day  we  had  been  exposed  to  the  danger 
of  collision  with  the  numerous  submerged  logs  and  trunks  of 
trees  carried  down  by  the  river  Koti  and  floating  on  the 
surface  of  the  sea.  The  current  must  be  tremendously  strong 
in  this  river,  which  gives  its  name  to  a  large  tract  of  country  ; 
for  not  only  are  trees  and  logs  washed  down,  but  huge  clumps 
of  Nipa  and  Xebong  palms,  looking  like  (what  they  really  are) 
small  floating  islands,  are  carried  out  to  sea  with  their  numerous 
feathered  inhabitants.  More  than  once  when  a  sail  had  been 
reported  in  the  offing,  it  proved  to  be  one  of  those  masses 
of  vegetation,  the  branches  and  large  fan-shaped  leaves  of 
which  presented  a  deceptive  likeness  to  masts  and  sails.  Those 
which  can  be  seen  are  not  dangerous  ;  it  is  only  the  half-sub- 
merged logs,  almost  invisible,  yet  large  enough  to  sink  a  ship, 
for  which  a  careful  look-out  has  to  be  kept,  both  in  the  rigging 
and  on  the  bows.  In  fact,  we  were  going  slow  and  half-speed 
all  day,  our  course  having  constantly  to  be  changed  to  avoid 
these  obstacles.  Our  arrival  at  Macassar  may  therefore  be 
considerably  delayed. 

Sunday,  April  ijth. — Another  fine  calm  day,  but  intensely 
hot.  We  crossed  the  line  about  7  P.M.,  and  soon  after  eight 
sighted  the  high  land  of  Celebes. 

Monday,  April  iSth. — At  4  P.M.  we  were  off  Cape  Katt ; 
at  8  P.M.  off  Cape  Madai.  At  noon  we  had  come  2 1 1  miles 
under  steam,  and  were  in  lat.  4°  14'  S.,  long.  ii8°43/E.,  being 
eighty-three  miles  from  Macassar.  Only  the  faintest  breath 
of  air  could  be  felt,  and  even  that  soon  died  away.  The  sails 


APPROACH  TO  MACASSAR 


209 


which  had  just  been 
set  had  therefore  to 
be  taken  in  again, 
and  we  proceeded 
as  before  under 
steam.  This  little 
experiment  delayed 
us  somewhat,  but 
gave  everybody  on 
board  some  exer- 
cise. 

Tuesday,    Afml 
igtli. — At    daybreak 
we    found    that   we 
had  drifted  far  to  the 
southward       during 
the    sudden     squalls 
and    constant    shifts 
of  wind  in  the  night. 
The     currents      here- 
abouts are  exceedingly 
strong,  and  the  sound- 
ings taken    early  in   the 
morning    proved    that    we 

were  in  unpleasantly  shallow  water — in  fact,  almost  touch- 
ing what  we  made  out  to  be  the  edge  of  the  Spermonde  (?) 
Archipelago.  Tom  was  at  the  masthead,  endeavouring  to 
pick  up  some  landmark.  At  last  he  was  able  to  distinguish 
the  highest  peak  marked  on  the  chart  to  the  south  of 
Macassar ;  whereupon  he  fearlessly  gave  the  order  to  go 
full  speed  ahead  in  a  NN.E.  direction  between  that  island 
and  Satanga.  This  was  much  pleasanter  than  groping  about 
by  means  of  soundings,  and  it  was  a  great  relief  to  think 
that  we  were  at  last  fairly  on  our  course  for  Macassar.  The 


A    DUTCH  COLONY 


scenery  became  lovely,  and  at   12.15  A.M.  we  reached  our  des- 
tination, and  dropped  anchor  near  the  lighthouse. 

The  approach  to  the  Dutch  town  of  Macassar  is  very  fine, 
and  no  doubt  the  beauty  of  its  situation,  as  well  as  its  con- 
venience as  a  place  of  call  for  ships  of  all  nations,  caused  it 
to  be  selected  as  the  first  European  port  in  the  East  Indies. 
The  roadstead  was  fairly  full  of  shipping,  which  included  a 
gunboat,  one  or  two  steamers,  and  several  large  sailing-ships. 
Pratt  went  ashore  the  instant  the  health-officer  and  harbour- 
master (these  officers  being  combined  in  one  person)  had  left, 
in  order  to  find  out  the  capabilities  of  the  place  ;  for  we  had 
been  unable  to  gather  anything  from  our  first  visitor,  who 
could  not  speak  a  word  of  anything  but  Dutch,  and  contented 
himself  with  handing  in  a  bundle  of  ship's  papers,  printed 
in  every  known  language  under  the  sun,  and  allowing  us 
to  select  therefrom  the  one  which  suited  us.  Pratt  soon 
returned,  reporting,  to  our  joy,  that  there  was  an  ice-making 
machine  ashore,  and  that,  although  it  was  only  a  little 
one,  and  would  take  nearly  thirty-six  hours  to  make  the  re- 
quired quantity,  we  were  promised  a  thousand  pounds  of 
ice  by  7  A.M.  to-morrow,  or  half  as  much  again  by  one 
o'clock.  After  some  deliberation  the  latter  arrangement  was 
agreed  to. 

About  four  o'clock  we  all  landed,  and  under  the  guidance 
of  the  best  interpreter  to  be  found — a  Chinaman  who  could 
speak  nearly  twelve  words  of  English — we  set  off  to  inspect 
the  ancient  Dutch  East  Indian  town.  It  is  the  oldest  Euro- 
pean settlement  in  the  Eastern  Archipelago,  and  has  the 
air  of  respectability  which  belongs  to  old  establishments  of 
every  kind  and  in  every  part  of  the  world.  In  comparing 
Macassar  with  Singapore,  it  must  be  remembered  that  under 
Dutch  administration  the  community  is  left  in  a  much  greater 
degree  to  its  own  resources.  Of  the  results  of  the  two  systems 
of  government,  in  relation  to  the  general  prosperity,  there  is 


:. 


A    COLLECTION  OF  ARMS 


211 


no  room  for  doubt  and  uncertainty.  The  exclusive  policy  of  the 
Dutch,  the  obstacles  opposed  to  commerce,  when  not  carried  on 
under  the  national  flag,  have  produced  a  lethargy  and  stagna- 
tion, with  which  the  marvellous  growth  of  free  and  untram- 
melled trade  at  Singapore  offers  a  striking  contrast.  The 
Dutch  have  but  a. slender  hold  over  the  Celebes.  The  physical 
configuration  of  the  island  is  singularly  straggling.  To  this 
circumstance  it  is  probably  due  that  the  population  is  divided, 
both  in  race  and  language,  into  several  distinct  tribes. 

Outside  Fort  Rotterdam  a  large  level  space  is  reserved 
as  a  public  park.     Its  drives  are  shaded  by  fine  avenues.     In 
the  outskirts  of  Macassar  the  streets  become  lanes,  passing 
through   rich    groves    of    tropical    vegetation.     The    slender 
dwellings  of  the  native  population,  formed  of  matting  stretched 
on  a  light  framework  of  bamboo,  are  seen  peering  out  from 
underneath  the  over- 
hanging    canopy     of 
dense  foliage. 

Having  called  on 
the  Governor,  we 
drove  to  the  Hotel 
Macassar,  where,  with 
the  assistance  of  the 
captain  of  a  Nor- 
wegian ship,  dinner 
got  itself  ordered. 
After  taking  this  pre- 
caution we  drove  out 
into  the  country,  or 
rather  the  suburbs,  to 
look  at  a  large  col- 
lection of  native  arms, 

from  this  and  the  surrounding  islands.      We  were  specially 
interested   in   the  narrow  Dyak  shields  and  the  wider  ones 

c  c 


212 


A  DRIVE  ROUND 


which  come  from  further  north,  as  well  as  in  the  masks,  skulls, 
and  war-cloaks  from  Bali,  Lombook,  and  Sumbawa,  the 
musical  instruments  and  weapons  peculiar  to  Celebes,  and  the 

spears  and  kreises  from  all 
parts.  So  badly  arranged  were 
they,  however,  and  kept  in  such 
a  dark  outhouse,  that  it  was 
impossible  to  appreciate  their 
value  properly.  After  inviting 
the  owner — a  superintendent  of 
police — and  his  family  to  visit 
the  yacht,  we  continued  our 
drive  among  pretty  villas  and 
bungalows,  surrounded  by  the 
usual  tropical  fence,  with  gor- 
geous flowers  and  fruits  inside 
it,  until  we  came  to  a  wealthy 
Chinaman's  house  and  garden. 
The  house  was  full  of  quaint  con- 
ceits, and  in  the  garden  was  a 
very  pretty  artificial  pond  sur- 
rounded by  splendid  ferns  and 
palms,  looking  something  like  a 
natural  lake  in  the  midst  of  a 

tropic  jungle.  Then  we  drove  on,  through  more  valleys  and 
past  more  gardens,  to  the  Government  coal-stores,  which  Tom 
inspected  with  interest,  and  which,  he  was  told,  contained 
at  that  moment  5,000  tons  of  coal.  Afterwards,  some  of  the 
party  went  on  board  the  Dutch  gunboat  '  Bromo,'  which  acts 
as  guard-ship,  and  is  now  coaling  alongside. 

The  Netherlands  Company's  steamship  the  '  Bajara '  sails 
to-morrow  at  4  A.M.,  and  the  mail  closes  at  six  o'clock  to-night ; 
so  it  was  necessary  to  hurry  back  on  board  in  order  to  get  our 
letters  and  journals  ready  in  time,  though  we  had  luckily  fore- 


SHOPPING  AT  MACASSAR 


213 


seen  this  emergency.  The  dinner  was  very  good,  and  was 
served  in  a  nice  cool  airy  room  at  the  hotel,  landlady,  waiters, 
and  all  being  extremely  civil,  though  we  could  scarcely  exchange 
a  single  word  with  any  of  them. 

Wednesday,  A2»'il  2Oth. — Went  ashore  at  7.30  with  Tom, 
Mabelle,  Baby  and  Mr.  Pritchett.  The  latter  goes  home  to-day 
in  the  '  Bajara.'  The  morning  was  fairly  cool.  Mabelle  and  I 
went  to  one  or  two  shops  and  tried  to  make  some  purchases ; 
but,  between  our  ignorance  of  the  language  and  our  poverty 
in  the  current  coins  of  the  country,  we  did  not  meet  with 
much  success.  While  we  wrere  at  one  shop,  a  very  smart  lady 
drove  up  in  a  neatly  turned-out  victoria  and  pair.  She  was 
dressed  exactly  like  all  the  natives,  except  that  the  materials 
of  her  costume  were  better.  A  sarong,  worked  in  a  peculiar 
native  way  with  wax,  was  wound  round  her  waist,  and  a 
snowy  white  close-fitting  linen 
jacket  trimmed  with  lace  and  in- 
sertion formed  the  rest  of  her  cos- 
tume. Her  hair  was  neatly  fastened 
up  with  a  comb,  but  her  feet  were 
bare,  except  for  prettily  embroidered 
slippers. 

After  breakfast  most  of  the  party 
went  off  on  various  shopping  expe- 
ditions, for  it  will  be  Muriel's  birth- 
day to-morrow,  and  we  are  all  pro- 
viding suitable  offerings  for  the  oc- 
casion. Mabelle  and  Mr.  Pemberton 
also  went  to  the  police-officer's  resi- 
dence to  try  and  bargain  for  some 
of  the  arms  which  we  had  seen  last 

night.  There  were  eight  or  ten  weapons  which  I  should  dearly 
like  to  possess.  However,  it  proved  to  be  hopeless  to  attempt 
to  drive  a  bargain,  for  the  collection  could  not  be  broken  up, 


214  BIRDS  OF  PARADISE 

and  I  did  not  care  to  give  the  price  asked  for  the  lot.  The 
owner  presented  me,  however,  with  a  magnificent  Gordonia 
rubra,  which  I  regarded  as  a  great  acquisition,  having  long 
searched  vainly  for  this  very  plant.  It  is  a  specially  perfect 
specimen,  with  beautiful  feathery  tips.  After  great  trouble 
Mr.  Peniberton  also  succeeded  hi  buying  for  me  a  few  spears, 
kreises,  and  baskets  from  Celebes,  Sumbawa,  and  Bali,  together 
with  some  so-called  tortoiseshells  (really  turtle-shells)  of  a 
larger  size  than  any  that  we  had  seen  before.  Still  more 
pleased  was  I  to  get  ten  skins  of  the  exquisite  birds-of -paradise 
which  Wallace  so  well  describes.  He  considered  himself  amply 
repaid  for  toil  and  hardship  by  the  discovery  of  their  previously 
unknown  splendour,  which  one  can  quite  imagine,  even  in 
their  dried  and  imperfectly  prepared  state.  I  have  seen  them 
alive  at  Singapore  in  an  aviary,  and  they  are  indeed  gorgeous. 

Meanwhile  Tom  and  I  had  returned  to  the  yacht,  where  we 
were  endeavouring  to  hasten  such  necessary  preparations  as 
coaling,  watering,  and  provisioning.  I  vainly  tried  to  get  a 
little  rest,  notwithstanding  a  stream  of  visitors,  including  the 
Governor,  Commandant,  and  many  others.  We  all  lunched 
ashore,  and  found  most  of  the  officers  messing  at  the  hotel, 
but  at  a  separate  table. 

After  further  trouble  in  money-changing  wre  went  on  board 
the  yacht  again,  to  find  that  the  plentiful  wrashing  of  decks,  so 
necessary  after  coaling,  was  in  full  force,  as  well  as  the  general 
air  of  confusion  always  prevailing  before  setting  off  on  a 
long  voyage.  There  being  no  chance  of  a  start  at  present, 
Mr.  Pemberton  kindly  went  off  to  try  to  get  back  a  cheque 
which  Tom  had  given  for  the  tortoiseshells  and  birds-of- 
paradise  already  paid  for  by  me  on  shore.  Pratt  reported 
that  he  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  getting  his  stores  off  in- 
tact ;  for  as  fast  as  he  had  bought  a  thing  and  paid  for  it,  the 
object  or  objects — as  in  the  case  of  twenty-four  chickens — 
suddenly  disappeared  into  the  recesses  of  the  market  again, 


A   FALSE  START  215 


and  had  to  be  hunted  up  with  great  difficulty  and  many 
excuses  and  subterfuges  on  the  part  of  the  sellers.  The  poor 
man  with  the  cheque  soon  came  on  board,  looking  very 
frightened,  and  bringing  a  peace-offering  of  large  green 
lemons  and  a  bunch  of  the  finest  gardenias  I  had  ever  seen, 
the  blossoms  being  eighteen  inches  round. 

Just  before  dark  we  got  under  way.  After  our  long  pas- 
sage under  steam  everybody  pulled  at  the  ropes — Tom,  children, 
and  all — as  if  they  had  never  seen  sails  set  before  ;  the  men 
working  with  a  will,  and  shouting  their  loudest  and  merriest 
songs.  All  sounded  most  cheery  ;  but  the  wind  was  unsteady, 
and  the  result  was  that  the  sails,  which  had  been  sent  up 
with  the  fervent  hope  that  they  might  remain  set  for  the 
next  six  weeks,  had  to  be  lowered  abruptly  in  as  many  minutes, 
and  the  anchor  hastily  dropped,  to  avoid  a  Dutch  brig  moored 
close  to  us,  into  which  we  were  rapidly  drifting  in  consequence 
of  a  sudden  shift  in  the  wind.  The  poor  brig  having  already 
been  in  collision,  and  having  lost  her  bowsprit  and  foretopmast, 
it  would  indeed  have  been  hard  to  damage  her  again,  though 
I  expect  we  should  have  got  the  worst  of  it,  for  she  was  of  a 
good  old-fashioned  bluff  build.  It  was  annoying  to  fail  in 
getting  under  way  under  sail,  and  still  more  so  to  have  to 
wait  two  hours  while  steam  was  being  got  up.  At  8.30  P.M. 
we  started  again,  more  successfully  this  time,  and  proceeded 
quietly  through  the  night. 

Thursday,  April  2ist. — Muriel's  birthday.  Ceased  steam- 
ing at  6  A.M.  A  heavy  roll  throughout  the  day,  with  occa- 
sional strong  squalls.  All  suffering  more  or  less  from  the 
motion.  At  noon  we  had  steamed  sixty-three  miles  and 
sailed  twenty-one.  In  the  afternoon  the  weather  improved. 
At  7  P.M.  the  ship  was  put  before  the  wind  in  order  to  let 
Neptune  come  on  board,  after  which  the  ceremony  of  crossing 
the  line  was  carried  out  with  due  solemnity  and  with  great 
success.  The  costumes  were  capital,  the  procession  well 


216 


CROSSING    THE  LINE 


managed,  and  the  speeches  amusing.  Muriel  was  de- 
lighted with  an  offering  of  shells,  and  Neptune  finally  took 
his  departure  amid  a  shower  of  one  rocket  (we  could  not 
afford  more  for  fear  of  accident)  and  a  royal  salute  of  eight 
rifles.  We  could  watch  the  flames  of  the  tar-barrel  in  which 
Neptune  was  supposed  to  have  embarked,  as  it  rose  and  fell 


I  I'    ••III 


Fishing   Boat — Alias    Strait 


on  the  crests  of  the  waves  for  many  miles  astern,  looking  like 
a  small  phantom  ship. 

Friday,  April  22nd. — Bad  night ;  heavy  squalls  through- 
out the  day.  Made  and  rounded  the  Paternoster  at  8  A.M. 
Much  cooler  on  deck ;  no  apparent  difference  below. 

At  noon  we  had  come  1 74  miles  under  sail,  and  were  in 
lat.  7°  56'  S.,  long.  1 16°  56'  E.  In  the  afternoon  we  made  the 
entrance  to  the  Alias  Strait. 


ALLAS  STRAIT  217 


The  Strait  of  Alias  is  one  of  several  navigable  channels  by 
which  ships  can  pass  from  the  confined  waters  of  the  Eastern 
Archipelago  into  the  Indian  Ocean.  It  divides  the  island  of 
Sumba\va,  famous  for  possessing  the  most  active  volcano  in 
the  world,  from  the  island  of  Lombok.  At  the  eastern  end  of 
Lonibok,  a  magnificent  peak  rises  to  a  height  of  12,000  feet, 
and  overshadows  the  narrow  channel  beneath  with  its  impos- 
ing mass.  The  effects  of  scenery  were  enhanced  by  a  sharp 
squall,  which  drove  us  into  the  strait  at  a  thrilling  speed, 
under  half-lowered  canvas.  When  the  squall  cleared  away 
the  peak  of  Lombok  stood  forth  clear  of  cloud,  in  all  its  ma- 
jesty and  grandeur,  backed  by  the  glorious  colours  of  the 
evening  sky.  During  the  hour  of  twilight  a  massive  cloud 
rested  motionless  in  the  sky  immediately  above  the  peak. 
Beneath  this  lofty  and  imposing  canopy,  and  seen  more  dimly 
in  the  fading  light,  this  solitary  mountain  presented  by  turns 
every  feature  that  is  sublime  and  beautiful  in  landscape. 

Saturday,  April  2^rd. — To-day  proved  lovely  after  the  rain, 
but  there  was  very  little  wind.  At  noon  we  had  come  66  miles 
under  steam,  and  62  miles  under  sail.  I  have  felt  wretchedly 
ill  for  the  last  few  days,  and  seem  to  have  lost  both  sleep  and 
appetite.  The  motion,  I  have  no  doubt,  has  something  to  do 
with  my  indisposition,  for  we  are  going  close-hauled  to  a  wind 
from  one  quarter,  and  there  is  a  heavy  swell  on  the  other, 
so  that  we  roll  and  tumble  about  a  great  deal  without  making 
much  progress.  Every  scrap  of  the  Macassar  ice  has  melted 
in  these  three  days,  instead  of  lasting  three  weeks,  as  did 
the  ice  from  Singapore.  This  is  a  terrible  blow,  though  \ve 
are  consoled  by  the  thought  that  the  weather  will  be  getting 
cooler  every  day  nowT,  and  that  wre  shall  therefore  want  it  less. 
Unless  exceptionally  fortunate  in  making  a  quick  passage,  I 
fear,  however,  that  we  shall  run  short  of  provisions  before 
reaching  our  first  Australian  port,  Macassar  having  proved  a 
miserable  place  at  which  to  take  in  stores. 


A   MARINE  PHENOMENON 


Our 
Wiudbob 


At  4.30 
P.M.     we 
found  our- 
selves sud- 
denly, with- 
out any  warn- 
ing, in  a  curiously 
disturbed  stretch  of  sea.     It  was 
like  a  tidal  wave,  or  a  race  off  a 
headland,  except  that  there  was 
no   tide   and  no   cape,  and  we 
were  many  miles  from  land.     I 
immediately  thought  of  Wallace 
and  the  volcanic  waves  which  he 
alludes  to,  especially  when  I 
observed  that  the  water  was 
covered  with  greenish  yel- 
low objects,  which  at  a  first 
hasty  glance  I  took  for  spawn 
of  some  kind.     We  soon  had 
buckets  and  nets  over  the  side, 
and    fished    up   some    of   the 
floating  particles,  which  proved 
to     be     bits     of     pumice-stone, 
rounded  by  the  action  of  the  waves, 
and  covered  with  barnacles  from  the 
size   of   a   pin's   head   upwards.     So 
thickly  were  they  encrusted  that  it  was 
almost  impossible  to  recognise  the  origi- 
nal substance  at  all.    The  barnacles,  with 
their  long  cirri  projecting  and  retracting 
quickly  in  search  of  food,  gave  the  whole 
mass  an  appearance  of  life  and  motion 
very  curious  when  closely  observed  in  a 


FATE   OF  THE  LARK  219 

basin.  There  were  sea-anemones  among  them,  and  one  little 
bit  of  stick,  of  which  a  long  black  snake  or  worm  had  scooped 
out  the  interior  and  thus  made  itself  a  home.  Saribowa,  said 
to  be  one  of  the  most  active  volcanoes,  is  not  far  distant  from 
the  spot  where  we  picked  up  the  pumice-stone. 

It  is  a  lovely,  clear,  starlight  night,  with  no  black  clouds 
to  threaten  coming  squalls  of  wind  or  rain.  The  breeze, 
though  not  so  fair  as  we  could  wish,  is  at  any  rate  cool  and 
refreshing,  and  the  reduced  temperature  is  felt  as  a  great  relief 
to  all  on  board.  Even  the  poor  carpenter,  who  has  been  ill 
for  some  time  past,  is  beginning  to  look  better,  though  his  eyes 
are  still  very  painful.  I  am  sorry  for  him,  poor  man,  and  for 
ourselves  too,  for  his  services  are  wanted  at  every  turn  just 
now.  We  are  making  all  ready  for  the  bad  weather,  which  we 
may  fairly  expect  to  meet  with  when  once  in  mid-ocean.  All 
the  big  boats  have  been  got  in-board  to-day,  chairs  have  been 
stowed  below,  the  top  of  the  deck-house  cleared  of  lumber  and 
live-stock,  cracked  panes  of  glass  replaced,  battening-down 
boards  looked  out,  new  ropes  rove,  and  all  preparations  made 
for  real  hard  sea  work.  How  I  wish  we  were  going  down 
the  east  coast  of  Australia,  inside  the  barrier-reef,  instead  of 
down  the  stormy  west  coast  !  I  dread  this  voyage  somehow, 
and  begin  even  to  dislike  sailing.  Perhaps  my  depression  is 
partly  caused  by  that  stupid  boy  Buzzo  having  allowed  my 
favourite  lark,  which  I  had  brought  from  Hyderabad,  to  escape 
to-day.  He  sang  much  more  sweetly  and  softly  than  most  larks, 
and  was  a  dear  little  bird,  almost  as  tame  as  my  pet  bullfinch. 
Now  he  must  meet  with  a  watery  grave,  for  he  was  too  far 
from  land  when  he  flew  off  to  reach  it. 

Sunday,  April  2^th. — Weather  still  calm,  fine,  and  hot, 
but  no  wind.  Our  little  stock  of  coal  is  running  very  low, 
for  we  have  been  obliged  to  get  up  steam  again.  At  1 1.30  we 
had  the  Litany,  at  which  I  was  able  to  be  present,  on  deck. 
At  noon  we  had  steamed  127  miles,  and  were  in  lat.  11°  25' 

D  D 


22O 


A'ECESSAR  Y  PR  EC  A  UTIONS 


S.,  long.  1 1 6°  39'  E.  Tom  is  getting  much  better  again,  but  is 
rather  anxious  at  not  having  picked  up  the  Trades  so  soon  as 
he  had  expected.  He  now  much  regrets  not  having  taken 
more  coal  and  provisions  on  board,  as  he  fears  that  the 
voyage  may  be  unduly  prolonged.  We  had  quite  a  serious 
consultation  to-day  with  the  head-steward  on  the  subject  of 
ways  and  means,  for  the  strictest  economy  must  be"  practised 
as  to  food  and  water,  and  the  most  must  be  made  of  our  coal. 
Oh  for  another  twenty-five  tons  in  reserve  ! 

You  may  imagine  what  the  heat  has  been  during  the  last 
few  weeks,  when,  with  the  thermometer  standing  at  80°  to-day, 


GETTING   COOLER  221 


people  found  it  so  chilly  that  they  could  not  even  wait  until 
to-morrow  to  get  out  their  warm  clothes  ! 

Monday,  April  2$th. — Fine  and  hot,  with,  alas!  no  wind. 
Ceased  steaming  for  a  brief  space,  but,  as  we  made  no  pro- 
gress, resumed  after  twenty  minutes'  pause.  At  noon  we  had 
come  only  eight  miles  under  sail  and  1 5  8  under  steam,  and 
were  in  lat.  13°  58'  S.,  and  long.  1 14°  52'  E.  The  afternoon 
was  showery,  and  hopes  were  entertained  of  a  change  of  wind. 
A  little  breeze — a  very  little  one — came  out  of  the  squalls,  and 
we  ceased  steaming  about  six  o'clock. 

Tuesday,  April  26tli. — A  breeze  sprang  up  in  the  course  of 
the  night,  and  we  ceased  steaming  at  8  A.M.  In  the  shade, 
and  in  a  draught,  the  thermometer  stood  at  77°.  Everybody 
was — or  at  least  many  were — crying  out  for  blankets  and 
warmer  clothing.  The  breeze  increased  almost  to  a  gale,  and 
we  were  close-hauled,  with  a  heavy  swell,  which  made  us  all 
very  uncomfortable. 

Wednesday,  April  2/ftJi. — At  4  A.M.  went  011  deck  with  Tom. 
Weather  much  finer  and  wind  fairer.  We  must  hope  that 
yesterday's  curious  little  moon  may  have  changed  our  luck. 
All  day  it  continued  finer,  and  in  the  afternoon  the  wind 
freshened,  and  shifted  a  point  or  two  for  the  better,  sending 
us  along  at  higher  speed  and  right  on  our  course ;  so  that  we 
must  not  grumble,  though  the  motion  was  still  most  unpleasant. 

Thursday,  April  28t1i. — I  have  been  suffering  much  from 
neuralgia,  and  last  night  could  not  sleep  at  all,  so  that  although 
this  was  really  a  lovely  day  I  was  unable  to  enjoy  its  pleasant 
beauty.  At  noon  we  had  come  148  miles  under  sail,  and  were 
in  lat.  1 8°  36'  S.,  long.  109°  26'  E.  There  was  no  variation  in 
the  compass  to-day,  this  being  one  of  the  spots  in  the  world 
where  a  similar  state  of  things  is  observable. 

At  5.30  P.M.  we  had  the  third  nautical  entertainment  of 
the  present  voyage,  which  was  quite  as  varied  and  successful  as 
usual.  Mr.  Pemberton's  recitation  from  Tennyson,  and  Tab's 


A   NAUTICAL  ENTERTAINMENT 


humorous  account  of  Father  Neptune's  visit  to  the '  Sunbeam,' 
were  the  novelties  on  this  occasion.  There  were  also  some 
excellent  songs  by  the  crew,  a  pretty  ballad  by  Muriel,  and  a 
reading  by  Tom ;  Mabelle  being  as  usual  the  backbone  and 
leader  of  the  whole  affair.  I  managed  to  sit  through  it,  though 
in  great  pain,  but  was  obliged  to  go  to  bed  directly  after. 

Friday,  April  2gth. — The  weather  is  now  really  lovely. 
Painting  and  varnishing  are  still  the  order  of  the  day.  At 
noon  we  had  sailed  143  miles,  and  were  in  lat.  20°  40'  S., 
long.  107°  52'  E.  Again  there  was  practically  no  variation  in 
the  compass,  and  if  we  only  go  far  enough  we  shall  soon  have 
an  extra  day  in  one  of  our  weeks  ! 

Saturday,  April  $oth. — After  a  very  bad  night,  during  which 
I  suffered  agonies  from  neuralgia,  I  woke  feeling  somewhat 
better.  We  are  now  bowling  along  before  a  brisk  trade-wind, 
which  produces  a  certain  amount  of  motion,  though  the  vessel 
is  fairly  steady  on  the  whole.  At  noon  we  had  sailed  162 
miles,  and  were  in  lat.  22°  32'  S.,  long.  105°  53'  E.  The  wind 
freshened  in  the  afternoon  as  usual,  but  died  away  slightly 
during  the  night,  which  was  beautifully  clear  and  starlit. 
Everybody  is  full  of  spirits,  and  I  hear  cheery  voices  on 
deck  with  the  least  little  bit  of  envy,  I  fear,  as  I  lie  in  my  bed 
below. 

Sunday,  May  1st. — The  merry  month  of  May  does  not 
commence  very  auspiciously,  with  a  dirty  grey  sky,  a  still 
dirtier  grey  sea  flopping  up  on  our  weather  bow,  and  half  a 
gale  blowing.  Fortunately  it  is  from  the  right  direction,  and 
\ve  make  good  progress. 

I  was  able  to  attend  the  Litany  at  11.30,  and  evening 
service  at  4.  At  noon  we  had  sailed  1 5  3  miles,  and  were  in 
lat.  24°  39'  S.,  long.  104°  14'  E.,  and  were  fairly  out  of  the 
tropics.  In  fact,  everybody  is  now  grumbling  at  the  cold,  and 
all  the  animals  and  birds  look  miserable,  although  the  ther- 
mometer still  stands  at  69°  in  the  shade.  Perhaps  the  fresh 


WHALE   OR  SHARK 


223 


breeze  makes 
us     so     chilly, 
hough    it    does 
not  affect  the  thermo- 
meter. 

Monday,  May  2nd. 
— The     weather      is 
finer,  though  it  still 
keeps  squally;  but 
the  wind  is  baf- 
fling, and  we 
were    sail- 
ing a  good 
deal  out   of 
our       course 
during         the 
night.     At  noon 
we    were    in     lat. 
26°  44'  S.,  long.  103° 
50'  E.     I  managed  to 
go  to  the  deck-house  to- 
day for  lunch,  and  remained 
on  deck  a  little  afterwards. 
Just  before  sunset  we  saw 

several  sea-birds,  and  a  splendid  albatross  with  a  magnificent 
spread  of  wing.  It  was  wonderful  to  watch  its  quick  turns 
and  graceful  skimming  flight,  so  swift,  and  yet  with  hardly 
any  perceptible  movement. 

Tuesday,  May  ^rd. — A  fine  day,  very  smooth,  almost  calm. 
Carried  away  the  strop  of  the  mizen-topsail-sheet  block  and 
rove  new  sheets.  At  noon  we  had  sailed  140  miles,  and  were 
in  lat.  28°  54'  S.,  long.  103°  i2'E. 

At  2.30  a  large  fish  was  observed  close  to  the  vessel.  He 
was  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  long,  and  must  have  been  either 


Topmast    Stunsails 


224  THE  'LIGURIA' 


a  white  whale  or  a  shark  swimming  on  his  back,  and  so  snowy 
white  as  to  make  the  sea,  which  was  of  a  beautiful  clear  ultra- 
marine blue,  look  pale  green  above  him,  like  water  over  a 
coral  reef.  The  creature  did  not  rise  above  the  surface,  so 
we  had  not  a  good  view  of  him,  and  he  gave  no  sign  of  a 
disposition  to  '  blow,'  though  we  watched  him  for  more  than 
half  an  hour.  This  makes  me  think  that  he  must  have  been 
a  shark,  and  not  a  whale,  as  the  others  assumed. 

At  4  P.M.  the  fires  were  lighted  in  order  to  enable  us  to  get 
within  the  influence  of  the  true  west  wind,  for  we  had  reached 
the  edge  of  the  trades.  About  6  P.M.  we  commenced  steaming. 

Wednesday,  May  ^tli. — A  fine  day,  with  a  moderate  sea 
and  a  little  imaginary  breeze.  At  noon  we  had  come  eighty- 
six  miles  under  steam  and  forty  under  sail,  and  were  in  lat. 
30°  24'  S.,  long.  124°  26'  E.  The  temperature  at  noon  in  the 
shade  was  65°,  which  we  found  very  cold. 

At  4  P.M.  we  saw  a  steamer  hull  down.  In  about  an  hour 
we  had  approached  each  other  sufficiently  close  to  enable  us 
to  ascertain  that  she  was  the  '  Liguria,'  one  of  the  Orient  Line, 
bound  for  Adelaide.  We  exchanged  a  little  conversation  with 
signal  flags,  and,  having  mutually  wished  each  other  a  pleasant 
voyage,  parted  company.  This  was  the  first  ship  seen  since 
leaving  Macassar.  -The  evening  bitterly  cold. 

We  have  just  seen  a  splendid  lunar  rainbow,  and  I  suspect 
it  forebodes  a  good  deal  more  wind  than  we  have  lately  had.  It 
was  perfect  in  shape,  and  the  brilliant  prismatic  colours  were 
most  distinctly  marked.  I  never  saw  such  a  rainbow,  except 
as  the  precursor  of  a  circular  storm.  I  only  hope  that,  should 
we  encounter  such  a  gale  now,  we  may  get  into  the  right  corner 
of  it,  and  that  it  will  be  travelling  in  the  right  direction.  I 
wish  it  would  come  in  time  to  run  up  our  weekly  average  to  a 
thousand  miles  by  mid-day. 

Thursday,  May  $th. — At  5  A.M.  I  was  awakened  by  being 
nearly  washed  out  of  bed  on  one  side  and  by  a  deluge  of  water 


A    SQUALL 


225 


coming  into  the  cabin  on  the  other.  A  squall  had  struck  us, 
and  we  were  tearing  along  with  the  lee  rail  under  water,  the 
rain  meanwhile  pouring  dowrn  in  torrents.  The  squall  soon 
passed  over,  but  there  was  every  appearance  of  the  wind  in- 


E fleet   of   a    Squall 


creasing,  though  the  barometer  still  stood  high.  Squall  fol- 
lowed squall  in  quick  succession,  the  wind  increasing  in  force, 
and  the  sea  rapidly  rising.  It  soon  became  plain  that  we  were 
in  for  a  gale  of  some  kind,  and  a  very  little  later  it  became 


226  THE  STORM  PASSES 

equally  evident  that,  in  accordance  with  the  law  of  storms, 
we  must  be  in  the  north-west  quadrant  of  a  circular  storm, 
the  centre  of  the  disturbance  being  somewhere  to  the  south- 
east. Sails  were  furled,  others  were  reefed,  and  all  was  made 
fairly  snug. 

At  noon  we  had  run  1 36  miles  to  the  north-east  since  the 
early  morning,  but  we  had  not  quite  reached  our  estimated 
weekly  average  of  a  thousand  miles.  At  noon  we  were  in 
lat.  31°  29'  S.,  long.  105°  48'  E.,  with  Cape  Entrecasteaux 
546  miles  distant.  The  barometer  stood  at  30-10,  and  the 
temperature  fell  to  60°. 

Several  times  during  the  morning  the  lee  cutter  had  been 
in  imminent  danger  of  being  lifted  right  out  of  the  davits  and 
carried  away.  About  two  o'clock  the  topmasts  were  struck  ; 
an  hour  later  the  skylights  were  covered  over  with  tarpaulin, 
and  a  good  deal  of  battening  down  took  place  on  deck.  Be- 
low, the  stewards  were  employed  in  tautening  up  things 
which  had  been  allowed  to  get  rather  slack  during  the  long 
spell  of  smooth  weather  which  we  have  had  of  late,  nothing 
like  a  storm  having  been  encountered  for  weeks,  or  indeed 
months. 

Before  dusk  the  lee  cutter  was  got  in-board,  more  reefs 
were  taken  in,  air  was  made  snug  on  deck,  and  I  might  say 
stuffy  below.  Shortly  after  this  was  accomplished  we  sailed 
out  of  the  influence  of  the  storm,  the  centre  travelling 
quickly  away  to  the  south-east  of  us.  Thereupon  we  shook 
out  one  or  two  reefs  and  set  a  mizen  trysail  to  prevent  the 
fine  weather  lops  coming  on  board ;  for  the  sea  was  begin- 
ning to  go  faster  than  the  wind,  and  one  or  two  big  beads  of 
spray  found  their  way  on  deck,  one  of  which,  much  to  their 
amusement,  drenched  the  children  completely.  The  glass 
continued  to  rise,  and  the  weather  improved  throughout  the 
night. 

Friday,  May  6tJi. — I  was  indeed  delighted  when,  at  dawn, 


ERRATIC  CHRONOMETERS  227 


it  was  thought  safe  to  let  us  have  a  little  light  and  air  down 
below.  Soon  the  sun  rose,  and  all  became  bright  and  beautiful 
once  more,  though  the  air  felt  extremely  chilly.  We  were  now 
well  on  our  course,  but  sailing  pretty  close  to  the  wind,  and 
therefore  only  doing  about  five  or  six  knots.  Continual 
squalls  struck  us  throughout  the  day,  and  the  sea  was  very 
lumpy  from  the  effects  of  yesterday's  gale,  though  the  wind 
had  almost  completely  subsided.  What  there  was  of  it  gradu- 
ally headed  us  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon,  which  did  not 
tend  to  make  things  more  comfortable ;  though  the  children 
at  any  rate  did  not  seem  to  mind  it,  for  they  have  entirely 
got  over  their  slight  sea-sickness.  At  noon  we  had  sailed 
138  miles,  and  were  in  lat.  32°  28'  N.,  long.  108°  6'  E.  ;  the 
barometer  stood  at  30- 1  o,  and  the  temperature  was  still  60°. 

Sunday,  May  8th. — Woke  early,  only  to  hear  that  the 
wind  had  changed ;  but  it  proved  a  lovely  morning,  though 
the  sky  was  covered  with  fleeting  clouds,  which  made  it  diffi- 
cult for  the  navigators  to  get  the  sun.  We  had  the  Litany 
at  11.30,  and  at  noon  were  in  lat.  34°  47'  S.,  long.  113°  54' 
E.,  having  run  201  miles.  The  temperature  had  risen  to  63°, 
and  the  barometer  stood  at  30-19. 

Tom  has  been  deeply  immersed  in  calculations  all  this 
afternoon,  the  best  of  the  three  chronometers  on  board,  by 
Dent,  having  behaved  in  a  very  erratic  manner  since  we  got 
into  a  cooler  temperature.  On  the  other  hand,  the  chrono- 
meter of  Brockbank  &  Atkins,  which  has  hitherto  been  re- 
garded as  not  quite  so  reliable,  is  making  up  for  past  short- 
comings by  a  spell  of  good  conduct.  Under  these  circumstances, 
it  is  difficult  to  know  which  to  depend  upon,  and  Tom  is  con- 
sequently somewhat  anxious  about  his  landfall.  The  weather 
has  been  so  squally  and  overcast  that  no  really  good  sights 
have  been  obtained  all  day. 

At  noon  we  had  only  come  194  miles  by  dead-reckoning. 
Observation  proved  that  we  had  been  helped  onwards  by  a 

E  E 


NEARING  LAND 


favouring  current,  and  had  really  come  201  miles.  We  had 
evening  service  at  4.30  P.M.  During  the  afternoon  we  saw 
many  more  sea-birds,  and  several  albatrosses.  It  was  a  fine 
evening,  the  wind  having  dropped  rather  light.  In  the  middle 
watch,  however,  it  became  squally. 


WESTERN  AUSTRALIA 


Monday,  May  gtli. — At  3  A.M.  carried  away  the  clew  of 
the  mainsail,  and  at  7  A.M.  set  more  sail.  At  10  A.M.  we 
made  West  Cape  Howe,  Western  Australia,  our  first  land  since 
leaving  the  Alias  Strait.  It  was  with  great  joy  and  relief,  as 
well  as  with,  I  think,  pardonable  pride  in  Tom's  skill  as  a 
navigator,  that  I  went  on  deck  to  see  these  rock-bound  shores. 
It  was  certainly  a  good  landfall,  especially  considering  the 


230  A    GOOD  LANDFALL 

difficulties  which  we  had  met  with  on  account  of  the  chrono- 
meters. The  instrument  which  for  years  has  been  considered 
the  most  trustworthy  suddenly  changed  its  rate,  and  has  been 
losing  three  seconds  in  the  twenty-four  hours.  The  navi- 
gators have  been  taking  great  pains.  Observations  have  been 
frequent.  Fifteen  sights  were  taken  daily,  in  three  sets  of  five 
at  three  different  periods. 

Tom's  estimated  average  run  of  1,000  knots  per  week 
under  sail  has  come  out  pretty  well,  and  my  own  daily  esti- 
mates of  the  run  have  been  also  surprisingly  near  the  mark. 
In  fact,  Tom  thinks  them  rather  wonderful,  considering  that 
they  have  been  arrived  at  simply  by  watching  and  thinking 
of  the  vessel's  ways  all  day  and  part  of  the  night,  and  often 
without  asking  any  questions. 

At  1 1  A.M.  we  lowered  the  mainsail  and  raised  the  funnel. 
At  noon  we  had  run  1 90  miles,  and  were  half  a  mile  to  the 
northward  of  Eclipse  Island,  the  barometer  standing  at 
30-19,  and  the  thermometer  at  59°.  At  one  o'clock  we  passed 
inside  Vancouver's  Ledge.  The  coast  seemed  fine  and  bold,  the 
granite  rocks  looking  like  snow  on  the  summit  of  the  cliffs, 
at  the  foot  of  which  the  fleecy  rollers  were  breaking  in  a 
fringe  of  pale  green  sea,  whilst  on  the  other  side  the  water 
remained  of  a  magnificent  deep  ultramarine  colour. 

About  two  o'clock  we  rounded  Bald  Head,  soon  after  which 
the  harbourmaster  of  King  George  Sound  and  a  pilot  came  on 
board,  and  were  the  first  to  welcome  us  to  Western  Australia. 
Over  the  lowland  on  one  side  we  could  see  a  P.  &  0.  steamer, 
with  the  Blue  Peter  flying.  Accordingly  we  sealed  up  all  our 
mails  and  hurried  them  off,  having  previously  hoisted  the 
signal  to  ask  if  they  could  be  received.  By  four  o'clock  we 
were  at  anchor  in  King  George  Sound,  which  reminded  us 
much  of  Pictou  in  Nova  Scotia. 

Albany  is  a  clean-looking  little  town,  scarcely  more  than  a 
village,  built  on  the  shore  of  the  bay,  and  containing  some 


ALBANY  231 

2,000  inhabitants.  We  were  soon  in  the  gig,  on  the  way  to 
the  P.  &  0.  steamer  '  Shannon '  to  see  our  old  friend  Captain 
Murray.  After  looking  round  the  familiar  decks,  and  having 
tea  on  board,  we  exchanged  good  wishes  for  a  fair  voyage,  and 
rowed  ashore,  landing  on  a  long  wooden  pier. 

Carriages  are  not  to  be  hired  in  Albany,  but  we  found  an 
obliging  carter,  who  had  come  to  fetch  hay  from  the  wharf, 
and  who  consented  to  carry  me,  instead  of  a  bundle  of  hay,  up 
to  the  house  of  Mr.  Loftie,  the  Government  Eesident.  We 
have  decided  to  remain  a  week  in  order  to  give  me  a  chance 
of  recruiting ;  besides  which  the  '  Sunbeam  '  needs  a  little 
painting  and  touching-up  to  make  her  look  smart  again  after 
all  the  hard  work  and  buffetings  she  has  gone  through. 

Most  of  the  party  stayed  on  shore  to  dinner,  for  the  kitchen- 
range  on  board  the  '  Sunbeam  '  has  got  rather  damaged  by 
the  knocking  about  of  the  last  few  days.  I  went  back,  how- 
ever, in  my  primitive  conveyance  as  far  as  the  end  of  the  pier, 
and  then  returned  straight  on  board,  feeling  very  tired  with 
even  so  short  an  expedition.  In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  a 
large  sackful  of  letters  and  newspapers  from  England  was 
delivered  on  board,  much  to  our  delight. 

Tuesday,  May  loth. — A  busy  morning  with  letters  and 
telegrams.  Dogs  are  not  allowed  to  land  in  any  part  of 
Australia  until  they  have  performed  six  months'  quarantine, 
but  I  was  able  to  take  mine  ashore  at  Quarantine  Island, 
which  we  found  without  much  difficulty  with  the  aid  of  a 
chart.  A  little  before  one  o'clock  we  landed  at  the  pier,  where 
Mr.  Loftie  met  us,  and  drove  us  to  the  Kesidency  to  lunch. 
It  was  a  great  treat  to  taste  fresh  bread  and  butter  and  cream 
once  more,  especially  to  me,  for  these  are  among  the  few 
things  I  am  able  to  eat.  After  lunch  several  ladies  and 
gentlemen  came  to  call  on  us. 

I  was  sorry  to  hear  that  a  terrible  epidemic  of  typhoid 
fever  seems  to  be  ravaging  this  little  town.  Built  as  it  is  on 


232  DEFECTIVE  ARRANGEMENTS 

the  side  of  a  hill  overlooking  the  sea,  and  with  a  deliciously 
invigorating  air  always  blowing,  Albany  ought  to  be  the  most 
perfect  sanatorium  in  the  world.  Later  in  the  afternoon  I 
went  for  a  drive  with  Mrs.  Loftie  all  round  the  place,  seeing 
the  church,  schools,  and  new  town  hall,  as  well  as  the  best  and 
worst  parts  of  the  town.  It  was  no  longer  a  mystery  why  the 
place  should  be  unhealthy,  for  the  water-supply  seems  very 
bad,  although  the  hills  above  abound  with  pure  springs.  The 
drainage  from  stables,  farm-buildings,  poultry-yards,  and 
various  detached  houses  apparently  has  been  so  arranged  as 
to  fall  into  the  wells  which  supply  each  house.  The  effect  of 
this  fatal  mistake  can  easily  be  imagined,  and  it  is  sad  to  hear 
of  the  valuable  young  lives  that  have  been  cut  off  in  their 
prime  by  this  terrible  illness. 

In  the  course  of  our  drive  we  passed  near  an  encampment 
of  aborigines,  but  did  not  see  any  of  the  people  themselves. 
We  also  passed  several  large  heaps  of  whales'  bones,  collected, 
in  the  days  when  whales  were  numerous  here,  by  a  German, 
with  the  intention  of  burning  or  grinding  them  into  manure. 
Formerly  this  part  of  the  coast  used  to  be  a  good  ground  for 
whalers,  and  there  were  always  five  or  six  vessels  in  or  out  of 
the  harbour  all  the  year  round.  But  the  crews,  with  their 
usual  shortsightedness,  not  content  with  killing  their  prey  in 
the  ordinary  manner,  took  to  blowing  them  up  with  dynamite  ; 
the  result  being  that  they  killed  more  than  they  could  deal 
with,  and  frightened  the  remainder  away. 

The  steward's  report  on  the  resources  of  the  place  from  a 
marketing  point  of  view  is  more  curious  than  encouraging. 
There  is  no  fresh  butter  nor  milk  to  be  had,  except  through 
the  kindness  of  a  few  private  individuals.  Mutton  abounds, 
but  there  is  very  little  beef  or  veal.  Good  York  hams  are  to 
be  procured  from  England  only.  Fruit  and  vegetables  are 
brought  down  from  Perth  or  come  over  from  Adelaide,  and 
the  most  eatable  salt  butter  is  brought  from  Melbourne. 


OUR  FIRST  AUSTRALIAN  EXCURSION 


233 


Wednesday,  May  the 
nth. — It  had  been  set- 
tled that  to-day  should 
be   devoted  to   an  excursion 
to  the  forests  which  are  now  being 
opened  up   by  the  new  line  of    railway  in 
course  of  construction.      The   special  train 
of  ballast-trucks  which  had  been   provided 
for  us  was  to  have  started  at   ten   o'clock, 
soon    after   which    hour    we    landed,    some 
delay    having    been     caused     at     the    last 
moment    by  the   receipt  of   a   message   re- 
questing us  to  send  ashore  every  rug 
we   possessed,  in   order   to   make   the 
truck   in  which  we  were  to  travel  as 
comfortable  as  possible.     The  required 
wraps  and  furs  had  accordingly  to  be 
got  up  from  the  hold,  where  they  had 
lain  for  months  past.     On  landing  we 
found  a  pleasant   party    assembled   to 
receive   us,    including  the   engineer  of 
the   new   line,   Mr.    Stewart,    and    his 
wife.     In  due  course  we  were  all  seated 
on  two  long  planks,  back  to   back,  in 
open    trucks,    behind    an    engine    and 
tender.     We  commenced  our  journey 
by  slowly  passing   the   enclosures,  >^ 

gardens,  and  courts  adjoining  the 
houses  of  the  town.     About  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  out  of  Albany 
we  stopped   to  water  the  en- 
gine at  a  primitive  trough 

in  a  cutting   about   twelve  '.  - •-.'. 

feet  deep — the  deepest  on  Kiu 


is! 


234  INTO    THE  FOREST 

the  whole  line,  which  in  the  main  is  laid  over  a  surface  as 
flat  as  a  pancake. 

The  morning  was  simply  perfect — one  of  those  days  which 
make  mere  existence  a  pleasure  ;  the  air  felt  light  and  invigo- 
rating, the  sun  was  bright  and  warm  ;  all  seemed  so  different 
from  the  damp  muggy  air  or  fierce  burning  sunshine  of 
which  we  have  had  so  much  experience  lately. 

Our  route  lay  over  a  sort  of  moorland,  sprinkled  with  rare 
ericas  such  as  we  carefully  preserve  in  greenhouses  at  home. 
Other  flowers  there  were,  too,  in  abundance,  and  of  many 
kinds,  including  scarlet  bottle-brushes,  large  white  epacris, 
and  mimosa  covered  with  yellow  balls  of  blossom.  The  trees 
seemed  to  consist  chiefly  of  white  gum,  peppermint,  and 
banksias,  and  all  looked  rather  ragged  and  untidy.  One  great 
feature  of  the  vegetation  was  what  are  called  the  '  black-boys ' 
(Xanthorrhed),  somewhat  resembling  tree-ferns,  with  a  huge 
black  pineapple  stem,  at  the  top  of  which  grows  a  bushy  tuft 
of  grass-like  foliage. 

About  nine  miles  out  we  came  to  a  broad  stretch  of  water 
known  by  the  very  prosaic  name  of  '  Nine-mile  Lake.'  It 
looked  lovely  this  bright  morning,  with  the  opposite  hills  and 
a  fine  group  of  blue  gum-trees  sharply  mirrored  in  its  glassy 
surface.  The  train  stopped  for  a  few  minutes  to  enable  us 
to  admire  the  view  and  to  take  some  photographs.  In  the 
course  of  another  mile  or  so  we  quitted  the  main  line  to  Perth, 
and  proceeded  along  a  branch  line  leading  into  the  heart  of  the 
forest.  The  undergrowth  was  nowhere  very  thick,  and  where 
it  had  been  cleared  by  burning,  fine  grass  had  sprung  up  in 
its  place.  As  we  left  the  moorland  and  got  into  the  real  forest 
of  grand  gum-trees  the  scene  became  most  striking.  The 
massive  stems  of  many  of  the  eucalypti  were  between  thirty 
and  forty  feet  in  circumference  and  over  a  hundred  feet  in 
height.  The  glimpses  which  we  caught  between  these  tall 
trees  of  Torbay,  with  the  waves  breaking  in  huge  rollers  on 


THE  NEW  RAILWAY  235 

the  shore  or  in  angry  surf  against  the  steep  cliffs  of  Eclipse 
Island,  were  quite  fascinating. 

We  steamed  slowly  along  the  lightly  ballasted  line — only 
laid  yesterday,  and  over  which  no  engine  has  yet  travelled 
—two  men  running  on  in  front  to  tap  the  rails  and  joints, 
and  to  see  that  all  was  safe.  About  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
of  rail  is  laid  each  day.  It  is  being  built  on  what  is  called 
the  land-grant  system  ;  that  is  to  say,  for  every  mile  com- 
pleted the  Government  give  the  railway  company  6,000 
square  acres  of  land,  to  be  chosen  at  the  completion  of  the  line 
by  the  company's  agent,  the  Government  reserving  to  them- 
selves the  right  of  alternate  frontage  to  the  railway.  The 
distance  from  Albany  to  Beverly  (a  town  standing  about  120 
miles  equidistant  from  Perth  and  Fremantle,  which  will  be 
the  terminus  of  the  line,  at  any  rate  for  the  present)  is  220 
miles.  The  line  was  commenced  and  should  have  been  carried 
on  from  both  ends,  but  the  contractors  find  it  much  cheaper 
to  work  only  from  the  Albany  end.  It  ought  to  be  a  very 
cheap  line,  for  it  requires  scarcely  any  earthworks  and  no 
rock-cuttings  or  bridges,  the  soil  being  loose  and  gravelly  with 
a  granite  foundation.  There  are  few  rivers  to  cross;  and 
timber  for  the  sleepers  is  to  be  had  in  abundance,  and  of  the 
best  quality,  from  the  trees  which  must  necessarily  be  cut 
down  to  clear  the  forest  for  the  passage  of  the  line.  The 
entire  road  was  to  have  been  completed  in  three  years  from 
the  time  of  commencement ;  but  it  will  probably  be  finished 
in  about  two,  as  a  good  deal  of  the  work  is  already  done. 

We  were  taken  by  another  branch  line  to  some  saw-mills, 
where  the  sleepers  for  the  railway  are  prepared.  Here  some 
of  us  got  into  a  light  American  buggy  drawn  by  a  fine  strong 
pair  of  cart-horses,  in  which  conveyance  we  took  our  first 
drive  through  the  bush.  To  me  it  seemed  rather  rough  work, 
for  in  many  places  there  was  no  track  at  all,  while  in  others 
the  road  wras  obstructed  by  '  black-boys  '  and  by  innumerable 


A    PRIMITIVE  SETTLEMENT 


Black  Boys 


tree  -  stumps,   which    the 

horses  avoided  or  stepped 

over  most  cleverly.     Still 
the  wheels   could   not  be 
expected   to   show   quite   so 
much     intelligence,     and     we 
consequently  suffered  frequent  and 
violent  jolts.     From  the   driver — a 
pleasant,     well-informed     man  —  I 
learnt  a  good   deal   respecting  the 
men  employed  on  the  line.     There 
are  about  1 30  hands,  living  up  here 
in   the   forest,    engaged   in   hewing 
down,     sawing,     and     transporting 
trees.     These,  with  the  women  and 
children  accompanying  them,  form 
a  population  of  200  souls  suddenly 
established  in  the  depths  of  a  virgin 
forest.     They  have  a  school,  and  a 
schoolmaster  who  charges  two  shil- 
lings a  week  per  head  for  schooling, 
and  has  fourteen  pupils.      He  was 
dressed  like  a  gentleman,  but  earns 
less  than  the  labourers,  who  get  ten 
shillings  a  day,  or  3^.   a  week,  the 
best    hands    being    paid    regularly 
under  all  conditions  of  weather,  and 
only  the  inferior   labourers  receiv- 
ing their  wages  for  the  time  during 
which    they   are   actually  at  work. 
There  are  four  fine  teams  of 
Australian-bred  horses,  and 
a  spare  pair  for  road  or 
bush    work.      Communi- 


THE  SAW-MILLS  237 


cation  \vith  Albany,  the  base  of  operations,  is  of  course  main- 
tained by  means  of  the  line,  some  of  the  navvies  even  coming 
from  and  returning  thither  each  day  in  the  trucks.  The 
married  men  who  live  in  the  forest  have  nice  little  three- 
roomed  cottages,  and  those  I  went  into  were  neatly  papered 
and  furnished,  and  looked  delightfully  clean  and  tidy.  The 
single  men  generally  live  in  a  sort  of  tent  with  permanent 
walls  of  brick  or  wrood,  and  mess  at  a  boarding-house  for 
eighteen  shillings  a  week.  This  seems  a  good  deal  for  a 
labourer  to  pay  for  food  alone,  but  it  really  means  five  good 
meals  a  day.  The  little  colony  has  a  butcher  attached  to 
it,  from  whom  meat  of  the  finest  quality  may  be  purchased 
at  sixpence  per  pound,  all  but  the  prime  parts  being  thrown 
away. 

The  rest  of  the  party  having  walked  up  the  line,  I  waited 
for  them  at  the  house  of  the  District  Manager,  who  with  his 
wife  received  me  most  hospitably.  On  the  walls  of  the  apart- 
ment I  was  interested  to  notice  the  portraits  of  some  of  those 
who  had  been  connected  with  my  father-in-law  in  business, 
and  who  are  now  in  the  employ  of  Messrs.  Miller,  the  con- 
tractors for  this  line. 

As  soon  as  Mr.  Stewart  and  the  rest  of  the  party  had 
joined  us,  we  proceeded  to  the  saw-mills  and  watched  some 
great  logs  of  jarrah  being  cut  into  sleepers.  There  were  no 
elephants  to  assist  in  the  operation  as  in  Burmah,  so  that  all 
the  work  had  to  be  done  by  steam,  with  a  little  help  from  men 
and  horses.  Quantities  of  fragrant  rose-coloured  sawdust, 
used  for  stable  litter,  were  lying  about.  Tons  of  wood  not 
large  enough  for  sleepers  were  being  burned  in  order  to  get  rid 
of  it.  It  seemed  a  terribly  wasteful  proceeding,  but  there  was 
more  material  than  was  wanted,  and  space  after  all  was  the 
great  thing  needed. 

From  the  saw-mills  we  penetrated  further  into  the  forest, 
in  order  to  see  more  large  trees  cut  down,  hewn  into  logs,  and 

F  F 


238  THE  JIXKA 

dragged  away.  Some  of  the  giants  of  the  forest  were  really 
magnificent.  We  followed  a  double  team  of  sixteen  horses 
drawing  a  timber-cart  composed  of  one  long  thick  pole  between 
two  enormous  wheels  some  seven  or  eight  feet  in  diameter. 
Above  these  wheels  a  very  strong  iron  arch  is  fastened,  pro- 
vided with  heavy  chains,  by  means  of  which  and  with  the 
aid  of  an  iron  crowbar,  used  as  a  lever,  almost  any  weight 
of  timber  can  be  raised  from  the  ground.  The  apparatus  is 
called  a  '  jinka.'  The  men  engaged  in  the  work  sit  upon  the 
pole  with  the  greatest  sangfroid  as  it  goes  bumping  and 
crashing  through  the  forest,  striking  up  against  big  trees,  or 
knocking  down  small  ones ;  sometimes  one  wheel  and  some- 
times another  high  on  the  top  of  a  stump,  or  sometimes  both 
wheels  firmly  fixed  in  one  of  the  numerous  deep  holes.  The 
scene  was  altogether  most  picturesque,  as  well  as  interesting ; 
and  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  top  of  each  stump  was 
larger  than  the  surface  of  a  large  dining-table.  The  trees 
were  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  feet  in  height,  all  their 
branches  springing  from  near  the  summit,  so  that  the  shadows 
cast  were  quite  different  from  those  one  is  accustomed  to  see 
in  an  ordinary  wood.  The  day  was  brilliant,  the  sun  shining 
brightly,  and  the  blue  sky  relieved  by  a  few  white  fleecy 
clouds  moving  softly  before  a  gentle  air.  The  timber-cutters 
were  of  fine  physique,  with  brawny  limbs  and  sunburnt  faces. 
"We  watched  the  adventures  of  one  enormous  log.  A  team 
of  fourteen  horses  were  yoked  to  a  strong  chain  attached  by 
large  hooks  to  a  trunk  of  such  vast  proportions  that  it  seemed 
as  if  all  the  king's  horses  and  all  the  king's  men  could  never 
make  it  stir  an  inch.  Twice  the  effort  was  made,  and  twice  it 
failed.  First,  the  hooks  slipped  off  the  end,  and  as  the  horses 
were  pulling  and  tugging  with  all  their  might,  directly  the  weight 
was  removed  away  they  went  helter-skelter  down  the  steep 
hill,  up  which  they  had  just  climbed  with  so  much  difficulty, 
being  utterly  unable  to  stop  themselves  on  the  steep  slippery 


A   DISAPPOINTMENT  239 


ground.  Next  time  the  chain  broke  as  the  horses  were 
straining  every  muscle,  and  the  same  tantalising  process  was 
repeated  with  even  more  striking  effect.  The  whole  of  the 
long  team  of  the  fifteen  horses  (for  they  had  added  another 
this  time)  became  hopelessly  entangled,  two  of  the  poor  animals 
either  falling  or  getting  hampered  and  knocked  down  in  their 
headlong  gallop.  The  third  time  the  log  was  got  into  position  ; 
the  '  jinka,'  with  only  one  horse  attached  to  it,  was  brought 
close,  the  pole  was  lowered,  and  the  levers  applied  with  such 
force  that  they  not  only  raised  the  log  but  very  nearly  the 
unfortunate  horse  also  into  the  air.  When  all  was  satisfac- 
torily arranged,  the  other  horses  were  attached  to  the  jinka, 
and  away  they  all  went  merrily  down  the  hill,  but  only  to 
come  into  collision  with  a  big  tree.  The  horses  had  again  to 
be  taken  out,  and  harnessed  this  time  to  the  other  end  of  the 
jinka,  so  as  to  pull  it  in  the  opposite  direction.  At  last  the  big 
log  reached  the  saw-mills  in  safety,  about  the  same  time  as 
we  got  there  ourselves.  We  visited  the  village  shop,  which 
appeared  to  be  well  supplied  with  useful  stores,  and  also  the 
butcher's  and  carpenter's  shops,  and  the  smithy.  They  have 
never  seen  a  clergyman  or  doctor  up  here,  but  by  railway 
there  is  easy  communication  with  the  town  if  necessary.  In 
the  course  of  our  rambles  we  heard  the  disheartening  intel- 
ligence that,  owing  to  some  misunderstanding,  our  train  had 
already  gone  back  to  Albany,  taking  with  it  not  only  our 
luncheon,  but  all  the  wraps.  We  proceeded,  however,  to  the 
trysting-place,  only  to  be  greeted  by  blank  looks  of  disappoint- 
ment as  each  new  arrival  received  the  unpleasant  news  that 
the  report  of  the  train's  erratic  proceeding  was  only  too  well 
founded.  Everybody  was  tired,  cold,  and  hungry,  and  the  con- 
versation naturally  languished.  At  last  Mr.  Stewart,  who  had 
been  down  the  line  to  reconnoitre,  brought  back  the  welcome 
news  that  the  distant  snort  of  the  engine  could  be  heard.  In 
due  course  it  arrived,  and  the  baskets  and  boxes  containing  the 


240  DEPARTURE  FOR  KENDENUP 

much-desired  food  were  transferred  from  the  truck  to  the  bank 
.and  quickly  unpacked  by  willing  hands.  Never,  I  am  sure,  was 
a  luncheon  more  thoroughly  appreciated  than  this  in  the  depths 
of  an  Australian  forest.  The  wraps,  too,  were  most  acceptable, 
for  the  air  became  keen  directly  after  the  early  sunset.  When 
we  started  on  our  return  journey,  taking  back  two  truck-loads 
of  workmen  with  us,  it  really  seemed  bitterly  cold.  Care  had 
also  to  be  taken  to  shelter  ourselves  from  the  shower  of  sparks 
from  the  wood  fire  of  the  engine,  which  flewT  and  streamed  out 
behind  us  like  the  tail  of  a  rocket.  We  went  back  much  more 
quickly  than  we  had  come,  and  stopped  nowhere,  except  to 
take  in  a  fresh  supply  of  wood  and  water  and  to  drop  some  of 
our  passengers  at  their  wayside  residences. 

Tab  started  off  on  horseback  early  this  morning  for 
Kendenup,  a  large  station  about  forty  miles  inland,  where  we 
are  to  join  him  to-morrow,  having  been  invited  to  stay  for  a 
day  or  two  and  judge  for  ourselves  what  station  life  is  like. 
We  accordingly  sent  all  our  luggage  ashore  to-night,  in  readi- 
ness for  an  early  start  in  the  morning. 

Thursday,  May  I2t1i. — Half-past  nine  was  the  hour  ap- 
pointed for  our  departure,  and  soon  afterwards  we  were  all 
assembled  on  the  pier,  where  we  were  met  by  a  little  group  of 
friends  who  had  come  to  see  us  off.  Mr.  Roach,  the  landlord 
of  the  '  White  Hart,'  was  to  drive  us  in  a  comfortable-looking 
light  four-wheeled  waggonette  with  a  top  to  it,  drawn  by  a 
pair  of  Government  horses.  The  latter  are  generally  used 
for  earning  the  mails  or  for  the  police  service,  but  the 
Governor  had  telegraphed  orders  that  they  were  to  be  lent  to 
us  for  this  expedition,  as  we  could  not  have  made  it  without 
them.  Mabelle,  Mr.  des  Graz,  and  Mr.  Pemberton  packed  in 
behind,  whilst  I  climbed  up  in  front  next  the  driver.  There 
was  a  little  difficulty  at  first  in,  starting,  but  once  that  was 
overcome  it  was  indeed  a  case  of  '  off.'  We  galloped  four 
miles  without  stopping  or  upsetting,  the  one  fact  being  perhaps 


A   BUSH  HOTEL  241 


quite  as  wonderful  as  the  other.  Up  hill,  down  dale,  round 
corners,  over  stumps,  along  rough  roads,  through  heavy 
sand — on  we  went  as  hard  as  our  horses  could  gallop.  For- 
tunately there  is  not  much  traffic  on  the  road,  and  during 
this  mad  career  we  only  met  two  men  walking  and  passed 
one  cart. 

About  seven  miles  from  Albany  we  had  to  climb  a  long 
steep  incline,  called  Spearwood  Hill,  from  the  top  of  which  we 
had  a  fine  view  over  Albany,  King  George  Sound,  and  the 
lighthouse  on  Breaksea  Island.  There  were  a  great  many 
flowers  and  a  few  trees  quite  unknown  to  us  in  the  bush. 
Some  of  the  blossoms  were  extremely  pretty,  but  it  was  hope- 
less to  think  of  stopping  to  gather  them,  for  our  horses  were 
warranted  not  to  start  again  under  half  an  hour  at  least. 
They  went  at  a  good  pace,  however,  passing  another  cart, 
and  one  colonist  on  horseback,  very  much  encumbered  with 
parcels,  but  not  sufficiently  so  to  prevent  him  from  politely 
making  room  for  us. 

Chorkerup  Lake  Inn,  our  first  change,  fifteen  miles  from 
Albany,  was  reached  in  rather  less  than  ninety  minutes.  It 
is  a  long,  low,  one-storeyed  wooden  building,  but  every- 
thing was  scrupulously  clean.  In  a  few  minutes  the  table 
was  covered  with  a  spotless  cloth,  on  which  fowls,  home-cured 
bacon,  mutton,  home-made  bread,  potted  butter,  condensed 
milk,  tea,  Bass's  beer,  and  sundry  other  articles  of  food  and 
drink  were  temptingly  displayed.  We  could  not  help  regretting 
the  absence  of  fresh  milk  and  butter  ;  and  it  does  seem  wonder- 
ful that  where  land  is  of  comparatively  little  value,  and  where 
grass  springs  up  in  profusion  the  moment  that  land  is  cleared, 
people  should  not  keep  a  cow  or  two,  especially  when  the 
family  comprises  numerous  small  children,  and  there  is  a  con- 
stant though  scanty  stream  of  passing  travellers  to  provide 
for,  whose  number  will  be  increased  when  the  railway  passes 
within  a  couple  of  miles  of  the  inn. 


242  THE  IGUANA 


Just  as  we  were  starting  I  discovered  that  the  old  smith 
living  close  by  had  been  engaged  on  one  of  my  father-in- 
law's  contracts  in  South  Wales,  and  had  worked  for  four 
years  in  the  Victoria  Docks  in  London.  He  was  delighted 
to  exchange  greetings  with  us ;  and  it  was  quite  touching  to 
hear  his  protestations  that  he  '  did  not  want  nothing  at  all, 
only  just  to  shake  hands,'  which  he  did  over  and  over  again, 
assuring  me  of  his  conviction  that  our  visit  was  '  certain  to  do 
a  power  of  good  to  the  colony.'  I  suppose  he  gave  us  credit 
for  having  inherited,  or  at  all  events  profited  by,  some  of  my 
dear  father-in-law's  good  qualities. 

The  next  stage  was  a  long  and  weary  one  of  another 
fifteen  miles,  mostly  through  heavy  sand.  Luckily,  we  had 
rather  a  good  pair  of  big  black  horses  this  time,  which  took 
us  along  well.  It  was  a  fine  warm  afternoon,  like  a  September 
day  in  England ;  but  the  drive  was  uneventful,  and  even  mo- 
notonous except  for  the  numberless  jolts.  We  only  met  one 
cart  and  passed  two  houses,  one  of  which  was  uninhabited 
and  falling  into  decay.  We  also  passed  a  large  iguana,  a 
huge  kind  of  lizard  about  two  feet  long,  lying  sunning  himself 
on  the  road.  The  aborigines  eat  these  creatures,  and  say  they 
are  very  good  ;  and  I  have  heard  that  white  people  have  also 
tried  them  successfully.  Their  eggs  are  delicious,  and  when 
roasted  in  hot  embers  taste  just  like  baked  custard.  They  lay 
from  twenty  to  thirty  in  the  large  ant-heaps  which  one  con- 
stantly meets  with  in  the  bush,  and  which  when  rifled,  in 
January  or  February,  yield  a  rich  harvest  of  these  eggs.  A 
shrub  very  much  like  dogwood,  with  a  lilac  flower  rather  like 
a  large  thistle,  but  with  the  leaves  turned  back,  was  plentiful, 
and  is  a  valuable  product,  horses  being  able  to  live  upon  it 
for  many  weeks  without  water,  though  it  does  not  look  espe- 
cially succulent.  We  saw  beautiful  parrots  of  all  colours  fly- 
ing across  the  road,  besides  magpies  and  '  break-of-day  '  birds, 
a  species  of  magpie.  Our  driver  was  very  obliging  in  pointing 


AN  OASIS 


243 


out  everything  of  interest,  including  the  Pongerup  and  Stirling 
Eanges  in  the  blue  distance. 

At  the  end  of  the  thirty-one  miles  we  came  to  one  of  the 
advanced  railway  villages  inhabited  by  the  pioneers  of  civilisa- 
tion. It  was  very  like  the  one  we  visited  yesterday  ;  in  fact,  I 
suppose  they  are  all  similar,  experience  having  taught  that  a 
certain  style  of  arrangement  is  the  most  convenient. 

A  couple  of  miles  further  brought  us — in  two  hours  forty 


A  Breakdown    in   the   Bush 


minutes  from  Chorkerup — in  sight  of  a  tidy  little  house  and 
homestead  standing  in  the  midst  of  a  small  clearing,  sur- 
rounded by  haystacks  and  sheds,  and  really  looking  like  a  bit 
of  the  old  country. 

Eight  glad  we  all  were  to  get  out  and  stretch  our  weary 
limbs  after  the  shaking  and  jolting  of  the  last  sixteen  miles  ; 
and  still  more  welcome  was  a  cup  of  good  tea  with  real  cream, 
home-made  bread,  and  fresh  butter,  offered  with  the  greatest 
hospitality  and  kindness,  in  a  nice  old-fashioned  dining-room. 


A   DIFFICULT  JOURNEY 


Everything  was  exquisitely  clean,  and  nicely  served.  The  sit- 
ting-room contained  several  books,  and  the  bedrooms  all  looked 
comfortable.  The  outside  of  the  house  and  the  verandah  were 
covered  with  woodbines,  fuchsias,  and  Marechal  Niel  roses, 
whilst  the  garden  was  full  of  pink  and  white  oxalis  and  other 
flowers.  I  ought,  in  sheer  gratitude,  to  add  that  the  mistress 
of  this  pretty  hostelry  absolutely  refused  all  payment,  and 
indeed  sent  out  her  two  nice  daughters  to  gather  some  roses 
and  other  flowers  for  a  nosegay  for  me. 

If  it  had  been  difficult  to  reach  this  inn  from  the  high  road, 
it  seemed  ever  so  much  more  difficult  to  get  away  from  it  by 
quite  another  route.  It  was  like  leaving  the  palace  of  the  Sleep- 
ing Beauty,  so  dense  was  the  forest  and  so  impossible  to  find 
the  ancient  track,  already  quite  overgrown.  A  little  persever- 
ance, however,  brought  us  once  more  to  the  main  road,  along 
which  we  bowled  and  jolted  at  a  merry  pace  for  about  ten  miles. 
We  met  four  wagons,  drawn  by  four  horses  each,  and  laden 
with  sandal-wood,  guided,  or  rather  left  to  themselves,  by  a 
Chinaman.  It  was  with  great  difficulty  that  we  succeeded  in 
passing  the  first  three  wagons,  and  in  getting  out  of  our  way 
the  fourth  collided  with  a  tree,  which,  I  thought,  must  bring  it 
to  a  standstill ;  but  no  :  after  prodigious  exertion  on  the  part 
of  the  horses,  and  a  great  straining  of  harness  and  knocking 
about  of  woodwork,  it  crashed  slowly  on,  breaking  the  tree — 
which  was  a  tolerably  thick  one — completely  in  two,  and  carry- 
ing part  of  it  away. 

At  the  end  of  the  ten  miles  we  again  turned  off  the  main 
road  at  a  point  where  a  solitary  pillar-post  and  parcel-box 
stood  by  the  wayside,  and  once  more  plunged  into  the  intri- 
cacies of  a  by-track.  Lucky  it  was  that  we  had  saved  the 
daylight,  for  some  of  the  holes  were  deep  enough  to  have 
upset  any  trap,  and  there  was  a  steep  hill,  which  our  driver 
seemed  to  view  with  great  apprehension,  though  I  do  not 
fancy  we  should  think  much  of  it  in  East  Sussex.  Soon 


- 


TREE    FERNS.     AUSTRALIA 


KENDENUP  STATION  245 


after  this  we  came  to  a  large  homestead  and  farm,  near 
which  a  number  of  sheep  were  folded.  On  the  opposite  bank 
stood  a  substantial-looking  wooden  house,  surrounded  by  a 
verandah  and  by  a  clump  of  trees,  in  the  middle  of  what 
might  have  been  an  English  park,  to  judge  from  the  grass 
and  the  fine  timber ;  and  after  crossing  a  small  creek  we 
reached  the  hospitable  door  of  Kendenup  Station. 

It  had  turned  bitterly  cold  after  leaving  Mount  Barker, 
and  I  realised  the  value  of  the  warning  which  our  Albany  friends 
had  given  as  to  the  treacherous  character  of  the  Australian 
climate  at  this  time  of  year.  In  fact  I  felt  thoroughly  chilled, 
and  quite  too  miserably  ill  to  do  justice  to  any  of  the  many 
kindnesses  prepared,  except  that  of  a  blazing  wood  fire. 

Tab  seemed  to  have  spent  a  pleasant  morning  riding 
through  the  bush  after  kangaroos,  of  which  plenty  had  been 
seen,  but  none  killed.  The  very  beauty  of  the  day  interfered 
with  the  sport,  for  the  air  was  so  still  and  clear  that  the  kan- 
garoos heard  and  saw  the  hunters  long  before  they  could  get 
within  shot.  After  supper  the  gentlemen  went  out  to  hunt 
opossums  by  moonlight,  and  shot  two,  literally  '  up  a  gum- 
tree.'  Opossum-hunting  does  not  seem  great  sport,  for  the 
poor  little  animals  sit  like  cats  on  the  branch  of  a  tree,  with 
their  long  tails  hanging  down,  and  are  easily  spied  by  a  dog 
or  a  native. 

Friday,  May  i$th. — It  was  a  very  cold  night,  the  thermo- 
meter falling  to  freezing-point.  Woke  at  six,  to  find  a  bright, 
clear,  cold  morning,  with  a  sharp  wind  blowing  from  the 
south,  which  is  of  course  the  coldest  quarter  in  this  part  of 
the  world.  At  seven  a  delicious  cup  of  tea  was  brought  up, 
and  at  eight  we  breakfasted,  the  table  being  charmingly  deco- 
rated with  fresh  flowers  and  fruit.  Afterwards  a  stroll  round 
the  house,  gardens,  and  orchard,  and  a  gossip  over  the  fire, 
occupied  the  early  part  of  the  morning  very  agreeably. 

The  difficulty  of  housekeeping  here  must  be  extreme.  It 

G  G 


246  STATION  MANAGEMENT 


is  almost  impossible  to  keep  servants  in  the  far-away  bush ; 
they  all  like  to  be  near  a  town.  I  would  earnestly  advise 
everybody  thinking  of  going  to  any  out-of-the-way  part  of 
our  colonies  to  learn  to  a  certain  extent  how  to  do  every- 
thing for  himself  or  herself.  Cooking,  baking,  and  washing, 
besides  making  and  mending,  are  duties  which  a  woman  may 
very  likely  have  to  undertake  herself,  or  to  teach  an  untrained 
servant  to  perform.  I  should  be  inclined  to  add  to  the  list  of 
desirable  accomplishments  riding,  driving,  and  the  art  of 
shoeing  and  saddling  a  horse  in  case  of  emergency  ;  for  the 
distances  from  place  to  place  are  great,  and  the  men  are  often 
all  out  on  the  run  or  in  the  bush. 

About  half-past  nine  Mr.  Hassall  took  me  for  a  drive  round 
the  station  and  clearing.  We  saw  the  remains  of  the  old 
gold-workings,  not  two  hundred  yards  from  the  house.  Up 
to  now  they  have  been  unprofitable,  but  hopes  are  entertained 
that,  with  better  machinery  for  crushing  the  quartz,  larger 
results  may  be  obtained.  At  present  the  expense  of  working 
is  so  great  that  the  gold  is  not  found  in  paying  quantities. 

From  the  deserted  gold-field  we  drove  through  some  en- 
closed land  where  corn  and  '  straw-hay  '  had  been  grown,  but 
had  been  given  up  because  it  did  not  pay.  Then  through  more 
enclosures  for  cattle  and  sheep,  and  finally  over  some  virgin 
land,  across  what  might  have  been  an  English  park  if  it  had 
not  looked  so  untidy  from  many  of  the  trees  having  been 
'  rung ' — an  ugly  but  economical  method  of  felling  timber,  by 
cutting  a  deep  furrow  round  the  bark  so  as  to  stop  the  circu- 
lation, and  thus  cause  the  tree  to  die.  Then  we  crossed  a 
now  dried-up  river,  and  climbed  the  opposite  bank  of  a  creek, 
to  a  point  from  which  we  had  a  lovely  view  of  the  distant 
Stirling  Eange. 

I  was  interested  to  hear  that,  with  the  aid  of  a  foreman 
from  Suffolk,  the  system  of  rotation  of  crops  had  been  tried 
here  with  great  success,  as  far  as  production  went.  Never 


THE  HOMESTEAD  247 


were  such  wheat  and  '  straw-hay '  crops  seen  in  the  colony ;  but, 
after  all,  the  farm  did  not  pay,  for  flour  from  South  Australia 
could  be  purchased  cheaper  ;  and  as  teams  are  constantly 
going  into  Albany  with  loads  of  sandal-wood  and  wool,  the 
carriage  out  costs  very  little. 

I  was  told  that  the  land  here  only  carries  one  sheep  to  ten 
acres.  On  these  extensive  sheep-walks  good  dogs  are  much 
wanted ;  but  they  are  very  rare,  for  the  tendency  of  the  present 
breed  is  to  drive  and  harry  the  sheep  too  much.  They  have 
one  good  dog  on  the  run  here,  who  knows  every  patch  of 
poison-plant  between  Kendenup  and  the  grazing-ground,  and 
barks  round  it,  keeping  the  sheep  off  it,  till  the  whole  flock 
has  safely  passed.  This  poison-plant— of  which  there  are 
several  kinds,  some  more  deadly  than  others — is  the  bane  of 
the  colony.  They  say  that  sheep  born  in  the  colony  know 
it,  and  impart  their  knowledge  to  their  lambs,  but  that  all 
imported  sheep  eat  it  readily  and  die  at  once. 

The  homestead  is  a  nice,  large,  comfortable  place  with 
plenty  of  room  for  man  and  beast,  including  any  stray  bache- 
lors and  other  wayfarers,  who  claim  hospitality  almost  as  a 
right  in  these  isolated  localities.  Adjoining  the  homestead  is 
a  well-stocked  store,  at  which  everything  can  be  bought,  from 
lollypops  to  suits  of  clothing,  and  from  which  the  shepherds 
obtain  most  of  their  supplies.  There  are  also  enclosures  for 
wild  horses,  which  are  numerous,  and  are  occasionally  hunted 
and  captured.  Last  night  two  were  brought  into  the  station. 
Of  course  every  accommodation  is  provided  for  the  care  and 
treatment  of  sheep  in  the  various  stages  of  their  existence, 
including  the  means  of  washing  and  shearing  them.  An  or- 
chard and  fruit-garden  close  by  yield  tons  of  fruit  every  year 
for  the  merest  scratching  of  the  soil.  To  obtain  labour  is  the 
difficulty.  The  birds,  especially  parrots,  are  terrible  enemies 
to  the  fruit-crops.  In  the  early  morning  one  may  see  a  tree 
laden  with  splendid  fruit  just  ready  to  be  gathered,  and  in  an 


248  FAREWELL    TO  KENDENUP 

hour  later  the  whole  may  be  on  the  ground — not  eaten,  but 
simply  thrown  down,  bruised  and  spoilt,  by  the  birds.  Al- 
though the  thermometer  fell  to  freezing-point  last  night,  we 
had  pomegranates  at  dessert  which  had  been  grown  and 
ripened  in  the  open  air.  Oranges  and  lemons  grow  well,  and 
vines  flourish,  wine-making  having  been  already  tried  with 
fan*  success  in  Western  Australia. 

Arrangements  had  been  made  for  a  kangaroo-hunt  to- 
morrow. I  should  dearly  like  to  see  one ;  but  it  is  impossible 
to  remain  for  it,  as  not  only  is  Tom  expecting  us  to  return, 
but  I  feel  much  too  weak  and  ill  to  think  of  riding.  It  was 
therefore  settled  that  Mabelle,  Tab,  and  Mr.  Peniberton  should 
stay,  and  Mr.  des  Graz  and  I  return  to  Albany.  A  black  boy 
was  despatched  on  horseback  to  Mount  Barker  with  sundry 
telegrams  to  make  arrangements  for  staying  at  Albany  over 
next  Monday  night,  when  it  is  proposed  to  give  a  ball  in  our 
honour.  Posts  are  so  few  and  far  between  in  Western  Aus- 
tralia, and  indeed  in  many  other  parts  of  the  continent,  that 
telegrams  generally  take  the  place  of  letters.  The  cost  of  a 
message  is  very  moderate  within  the  limits  of  each  colony,  but 
terribly  dear  when  once  those  limits  are  passed. 

At  twelve  o'clock  the  waggonette  came  to  the  door,  and 
I  resumed  my  place  in  front,  well  wrapped  up,  for  it  was 
raining  hard.  We  left  the  buggy  to  bring  on  the  others 
to-morrow,  and  started  on  our  way,  full  of  regret  at  having 
to  leave  so  soon,  and  of  gratitude  for  the  kindness  and  hospi- 
tality we  had  received. 

Just  before  leaving,  we  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  a 
native  lad  throw  a  boomerang — or  kylie,  as  they  are  called 
here.  I  could  not  have  believed  that  a  piece  of  wood  could 
have  looked  and  behaved  so  exactly  like  a  bird,  quivering, 
turning,  flying,  hovering,  and  swooping,  with  many  changes 
of  pace  and  direction,  and  finally  alighting  close  to  the 
thrower's  feet. 


I VELCOME  HOSPJ  TA  LIT  Y 


249 


The  horses  were  tired,  and  our  progress  was  therefore 
somewhat  slow  as  far  as  Mount  Barker,  where  Mrs.  Cooper — 
the  hostess — again  received  us  cordially,  quickly  lighted  a  fire, 
and  made  me  comfortable  in  front  of  it.  Then  she  produced 
a  regular  country  lunch,  ending  with  a  grape  tart,  plenty  of 
thick  cream,  and  splendid  apples  and  pears.  I  gave  her 
some  books  in  remembrance  of  our  little  visit ;  and  she 
finally  sent  me  away  rested  and  refreshed,  with  a  present  of 
fresh  butter  and  flowers. 

It  was  nearly  dark  by  the  time 
we    left    Chorkerup  —  indeed, 
scarcely  light  enough  to  dis- 
tinguish the  kind  landlady's 
white    apron  as    she   ran 
out  to  greet  us.     Such  a 
warm  welcome  as  she 
gave  us  !  and  such  a 


Boomerangs,   or   Kylies 


good  meal  of  poached  eggs,  cutlets,  bacon,  and  all  sorts  of 
good  things,  in  spite  of  our  protests  that  we  wanted  only  a  cup 
of  tea  !  Her  children  had  gathered  me  a  beautiful  nosegay  of 


250  OBSTINATE  STEEDS 

bush  flowers,  and  she  put  up  some  bunches  of  '  everlastings,' 
for  which  this  part  of  the  world  is  famous,  and  which  are  said 
to  keep  fresh  for  years. 

I  settled  down  as  best  I  could  in  the  back  of  the  wag- 
gonette before  the  horses  were  put  in,  so  as  to  be  quite  ready 
for  the  actual  start,  which  was  a  work  of  time  and  difficulty ; 
for  the  horses  at  first  absolutely  refused  to  move  forward, 
though  they  kept  alternately  rearing,  kicking,  plunging,  and 
standing  stubbornly  still.  At  the  end  of  half  an  hour's  efforts 
our  coachman,  who  had  been  exhorted  to  stick  tight  in  expec- 
tation of  a  flying  start,  gave  up  the  attempt,  and  the  horses 
were  removed.  After  some  discussion  the  least  tired  of  the 
past  pair  and  the  least  wicked  of  the  present  were  put  in,  and 
off  we  went,  with  a  jerk  and  a  jolt,  and  many  injunctions  to 
stick  to  the  road.  This  was  easier  said  than  done ;  for  when 
we  came  to  the  camp-fires  of  the  lumberers  whom  I  had  seen 
at  work  yesterday,  the  glare  frightened  our  horses,  and  caused 
them  to  swerve  off  the  road,  and  dash  into  the  bush  by  the 
side.  This  happened  more  than  once ;  but  even  on  the  road 
itself  the  jerks  and  jolts  were  so  bad  that  we  were  forced  to 
go  slowly,  so  that  we  only  reached  Albany  at  half-past  eight 
instead  of  at  six  o'clock,  and  found  everybody  very  anxious 
about  us.  Tom  and  Baby  waited  on  the  pier  until  past  seven, 
when  cold  and  hunger  drove  them  back  to  the  yacht. 

Saturday,  May  i^tli. — When  I  awoke  this  morning  the 
fever  and  ague  from  which  I  had  been  suffering  had  all  disap- 
peared, and,  though  still  very  tired,  I  felt  decidedly  better  for 
the  change  and  the  bush  life.  I  am  convinced  there  is  nothing 
like  a  land  journey  to  restore  a  sea-sick  person  after  a  voyage. 
The  news  which  greeted  me  on  arriving  last  night  had  not 
been  cheering,  for  several  of  our  men  were  ill  with  feverish 
colds. 


CHAPTEE   XL 

ALBANY  TO   ADELAIDE. 

Saturday,  May  iqtli. — It  was  a  cold  showery  morning 
when  we  landed,  to  photograph  a  party  of  natives,  and  see 
them  throw  boomerangs  and  spears.  They  were  the  most 
miserable-looking  objects  I  ever  beheld  ;  rather  like  Fuegians. 
The  group  consisted  of  two  men,  dressed  partly  in  tattered 
European  clothes,  and  partly  in  dirty,  greasy  kangaroo-skins 
heaped  one  on  the  top  of  another,  and  two  women  in  equally 
disreputable  costumes.  One  of  the  latter  had  a  piccaninny 
hung  behind  her  in  an  opossum-skin,  the  little  hairy  head 


252  ABORIGINES 

and  bright  shining  eyes  of  the  child  peeping  out  from  its 
shelter  in  the  quaintest  manner.  Although  the  poor  creatures 
were  all  so  ugh',  we  did  our  best  to  take  some  photographs  of 
them,  using  a  pile  of  sandal- wood  bags  as  a  background.  Then 
we  drove  up  to  the  cricket-ground  to  see  them  throw  their 
boomerangs  or  kylies,  which  they  did  very  cleverly.  One 
of  the  kylies  was  broken  against  a  tree,  but  most  of  the  others 
flew  with  unerring  precision.  The  spears  were  thrown  from  a 
flat  oval  piece  of  wood,  in  size  and  shape  something  like  the 
blade  of  a  paddle,  which  sent  them  forward  with  great  accuracy 
and  velocity.  The  natives  have  formed  a  small  encampment 
not  far  from  here,  where  they  live  in  the  most  primitive 
fashion,  very  dirty,  and  quite  harmless.  Their  nearest  neigh- 
bour tells  me  that  they  come  daily  to  her  house  for  water  and 
scraps,  but  that  they  never  attempt  to  steal  anything  or  cause 
her  any  annoyance. 

We  next  visited  two  curio  shops,  kept  by  Webb  and 
Gardiner.  Webb  is  rather  a  clever  naturalist,  and  corresponds 
with  Dr.  Hooker  :  he  sent  a  good  many  botanical  specimens 
from  this  neighbourhood  to  the  Colonial  Exhibition  last  year. 
There  were  some  beautiful  feathers  of  the  male  and  female 
cockatoo,  a  few  stuffed  birds,  and  a  good  many  weapons,  some 
of  which  we  bought.  At  Gardiner's  we  found  more  native 
weapons,  which  he  buys  in  the  bush  and  then  sets  the  natives 
to  work  to  repair.  Fortunately  for  us,  he  had  only  recently 
returned  from  one  of  his  expeditions,  and  we  were  therefore 
able  to  pick  up  some  of  the  specimens  in  the  condition  in  which 
he  had  found  them,  all  rough  and  broken  from  the  effects  of 
recent  fights.  The  spear-heads  and  teeth  are  generally  made 
of  flint  or  granite,  or  old  bottle-glass,  fastened  to  the  shaft 
with  kangaroo  sinews  and  the  gum  of  the  '  black  boy.'  The 
tomahawks  have  double  edges  fastened  on  in  the  same  manner. 
The  knives  are  like  one-sided  spear-heads,  with  a  short  handle 
attached.  The  flat  paddle-shaped  pieces  of  wood  by  means  of 


BUSH  FLOWERS  2 53 


which  they  throw  their  spears  are  called  womaras.  There 
were  also  numerous  specimens  of  kylies,  and  curious  message- 
sticks  about  ten  or  twelve  inches  long,  made  from  the  thigh- 
bone of  the  kangaroo,  and  sharply  pointed  at  one  end.  A 
sort  of  hieroglyph  or  rude  writing  is  scratched  upon  them, 
and  they  are  used  to  convey  messages  from  one  place  to 
another.  We  bought  some  opossum-skins  and  rugs  of  various 
sorts,  and  admired  the  beautiful  live  birds,  including  parrots 
and  cockatoos. 

From  three  to  five  o'clock  I  was  '  at  home  '  on  board  the 
'  Sunbeam.'  The  afternoon  had  improved,  and  was  bright 
and  sunny.  I  think  our  guests  were  pleased  with  their  visit. 

Tab,  Mabelle,  and  Mr.  Pemberton  returned  this  afternoon. 
They  seemed  to  have  had  a  most  enjoyable  though  fatiguing 
day,  having  breakfasted  at  seven  o'clock,  and  started  before 
eight.  They  saw  some  twenty  or  thirty  kangaroos,  of  which 
they  only  killed  three.  At  half-past  one  they  set  out  for 
Albany,  and  drove  the  forty-two  miles,  through  Mount  Barker 
and  Chorkerup.  Mabelle  brought  me  back  some  bush 
flowers,  very  beautiful  and  interesting  \vhen  closely  examined, 
especially  the  blue  holly,  a  plant  with  a  holly-like  leaf  and  a 
blue  pea-shaped  flower.  Two  or  three  varieties  of  blue  erica, 
tiny  heaths,  and  epacris  were  also  very  pretty.  It  is  curious 
how  all,  even  the  smallest  of  the  bush  flowers,  run  to  bottle- 
brush  just  as  readily  as  the  great  banksias  and  eucalypti,  and 
what  strange  little  bottle-brushy  appendages  they  all  have. 

Mabelle  also  brought  some  beautiful  black  cockatoos' 
feathers.  Those  of  the  male  bird  have  a  band  of  brilliant 
scarlet  right  across  them,  which  looks  so  artificial  that  when 
a  fan  made  of  these  feathers  was  sent  lately  to  New  Zealand 
nobody  would  believe  that  it  had  not  been  cleverly  painted. 
The  female  bird  has  a  light  yellow  and  fawn-coloured  tail, 
more  delicate  in  colour  though  not  so  brilliant  as  her  mate's 
plumage.  We  saw  a  great  flight  of  black  cockatoos  yesterday. 


254 


LOYAL   COCKATOOS 


These  seemed  to  have  white  in  their  tails  instead  of  red. 
Cockatoos  are  very  affectionate  and  loyal  to  one  another — a 
fact  of  which  those  who  kill  or  capture  them  take  advantage  ; 
for  if  they  succeed  in  wounding  a  bird  they  tie  it  up  in  a  tree, 


An   Abori£in£ 


where,  so  long  as  it  continues  to  cry,  not  one  of  its  companions 
will  leave  it,  but  will  hover  around,  allowing  themselves  to  be 
shot  rather  than  desert  a  comrade.  It  is  a  great  pity  these 
handsome  birds  devour  the  grain  so  terribly  that  settlers  are 


QUARANTINE  ISLAND  255 

obliged  to  wage  a  war  of  extermination  against  them.  Very 
different  is  the  behaviour  under  similar  circumstances  of  the 
kangaroo,  in  whom  I  have  in  consequence  lost  much  of  my 
interest.  When  hard  pressed  the  doe  will  take  her  offspring 
out  of  her  pouch  and  fling  it  to  the  dogs  to  gain  time  for  her 
own  escape.  The  meat  of  the  joeys,  as  the  young  ones  are 
called,  is  by  far  the  best,  and  tastes  something  like  hare, 
though  it  is  rather  tough  and  stringy.  The  flesh  of  the  older 
animals  is  more  like  that  of  red  deer.  Both  require  to  be  well 
basted,  and  eaten  with  red  currant  jelly,  to  make  them  at  all 
palatable. 

Sunday,  May  i$tli. — Such  a  lovely  day — more  like  an 
ideal  May  morning  in  England  than  an  Australian  winter's 
day.  We  attended  service  in  a  picturesque  ivy-covered  edifice. 

After  lunch  a  great  many  workpeople  and  others  came  on 
board,  by  invitation,  to  see  the  yacht,  as  it  was  impossible  for 
them  to  visit  it  on  any  other  day.  The  blue  waters  of  the 
Sound  looked  quite  gay  with  the  little  flotilla  of  boats  coming 
and  going. 

At  three  o'clock  we  all  went  ashore  in  the  steam-launch, 
most  of  the  party  intending  to  climb  up  the  hill  to  the 
signal- station  to  look  at  the  view.  My  own  destination  was 
Quarantine  Island,  where  I  sat  on  the  sands  in  the  delicious 
sunshine,  while  the  dogs  ran  about  and  the  children  gathered 
flowers.  It  seems  a  nice,  healthy,  breezy  little  place,  with  a 
well-planned  lazaretto,  capable  of  accommodating  a  small 
number  of  invalids,  and  a  convenient  cottage  for  the  custodian 
and  his  wife,  whom  we  could  see  out  in  their  boat  fishing. 
While  we  were  on  shore,  the  men  in  our  boat,  with  the 
assistance  of  two  boathooks,  but  even  then  with  considerable 
difficulty,  captured  an  octopus  about  three  feet  across ;  a 
horrid-looking  monster,  which  tried  to  cling  to  everything  near 
with  its  round  suckers  and  long  feelers. 

Monday,  May  i6th. — Tom  took  me  ashore  to  enable  me 

H  H 


256  A   DAIRY  FARM 


to  keep  a  driving  engagement ;  but  he  was  suffering  from 
a  chill,  and  felt  very  unwell.  Although  anxious  to  try  the 
efficacy  of  his  universal  panacea — exercise— he  was  ulti- 
mately obliged  to  abandon  the  experiment  and  to  return  on 
board. 

I  enjoyed  my  drive  immensely,  for  it  was  a  bright  sunny 
morning,  with  a  soft  air  blowing.  The  buggy  was  comfort- 
able ;  the  horses  went  well ;  and  Mr.  Young,  who  drove  me,  was 
full  of  interesting  information.  After  passing  the  cemeteries, 
we  went  by  a  rough  road  through  the  bush,  where  much  of 
the  vegetation  was  new  and  strange.  Then  we  crossed  the 
extreme  end  of  a  large  fresh-water  lake,  and  shortly  after- 
wards emerged  from  the  bush  on  to  the  shore  of  a  fine  \)&y, 
called  Middleton  Beach,  along  the  edge  of  which,  by  the  side 
of  the  curling  breakers,  we  drove  over  a  firm  white  sand, 
admiring  the  effect  of  the  dark  blue  sea,  changing  to  a  delicate 
pale  green  before  breaking  on  the  shore.  On  the  way  back  I 
was  shown  a  small  corrugated-iron  house,  with  an  outbuilding 
attached,  in  the  middle  of  a  considerable  clearing,  the  owner 
of  which  proposes  to  supply  the  town  of  Albany  with  garden 
and  dairy  produce.  I  wish  him  every  success,  and  hope  that 
he  will  include  eggs  and  poultry  in  his  scheme  ;  for  the  only 
eggs  which  we  have  been  able  to  procure  have  been  six 
in  number,  and  have  cost  threepence  each.  These,  too,  were 
only  supplied  as  a  special  favour,  because  I  was  '  sick.' 

Tom  dragged  himself  on  shore  again  in  the  afternoon, 
but  did  not  remain  long,  as  we  had  to  receive  more  visitors, 
who  had  been  prevented  from  corning  yesterday. 

At  seven  o'clock  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loftie  and  Mr.  Young  came 
to  dinner,  and  Tom  being  too  ill  to  appear,  I  had  to  do  my 
best  to  entertain  them.  After  dinner,  having  seen  the  invalids 
made  as  comfortable  as  possible,  we  started,  well  wrapped  up — 
for  it  was  bitterly  cold — for  the  dance  at  the  Court-House, 
which  is  built  on  so  steep  a  hill  that,  although  the  building 


GOOD-BYE   TO  ALBANY 


257 


is  three  storeys  high  towards  the  sea,  yet  by  entering  at  the 
back  the  level  of  the  top  storey  is  at  once  reached.  The 
dancing  had  just  begun,  and  it  proved  a  most  cheery  little 
ball.  All  present  were  hearty,  kindly,  and  genial. 

Tuesday,  May   i?th. — A  lovely  morning,  perfectly   calm. 
Tom  much  better,  and  anxious  to  be  off.     Mails  and  farewell 


The   Port   Watci 


messages  were  accordingly  sent  on  shore,  and  Mr.  Loftie 
came  off  with  parting  words  of  kindness  and  farewell,  and 
laden  with  flowers.  Precisely  at  eleven  o'clock,  with  signals  of 
'  Good-bye '  and  '  Thanks  '  hoisted  at  the  main,  we  steamed 
out  of  the  snug  harbour  where  we  have  passed  such  a  pleasant 
week  and  have  received  so  much  kindness.  The  pilot  soon 


258  MEDUS& 

quitted  us,  and  we  were  once  more  on  the  broad  ocean.  The 
wind  outside  was  dead  ahead,  and  the  heavy  rollers  tumbling 
in  foreboded  a  still  heavier  swell  as  we  got  further  away  from 
the  land.  In  fact,  Torn  more  than  once  asked  me  if  we  had 
not  better  put  back.  As  it  was  too  rough  to  steam,  a  certain 
amount  of  snug  sail  was  set ;  and,  close-hauled,  we  steered  as 
near  our  course  as  circumstances  would  permit. 

There  are  a  good  many  invalids  on  board  among  the 
crew  and  servants,  the  symptoms  in  each  case  being  very 
similar.  This  morning  the  two  maids,  two  stewards,  and 
three  of  the  men  had  more  or  less  succumbed  to  '  malarial 
colds  ' — nothing  serious,  the  doctor  says,  but  very  uncomfort- 
able. It  is  quite  certain  that  many  more  are  now  laid  up  than 
we  ever  had  on  the  sick-list  in  the  tropics ;  but  the  sudden 
change  from  heat  to  cold  may  of  course  account  for  this  state 
of  things. 

Wednesday,  Men/  iSth.- — The  wind  was  rather  more  favour- 
able ;  but,  although  close-hauled,  we  were  nearly  two  and  a 
half  points  off  our  course,  the  head-sea  running  very  high. 
Although  the  air  was  warm  I  remained  in  my  cabin  all  the 
morning,  feeling  wretched  and  uncomfortable.  At  noon  we 
had  run  110  miles — 100  under  steam  and  10  under  sail — 
and  were  in  lat.  35°  44'  S.,  long.  119°  53'  E.,  Kangaroo 
Island  being  820  miles  distant.  The  total  distance  now  ac- 
complished since  we  left  England  is  9,236  miles  under  sail, 
and  7,982  under  steam,  making  a  total  of  17,218  miles. 

I  was  called  upon  deck  once  during  the  day  to  see  a  whale 
with  a  fin  on  its  back.  Gray,  in  his  book  on  Western 
Australia,  says  that  this  kind  of  whale  lives  principally  on 
the  large  phosphorescent  niedusje.  The  evening  was  cold,  as 
usual,  and  I  was  glad  to  go  below  early.  Yenus  rose  bril- 
liantly, but  so  red  that  several  on  board  thought  it  must  be 
the  port  light  of  a  ship  astern ;  though  how  any  vessel  could 
have  suddenly  got  there  they  could  not  make  out.  Soon  after- 


PHOTOGRAPHY  AT  SEA  259 

wards  shouts  were  heard  on  first  seeing  what  Tom  described 
as  lamps  of  light  or  fireballs  astern.  These  turned  out  to  be 
the  luminous  medusae  which  Gray  speaks  of,  and  which  were 
much  larger  and  more  brilliant  than  any  we  had  yet  seen. 

Thursday,  May  igtli. — Wind  fair,  but  head-swell  still  con- 
tinuing. I  had  a  very  busy  morning  below,  writing  journal 
and  letters.  At  noon  we  had  run  1 20  miles  under  sail,  and 
were  then  in  lat.  36°  12'  S.,  long.  122°  4'  E.  In  the  afternoon 
we  took  some  photographs  of  Tom  in  his  E.N.A.V.  uniform, 
the  Guard  of  Honour,  ourselves,  the  Court,  &c.,  on  the  occa- 
sion of  Neptune's  visit  when  we  crossed  the  line.  Sundry 
unsuccessful  attempts  were  made  to  photograph  the  animals, 
but  they  seemed  to  be  suffering  from  a  severe  attack  of  the 
fidgets.  To  see  '  Jenny  Jenkins,'  the  monkey,  in  her  new 
blue  jumper  with  '  Sunbeam  B.Y.S.,'  embroidered  by  Mabelle, 
and  '  Mr.  Short,'  the  black-and-tan  terrier,  playing  together, 
is  really  very  pretty ;  they  are  so  quick  and  agile  in  their 
movements  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  catch  them.  '  Mrs. 
Sharp,'  the  white  toy  terrier,  in  her  new  jersey,  a  con- 
fection of  Muriel's,  occasionally  joins  in  the  frolic ;  though 
her  condescension  is  not  much  appreciated,  for  she  is  rather 
too  quick  with  her  teeth.  The  photograph  of  the  Guard  of 
Honour  was  spoiled  by  a  passing  whale,  to  which  Tom 
suddenly  drew  everybody's  attention  by  pointing  to  it  with 
his  drawn  sword.  The  monster  left  a  greasy  wake  behind 
him,  as  he  swam  lazily  along,  blowing  slightly. 

Towards  evening  the  air  became  very  cold,  and  the  wind 
not  quite  so  fair.  A  splendid  sunset  threw  a  lovely  glow  on 
the  sails.  Later  on  the  sea  continued  to  go  down,  and  I  was 
able  to  make  my  first  appearance  at  dinner  at  sea  for  many 
a  long  day  past,  but  only  as  a  spectator  even  now. 

Friday,  May  2OtJt. — Another  fine  clear  day  ;  but  the  horrid 
easterly  swell  is  as  bad  as  ever,  and  with  such  a  light  wind  we 
seem  to  feel  it  more.  A  busy  morning  with  journal  and  letters. 


260 


EASTWARD   OH.' 


At  noon  we  had  come  148  miles  under  sail,  and  Kangaroo 
Island  was  now  546  miles  distant ;  we  were  in  lat.  36°  25'  S., 
long.  125°  13'  E. 

Saturday,  May  2ist. — A  pouring  wet  morning,  with  every 
appearance  of  continued  rain.  Later  on  the  weather  cleared, 
though  heavy  squalls  came  up  at  intervals  until  noon,  when  it 
turned  quite  warm,  bright,  and  sunny. 

In  the  afternoon  the  wind  freshened  considerably,  and  our 
speed  improved  in  proportion.  The  heavy  head-swell  having 
gone  down,  everyone  on  board  felt  more  comfortable.  Ad- 
vantage was  taken  of  the  lull  to  get  a  few  photographs  of  the 
engineers,  cooks,  and  others.  A  nautical  entertainment  had 
been  fixed  for  6  P.M.  ;  but  unfortunately  that  hour  was 
selected  to  gybe  the  ship,  so  that  it  was  6.30  before 


Running   down.     Easting 


AN   UNCOMFORTABLE    TIME 


Cracking   on 

the  entertainment  commenced.  There  was  but  a 
small  audience ;  which  seemed  a  pity,  for  the  per- 
formance was  exceptionally  good. 

The  wind  continued  to  freshen,  and  by  1 1  P.M. 
we  were  tearing  through  the  water  before  a  fair  breeze,  but 
knocking  about  a  good  deal  more  than  was  pleasant. 

Sunday,  May  22nd. — From  midnight  until  6  A.M.  the  state 
of  things  was  wretched  in  the  extreme.  Sails  flapping,  the 
cry  of  the  sailors  continually  heard  above  the  howling  of  the 
wind,  and  much  water  on  deck.  Then  I  went  to  sleep,  waking 
again  at  seven  to  find  it  blowing  half  a  gale  of  wind,  which 
rapidly  increased  to  a  whole  gale.  At  noon  we  were  in  lat. 


262  NEARING  LAND 


35°  55'  S.,  long.  132°  7'  E.,  having  run  206  miles  under 
sail. 

We  had  service  at  11.15*  anc^  again  at  four  o'clock.  In 
the  morning  there  was  no  congregation  ;  partly  because  of  the 
rough  weather,  and  partly  because  we  had  sailed  so  wrell  that 
nobody  realised  howr  much  faster  the  time  was  to-day  than  it 
had  been  yesterday,  and  we  were  therefore  all  behindhand. 
In  the  afternoon  I  went  on  deck  for  a  short  time,  but  found 
it  so  cold  that  I  could  not  remain ;  for,  although  the  wind 
was  right  aft,  the  gale  blew  fierce  and  strong.  Tom  had  a 
very  anxious  time  of  it,  literally  flying  along  a  strange  coast, 
with  on  one  hand  the  danger  of  being  driven  ashore  if  the 
weather  should  become  at  all  thick,  and  on  the  other  the  risk 
of  getting  pooped  by  the  powerful  following  sea  if  sail  were 
shortened.  At  1 1  P.M.  we  met  a  large  sailing-ship  steering  to 
the  southward;  which  was  felt  to  be  very  satisfactory,  show- 
ing as  it  did  that  we  were  on  the  right  track. 

Monday,  May  23rd. — Precisely  at  7  A.M.  we  made  the 
lights  of  Cape  Borda  or  Flinders,  on  Kangaroo  Island,  about 
twelve  miles  ahead,  exactly  where  Tom  expected  to  find  it, 
which  was  a  great  relief  to  everybody  on  board,  after  our  two 
days  of  discomfort  and  anxiety.  At  noon  we  had  run  265 
miles,  and  should  have  done  much  more  had  we  not  been 
obliged  to  shorten  sail  in  the  night. 

In  the  afternoon  the  yacht  passed  between  Kangaroo  and 
Althorpe  Islands,  the  coast  of  the  former  being  very  like 
the  white  cliffs  between  Dover  and  Folkestone.  It  was  ex- 
tremely cold,  and  after  my  night  of  neuralgic  pains  I  did  not 
dare  to"  go  out  on  deck,  and  had  to  content  myself  with 
observing  everything  through  the  windows  of  the  deck-house. 
In  the  evening  we  made  Troubridge  and  all  the  other  lights 
on  the  way  up  to  Glenelg,  and  after  some  deliberation  Tom 
decided  to  heave-to  for  the  night,  instead  of  sailing  on  to  the 
anchorage  of  Port  Adelaide. 


GLEXELG  263 

Tuesday,  May  24th. — By  6  A.M.  we  were  on  deck,  en- 
deavouring to  ascertain  our  precise  position,  and  about  seven 
a  steam-launch  came  bustling  towards  us,  whose  occupants 
hailed  us  with  cordial  welcomes  to  South  Australia.  Directly 
they  came  alongside,  our  small  deck-house  was  crowded  with 
visitors,  wrho  presented  us  in  the  name  of  the  Holdfast  Bay 
Yacht  Club  with  a  beautifully  illuminated  and  kindly  worded 
address.  So  anxious  had  they  been  to  give  us  a  warm  and 
early  welcome,  that  they  had  been  on  the  look-out  for  us  all 
night,  while  we  had  been  waiting  outside  so  as  to  arrive  by 
daylight.  It  seems  that  the  signalmen  on  Cape  Borda  had 
made  out  our  number  yesterday  when  we  were  more  than 
seven  miles  off,  so  clear  is  the  dry  air  of  these  regions.  Our 
early  guests  were  naturally  hungry  and  cold  ;  and  a  large 
party  soon  sat  down  to  a  hastily  prepared  breakfast.  It  was 
excellently  supplemented,  however — to  us  seafarers  especially 
— by  a  large  basket  of  splendid  fruit  which  our  friends  had 
brought  off  with  them.  Presently  the  Mayor  of  Glenelg  and 
his  daughter  arrived,  full,  like  everybody  else,  of  kindly  plans 
for  our  amusement  while  here. 

Having  come  to  an  anchor  off  Glenelg,  Tom  and  Tab 
went  up  to  Adelaide  to  attend  the  Birthday  levee,  and  I 
landed  later  with  the  rest  of  the  party  at  the  long  wooden 
pier. 

The  first  appearance  of  Glenelg  from  the  sea  is  very  like  that 
of  Deauville,  the  town  appearing  to  consist  of  semi-detached 
houses  standing  in  the  midst  of  gardens  and  trees,  with  a  pretty 
background  of  hills.  There  seemed  to  be  no  small  houses  or 
streets — an  impression  which  was  confirmed  by  closer  inspec- 
tion. In  fact,  Glenelg  is  essentially  a  fashionable  seaside  place ; 
and  though  there  are  a  few  excellent  shops,  most  of  the  sup- 
plies must  come  from  Adelaide,  seven  miles  off,  to  which  a 
steam-tram  runs  every  half-hour,  taking  twenty  minutes  for 
the  journey.  The  carriage-road  crosses  the  tramway  and  the 

i  i 


264 


THE   QUEEN'S  BIRTHDAY 


railway  line  to  Melbourne  at  intervals.  The  country  is  quite 
flat,  the  road  passing  between  fields  now  beautifully  green. 
We  saw  the  suburb  of  Goodwood  a  little  way  off,  and  soon 
afterwards  the  tall  spires  of  the  churches  and  the  towers  of  the 
public  buildings  of  Adelaide  appeared.  To-day  being  a  general 
holiday  in  honour  of  the  Queen's  birthday,  the  houses  in  the 
city  were  decked  with  flags  and  the  shops  closed,  which  gave 


'  Proclamation     Tree,   Glenel£ 


it  rather  a  Sunday-like  appearance.  The  streets  are  fine  and 
wide,  especially  King  William  Street.  We  drove  to  Govern- 
ment House,  a  comfortable  residence  surrounded  by  a  nice 
English-looking  garden. 

It  was  very  pleasant  to  meet  our  friend  the  Governor,  Sir 
William  Eobinson,  again.  After  lunch  we  drove  off  to  the  races 
in  two  open  carriages,  with  an  escort  of  police,  passing  through  a 


REPORTERS'  DIFFICULTIES  265 

pretty  part  of  the  city,  where  charming  little  villas  nestle  in  the 
midst  of  detached  gardens.  The  racecourse  itself  is  extremely 
pretty,  and  commands  a  fine  view.  The  grand-stand  is  a  fine 
building,  with  the  Governor's  box  in  the  centre.  The  Cup  had 
just  been  run  for,  but  we  saw  a  capital  hurdle-race,  over  a 
course  three  miles  long,  with  some  very  stiff  flights  of  rails, 
about  which  there  was  no  give-and-take.  Then  came  a  good 
flat  race,  three  out  of  five  horses  coming  in  neck  and  neck. 
We  drove  back  to  Government  House  to  tea,  and  then  returned 
to  Glenelg,  where  we  had  left  the  two  little  ones. 

On  the  pier  we  found  awaiting  us  an  unfortunate  reporter, 
who  had  been  hunting  Tom  down  all  day  to  try  and  interview 
him,  but  had  always  managed  to  arrive  everywhere  just  too 
late.  We  took  him  off  with  us  and  gave  him  some  dinner, 
for  which  he  was  very  grateful  after  his  hard  wearying  day. 
Presently  Tom  and  Mabelle  arrived,  and  directly  afterwards  a 
boat  came  alongside  with  another  reporter.  More  unfortunate 
even  than  the  first,  he  had  sat  at  the  semaphore,  halfway 
between  here  and  Port  Adelaide,  all  night,  and  then,  not 
knowing  where  to  go,  had  oscillated  between  the  two  places  all 
day,  telegraphing  in  various  directions  for  information. 

Wednesday,  May  2$th. — At  half-past  ten  o'clock  we  started 
on  an  excursion  into  the  picturesque  mountains  which  lie 
behind  Glenelg,  Mr.  Stock  driving  us  in  his  nice  little 
American  buggy,  drawn  by  a  capital  pair  of  horses.  The  rest 
of  the  party  followed  in  a  waggonette.  Our  way  at  first 
lay  through  the  suburbs  of  Glenelg.  The  houses  which  we 
passed  had  a  well-to-do  appearance,  with  scarcely  any  shops 
or  workmen's  dwellings  to  be  seen.  The  road  soon  began  to 
ascend,  and  before  long  became  steep.  As  we  climbed  up- 
wards towards  Belair  the  view  became  so  lovely  that  it  was 
impossible  to  resist  the  temptation  of  adding  to  our  collection 
by  pausing  to  photograph  the  scene.  Our  first  stopping-place 
was  the  Blackwood  Hotel,  where  we  found  a  capital  luncheon. 


266  PORT  ADELAIDE 


The  air  felt  pure  and  bracing,  the  sun  shone  brightly,  and 
the  scenery  had  a  thoroughly  English  character,  with  pretty 
hedgerows,  and  little  streams  crossed  by  modern  bridges,  all 
of  which  reminded  us  pleasantly  of  the  old  country.  What 
was  less  familiar  was  an  unprotected  railway  crossing  which 
intersected  the  road  close  by,  and  over  which  a  train  passed 
rapidly,  and,  as  it  seemed  to  us,  with  dangerously  insufficient 
warning. 

After  driving  for  some  distance  along  the  crest  of  the  hill, 
we  dipped  once  more  into  the  valley  by  another  road  quite  as 
steep  and  more  tortuous  than  the  last.  From  this  road  the 
views  were  even  more  charming  than  those  which  we  had 
previously  admired ;  for  beneath  us  lay  a  complete  panorama 
of  Adelaide  and  its  suburbs,  covering  part  of  the  rich  plain  at 
the  foot  of  the  opposite  blue  hills,  and  skirted  by  the  north 
arm  of  the  Port  river.  The  little  horses  went  well,  and, 
although  the  road  was  rough  and  in  many  places  steep,  trotted 
merrily  on  until  we  reached  the  pier  at  Glenelg.  Here  we 
found  a  group  of  sixty  or  seventy  visitors  to  the  '  Sunbeam ' 
waiting  to  be  conveyed  on  board  in  the  steam-launch,  which 
had  to  perform  several  journeys  to  the  shore  before  her  task 
was  accomplished. 

May  2$th. — About  noon  we  got  under  way  and  steamed 
up  towards  Port  Adelaide,  stopping  for  a  time  off  the  sema- 
phore hi  order  to  visit  the  Japanese  corvette  '  Eyujo,'  and  the 
South  Australian  gunboat  '  Protector.'  The  coast  reminded 
me  of  that  outside  Liverpool,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Mersey; 
well-built  watering-places,  piers,  and  sandy  beaches — a  very 
paradise  for  bathers — completing  the  resemblance.  Largs 
Bay  is  a  particularly  healthy  spot,  and  possesses  an  hotel 
which  is  said  to  be  the  best  in  South  Australia.  At  the 
semaphore  also  a  compact  little  township  has  been  established, 
which  boasts  a  mayor  and  corporation. 

Further  on  nothing  except  sand  and  bushes  could  be  seen  ; 


A    KIND   RECEPTION 


267 


Protector,'   Gunboat 


and  a  little  higher  we  got  into  a  narrower  channel,  and  passed 
a  few  boats  and  small  craft,  every  one  of  which  had  some 
sort  of  flag  or  bunting  flying  in  our  honour.  The  shouts  of 
warm  greeting  increased  as  we  approached  the  town,  till  at 
last  it  was  difficult  to  turn  quickly  enough  from  side  to  side 
and  respond  to  the  waving  hands  and  cheers  and  shouts  of 
cordial  welcome  to  the  new  country.  The  pier  and  wharves 
were  densely  crowded,  and  we  were  scarcely  abreast  of  them 
before  the  Mayor  (Mr.  S.  Malm)  and  Corporation  came  on 
board  with  an  address  saying  how  glad  they  were  to  see  us 
in  their  waters.  This  visit  was  followed  by  another  from 
Commodore  Honey,  Mr.  Justice  Bundey,  and  other  gentlemen 
representing  the  South  Australian  Yacht  Club.  All  this  was 
very  pleasant  and  gratifying  ;  though  I  must  confess  that  such 
unexpected  kindness  produced  that  familiar  feeling  known  as  a 
lump  in  my  throat.  It  is  always  rather  touching  to  hear  any 
one  else  cheered  enthusiastically,  and  when  those  nearest  and 
dearest  to  one  are  concerned,  it  is  naturally  doubly  trying. 
After  a  hurried  inspection  of  the  yacht  by  our  visitors, 


268  A   HURRIED  START 

and  a  hasty  tea,  we  were  obliged  to  say  '  good-bye '  to  our 
newly-made  friends,  for  we  had  to  catch  the  five-o'clock  train, 
and  there  was  no  time  to  spare.  In  fact,  we  nearly  missed 
it,  and  I  am  afraid  we  must  have  presented  an  undignified 
spectacle  to  the  numerous  idlers  who  had  turned  out  to  look 
at  us — I  in  a  waggonette  heaped  with  bags  and  bundles,  and 
the  others  flying  along  the  street.  Passing  through  the  plea- 
sant country,  we  arrived  at  the  North  Terrace  station,  and 
reached  Government  House  a  few  minutes  later.  In  the  even- 
ing there  was  a  dinner  party  and  a  reception,  which  brought 
what  had  been  a  most  agreeable,  but  for  me  a  very  tiring, 
day  to  a  close. 


CHAPTEE   XII. 

ADELAIDE. 

Friday,  May  2?th. — We  breakfasted  punctually  at  nine 
o'clock,  and  I  drove  afterwards  "with  the  Governor  to  see 
a  collection  of  furs  which  were  to  be  sold  by  auction.  They 
were  chiefly  from  Tasmania,  and  comprised  a  good  many  ex- 
cellent specimens.  From  the  fur-shop  we  went  to  the  Exhibi- 
tion buildings,  where  we  were  met  by  Sir  Herbert  Sandford 
(the  British  Commissioner),  Sir  Samuel  Davenport,  Mr. 
Jessop,  and  others.  The  building  is  light,  airy,  and  well  de- 
signed ;  and  when  filled,  as  it  promises  to  be,  with  natural 
products,  manufactured  goods,  and  works  of  art,  will  doubt- 
less be  well  worth  a  visit.  I  wish  we  could  return  for  the 


2/0  AUSTRALIAN  EXPLORATION 

opening,  as  we  have  been  most  kindly  pressed  to  do  ;  but  un- 
fortunately our  motto  always  seems  to  be  '  Forward  ! '  and  we 
are  due  in  Melbourne  on  June  gth,  and  at  Mount  Gambier 
on  the  1 6th  ;  so  that  if  we  linger  for  every  inducement  I  fear 
we  shall  never  get  through  the  programme  of  our  voyage. 

From  the  Exhibition  the  Governor  took  me  for  a  drive  all 
round  the  city,  past  handsome  and  substantial  public  build- 
ings and  through  wide  and  clean  streets.  The  system,  of 
park-lands,  or  reserves  of  open  spaces  between  the  blocks  of 
buildings,  appears  to  be  excellent,  both  from  a  picturesque  and 
a  sanitary  point  of  view. 

We  lunched  at  North  Adelaide  with  Mr.  Justice  Bundey, 
and  saw  the  beautiful  view  from  his  house.  On  arriving,  I  was 
given  a  basket  of  pink  roses  grown  out  of  doors,  which  recalled 
delightful  memories  of  an  English  June,  although  in  Australia 
the  present  month  really  corresponds  to  our  own  November. 

Tom  had  to  rush  off  to  meet  Mr.  Bray,  and  to  attend  the 
annual  meeting  of  the  South  Australian  Geographical  Society, 
where  he  made  a  speech.1  Among  other  people  present  at  the 
meeting,  he  was  introduced  to  the  Australian  explorer,  Mr. 
David  Lindsay,  who  returned  about  six  months  ago  from  a 
journey  of  thirteen  months  right  across  the  continent,  from 
Adelaide  to  a  point  a  little  to  the  south-east  of  Port  Darwin. 
The  expedition  was  most  difficult  and  trying — much  more  so 
than  it  would  have  been  in  any  ordinary  year,  on  account  of 
the  drought.  The  thermometer  sometimes  stood  at  12  5°  in 
the  shade,  and  could  not  register  the  heat  in  the  sun  !  The 
explorers  were  obliged  to  travel  by  day,  in  order  that  they 
might  see  and  report  upon  the  country.  They  were  once  seven 
dajTs  without  water,  and  constantly  ran  very  short  of  it.  The 
journey  was  made  entirely  with  camels,  and  the  intelligence  of 
these  animals  seems  to  have  been  extraordinaiy.  One  day  the 
party  were,  as  usual,  very  short  of  water,  and  Mr.  Lindsay's 

1  See  Appendix. 


THE  CATHEDRAL  271 


favourite  camel  seemed  almost  exhausted.  Fortunately  his 
rider  chanced  to  notice  smoke  in  the  distance,  which,  he  knew, 
indicated  the  presence  of  blacks,  and  consequently  water. 
Merely  turning  the  camel's  head  in  the  right  direction,  he  let 
the  reins  fall  on  its  neck,  and  the  creature  carried  him  to  the 
desired  spot,  although  it  took  five  hours  to  traverse  the 
distance — fourteen  miles.  After  a  little  drink  and  a  short  rest 
of  four  hours  he  was  able  to  proceed  sixteen  miles  further,  to 
a  spot  where  he  rested  quietly  for  three  or  four  days,  by  the 
side  of  a  stream. 

Saturday,  May  28th. — We  had  several  visitors  in  the  early 
morning,  among  whom  was  Brigadier-General  Owen,  who 
brought  plans  for  the  defences  of  Adelpide  for  Tom  to  examine. 
Mr.  Millar  also  called  to  make  arrangements  about  our  pro- 
jected trip  to  Silverton. 

At  half-past  eleven  we  proceeded  by  train  to  Port  Adelaide, 
where  we  were  received  by  the  Mayor  (Mr.  Malin)  and  Cor- 
poration, and  taken  to  see  the  new  municipal  buildings. 
Afterwards  we  had  lunch  in  the  town-hall ;  and  later  on  some 
of  the  party  took  a  drive  round  the  town  and  saw  the 
museum,  which,  though  small,  is  interesting,  a  large  flour- 
mill,  and  several  other  buildings.  By  the  2.50  train  we  left 
for  Adelaide,  and  had  to  dress  with  unheard-of  rapidity  in 
order  to  be  present  at  the  Governor's  reception,  which  was 
attended  by  several  hundred  people.  Fortunately  it  was  a 
lovely  day,  and  we  were  able  to  take  advantage  of  the  mild 
spring-like  temperature  to  stroll  about  the  pretty  garden  and 
listen  to  the  pleasant  strains  of  the  police  bands. 

Sunday,  May  2gth. — This  morning  we  went  to  the  Anglican 
cathedral  at  half-past  ten,  and  heard  a  most  beautiful  choral 
service,  including  a  '  Te  Deum  '  by  Gounod.  This  being  Whit 
Sunday,  the  interior  of  the  church  was  prettily  decorated. 
Service  over,  we  drove  to  the  residence  of  the  Chief  Justice, 
where  zoology  and  botany  are  combined  in  a  small  space, 


for      the 
semi  -  tropi- 
cal garden  in 
front  of  his  house 
is  lovely,  while  in  the 
spacious  grounds  at  the 
back  much  care  is  given 
to    rare    and    curious    pets. 
The   interior   of  the   house   is   a 
perfect  museum  of  beautiful  specimens 
of  Japanese  art  and  curios  of  all  kinds. 


Adelaide 


BROKEN-HILL  273 


Wednesday,  Jane  ist. — A  very  agreeable  luncheon  at  the 
Mayor  of  Adelaide's  house,  and  afterwards  to  the  town-hall, 
where  we  received  a  formal  welcome  from  the  Adelaide  Town 
Council.  Kind  speeches  and  warm  acknowledgments,  followed 
by  an  organ  recital.  The  instrument  superb  and  admirably 
played.  By  4.45  train  to  Cockburn  to  visit  the  celebrated 
Broken-Hill  Silver  Mine  at  Silverton. 

Thursday,  June  2nd. — Our  special  train  reached  Cockburn 
at  eight  o'clock  this  morning.  We  breakfasted  at  the  running- 
sheds,  and  were  afterwards  driven  over  to  Broken-Hill,  which 
we  reached  at  two  o'clock,  and  descended  the  mine  both  before 
and  after  luncheon.  We  went  down  what  is  called  M'Culloch's 
Shaft,  at  a  point  where  the  mine  is  216  feet  deep,  and  were 
greatly  interested  in  seeing  the  process  of  extracting  the  ore. 
The  latest  weekly  returns  from  this  mine  show  a  production 
of  46,000  ounces  of  silver. 

Friday,  June  yd. — This  morning  we  descended  another 
shaft  and  inspected  a  different  part  of  the  mine,  in  which  the 
ores  differ  greatly  from  those  we  saw  yesterday,  and  consist 
chiefly  of  kaolin.  After  reaching  the  surface  we  visited  the 
assaying  offices,  and  watched  the  experiments  for  testing  the 
richness  of  ores. 

The  afternoon's  drive  to  Silverton  was  very  pleasant. 
After  changing  horses,  we  went  on  over  plains  covered  with 
salt-bushes.  The  plucky  little  horses  did  their  work  excel- 
lently, and  landed  us  at  Cockburn  at  6.30  P.M.  Thence,  after 
another  change  of  horses,  we  continued  our  journey  to  Thacka- 
ringa,  where  we  rejoined  the  railway. 

Saturday,  June  4tJi. — On  the  return  journey  from  Silverton 
to  Adelaide  I  stopped  during  the  early  hours  of  this  morning 
at  Terowie  to  see  my  cousin  Herbert  Woodgate,  and  thoroughly 
enjo3Ted,  in  spite  of  sleepiness  and  fatigue,  the  sight  at  his 
house  of  so  many  objects  which  brought  back  memories  of  old 
days.  The  walls  were  covered  with  pictures  of  Swayslands, 

K  K 


274  TEROWIE 


the  dear  old  place  in  Kent  of  Herbert's  father — where  I  spent 
many  happy  hours  of  childhood,  and  where  Mr.  Burnand  used 
often  to  come  and  coach  us  all  in  charades  and  amateur 
theatricals.  There  were  also  many  pictures  of  Penshurst 
Place,  and  of  the  old  village  church,  whose  beautiful  chime  of 
bells  I  so  well  remember,  and  where  I  have  '  assisted  '  at  more 
than  one  pretty  wedding.  It  all  brought  back  many  mingled 
memories  of  joy  and  sorrow.  Nothing  could  have  been  kinder 
than  our  welcome.  I  was  quite  sorry  when  we  had  to  turn 
out  again  and  trundle  down  to  the  train  and  be  off  once  more 
to  Adelaide,  where  we  arrived  at  half-past  twelve  P.M. 

We  were  met  at  the  station  and  carried  off  to  lunch  at 
Government  House,  and  afterwards  had  to  dress  as  quickly  as 
possible  to  go  to  the  meet  of  the  hounds.  The  day  was  fine  and 
pleasant,  and  it  was  very  enjoyable  driving  down  in  the 
Governor's  mail-phaeton,  and  seeing  the  other  vehicles  of  all 
sorts  and  kinds  proceeding  in  the  same  direction.  The  drivers 
of  these  vehicles  were  so  regardless  of  all  considerations  of  time, 
place,  and  speed,  that  I  began  to  think  hunting  on  wheels,  or 
even  going  to  a  meet  on  wheels,  was  far  more  dangerous  than 
riding  across  country. 

I  am  not  sure  that  I  should  enjoy  my  time  in  Australia  so 
much  if  I  had  not  a  certain  belief  in  kismet ;  for  travelling 
out  here  is  certainly  very  full  of  risk.  What  with  unbroken 
horses,  rickety  carts,  inexperienced  drivers,  rotten  and  ill-made 
harness  put  on  the  wrong  way,  bad  roads,  reckless  driving, 
and  a  general  total  indifference  to  the  safety  of  life  and  limb, 
a  journey  is  always  an  exciting,  and  sometimes  a  risky,  ex- 
perience. A  little  excitement  is  all  very  well ;  but  when  it 
becomes  absolutely  dangerous,  a  little  of  it  goes  a  long  way. 
I  dislike  seeing  a  horse's  hoofs  quite  close  to  my  head,  with 
a  trace  or  two  trailing  in  the  dust,  or  to  hear  the  ominous 
crack  of  splinter-bar  or  bolt ;  yet  these  are  things  of  daily 
and  hourly  occurrence  in  our  bush  drives.  I  must  say  I  was 


THE  HUNT 


275 


fully     confirmed 

in    my    opinion 

that  driving  was 

more   dangerous 

than     riding    when 

the    hunt    commenced. 

A     man    in    scarlet    went 

first  with  a  little  bag  of  aniseed, 

and   was    followed  by   about    150 

people  on  foot,  and  as  many  more 

either  on  horseback  or  in  vehicles.     The 

drag  was  so  arranged  that  many  of  the 

jumps  could  be  seen   from  a  ridge   near. 

The  clever  way  in  which  little  horses  of  all 

sorts    and   kinds,   well   bred   and    underbred, 

with  all  sorts  of  weights  on  their  backs,  jumped 

high  timber  fences  without  touching  them,  was 

wonderful  to  behold.     Some  of  the  obstacles  were 

even  worse  than  timber,  for  they  were  made  of 

four  wires  stretched  between  timber  posts  with  a 

solid    rail  at  top.      The   last  fence  of  all,  after 

twenty    minutes'    run    through    a    fairly    heavy 

country,  measured  four  feet   two ;     and   yet  not 

a  horse  out  of  the  fifty  or  sixty  who  jumped  it  even  touched  it 

in  the  least.     I  noticed  that  one  or  two  of  the  riders  were 

very  careless  of  the  hounds,  who  had  to  crouch  under  the 

fences  until  the  horses  had  jumped  over  them.     Afterwards 

I  drove  with  the  children  to  '  The  Olives,'  a  pretty  house  with 

a  lovely  garden,  full  of  fragrant  violets,  where  a  large  party 

was  assembled  to  meet  us  at  tea. 

Monday,  June  6th. — Resumed  work  upon  my  Ambulance 
paper  at  an  early  hour  this  morning.  Not  having  a  secretary 
to  help  me,  I  find  the  work  really  hard  ;  for  my  arm  is  often 
so  bad  that  I  can  hardly  use  it.  I  had  a  very  busy  morning, 


276  AN  AMBULANCE  MEETING 

and  after  breakfast  went  to  the  Zoological  Gardens,  where  we 
were  met  by  Sir  Thomas  Elder  and  others.  I  was  amused  to 
see  four  little  leopard  cubs  crouched  in  a  row  on  a  plank,  look- 
ing in  their  dark  corner  like  owls.  From  the  Zoological 
Gardens  we  drove  to  the  Botanical  Gardens,  and  were  met 
there  by  Dr.  Schonburg,  the  director,  who  showed  us  all  the 
plants,  and  especially  pointed  out  the  different  species  of 
eucalypti,  which  I  am  most  anxious  to  understand,  for  they 
are  a  large  'family.'  Everything  here,  whether  called  banksia 
or  anything  else,  seems  to  run  to  bottle-brush  just  as  in 
Western  Australia.  Antipodean  botany  is  puzzling  to  the 
new  arrival.  The  museum  at  the  Botanical  Gardens  is 
excellently  arranged,  both  for  the  exhibition  of  specimens  and 
for  the  information  of  visitors. 

Mrs.  Hay  sent  her  carriage  for  us  at  one  o'clock,  and  we 
went  out  to  lunch  at  her  pretty  country  place,  where  we  met 
a  large  party.  We  had  to  hurry  back  directly  afterwards  to 
attend  the  Ambulance  Meeting,  at  which  the  Governor  kindly 
presided.  It  was  held  at  Government  House,  and  was  well 
attended.  I  found  it  a  great  effort  to  read  the  paper  I  had 
prepared.  There  were  few  speakers.  Everything,  however, 
went  off  well,  and  I  earnestly  hope  our  afternoon's  work  may 
bear  good,  useful  fruit.  There  was  a  dinner-party  in  the 
evening  at  Government  House,  followed  by  a  small  reception 
and  some  nice  music. 

Tuesday,  June  ?th. — In  spite  of  my  Ambulance  meeting 
being  over,  the  force  of  habit  was  so  strong  upon  me  that  I 
awoke  before  four.  At  half-past  ten  I  went  to  a  small  gallery 
of  excellent  pictures,  over  which  we  were  shown  by  the  gentle- 
men in  charge.  We  afterwards  went  through  the  School  of 
Art  and  saw  the  pupils  at  work. 

At  half-past  eleven  Mr.  D.  Lindsay,  the  Australian  explorer, 
came  with  his  aboriginal  servant,  Cubadjee,  whom  he  had 
brought  from  some  place  in  the  interior.  This  youth,  it  seems, 


THE  POST  OFFICE  277 


is  considered  the  short  member  of  his  family ;  but,  although 
only  seventeen  years  old,  he  is  six  feet  five  inches  in  height, 
while  his  elder  brother,  they  declare,  is  seven  feet  six  inches, 
and  the  rest  of  the  family  are  equally  tall.  Cubadjee  made  fire 
for  us  with  two  pieces  of  wood  (a  process  of  which  I  had  often 
heard),  by  rubbing  a  piece  of  wood  with  holes  bored  in  it 
against  another  piece,  quickly  producing  sparks,  which  easily 
ignited  a  piece  of  paper,  and  left  a  certain  amount  of  black 
powder. 

At  12.30  I  went  with  Mr.  Riches  to  the  Treasury  to  see  the 
nuggets  which  had  been  collected  by  the  Local  Government 
to  be  shown  at  the  Exhibition.  Some  of  them  were  fine 
specimens,  especially  the  last  great  find  at  Teetulpa — a  solid 
alluvial  lump  of  gold.  There  was  also  a  splendid  piece  of 
gold  quartz,  brought  in  only  yesterday  from  Mount  Pleasant. 
We  next  visited  the  post-office,  and  were  shown  all  over  that 
establishment  by  Mr.  Todd,  the  Postmaster-General.  There 
I  saw  for  the  first  time  the  working  of  a  large  telephone  ex- 
change, where  at  least  half  a  dozen  ladies  sat  with  their  mouth 
and  ears  alternately  applied  to  the  instruments,  either  to  speak 
or  to  listen.  The  telegraph-room  was  also  interesting.  Only 
a  few  years  ago  the  telegraph  service  cost  per  week  some  seven 
or  eight  pounds,  whereas  now  the  expenditure  amounts  to 
twice  as  many  thousands.  Mr.  Todd  had  himself  been  with 
the  expedition  to  establish  the  great  European  telegraph  line 
that  runs  right  through  Southern,  Central,  and  Northern 
Australia  to  Port  Darwin.  He  told  us  an  amusing  story  of 
the  natives'  notion  of  the  work  they  were  engaged  on  :  '  What 
big  fool  white  man  is,  putting  up  fence  !  cat  will  run  under- 
neath.' Mr.  Todd  is  a  great  electrician,  as  well  as  a  talented 
meteorologist,  and  his  tables  of  winds  and  probable  weather, 
to  be  seen  in  the  central  hall  of  the  post-office,  must  be  of 
great  value  to  shipowners. 

On  our  way  to  the  station  we  called  in  at  the  Lower 


278 


THE  MURRA  Y  RIVER 


On  the  Murray  River 

House,  and  heard  Mr.  Playford  make  his  speech  on  the  no- 
confidence  vote.  From  the  Lower  we  went  to  the  Upper 
House,  where  another  gentleman  was  advocating,  as  strongly 
as  Mr.  Playford  has  been  denouncing,  the  Government  loans. 

Many  friends  met  us  at  the  station,  including  the  Mayor, 
the  Speaker,  the  Chief  Justice,  and  several  others.  Two 
carriages  had  been  reserved  for  us  in  the  Melbourne  Express. 
The  railroad  climbs  up  the  same  hills  among  which  we  have 
taken  so  many  pleasant  drives  during  our  stay  here.  The 
views  of  Mount  Lofty  and  Mount  Barker  from  the  carriage 
window7  were  lovely,  and  I  was  quite  sorry  when  darkness 
prevented  me  from  seeing  any  more  of  the  landscape. 

We  arrived  at  Murray  Bridge  soon  after  six,  and  were  met 
by  Tab  and  Mr.  Beid,  and  all  walked  up  to  a  snug  hotel.  The 
beds  were  comfortable,  and  I  managed  to  keep  up  a  fire  of 
mallee  roots  all  night,  for  it  was  bitterly  cold. 

Wednesday,  June  8th. — I  awoke  at  two,  and  as  it  proved 
impossible  to  go  to  sleep  again,  I  wrote  and  read  until  day- 


WELLINGTON  LODGE  279 

break.  At  a  little  before  nine  we  went  down  to  the  bank 
to  meet  Mr.  Macfaiiane  and  his  daughters,  who  had  come 
forty  miles  down  the  Murray  in  their  pretty  little  steam- 
launch  to  take  us  to  their  station  lodge,  eight  miles  from 
Wellington.  They  had  started  before  four  this  morning,  Mr. 
Macfaiiane  steering  all  the  way.  The  launch  is  a  Clyde- 
built  boat,  and  is  very  fast.  We  passed  through  pretty 
scenery  on  our  way  up  the  river,  and  after  a  time  came  to 
a  station  to  which  many  acres  have  been  added  by  reclaiming 
the  swamps  which  lie  on  either  side  of  the  river.  There 
chanced  to  be  two  guns  on  board  the  launch,  and  as  we 
steamed  along,  the  gentlemen  amused  themselves  by  occasional 
shots  at  the  numerous  black  swans,  coots,  and  ducks. 

We  voyaged  for  some  miles  between  banks  fringed  with 
willows,  the  original  cuttings  of  which  had  been  brought  by 
an  old  French  settler  from  Napoleon's  grave  in  St.  Helena. 
The  trees  have  grown  marvellously  ;  and  I  hear  that  this 
year  the  avenue,  if  it  may  be  so  called,  is  to  be  extended  some 
miles  further  up  the  stream. 

At  about  one  o'clock  we  arrived  at  the  landing-pier,  where 
we  found  one  of  the  capacious  trading-boats,  of  which  we  have 
met  many  on  the  river.  It  is  a  regular  pedlar's  store  on  a 
large  scale,  where  one  might  buy  dresses  of  the  latest  fashion, 
cloaks  and  bonnets,  besides  all  sorts  of  medicines  for  man  and 
beast,  groceries,  and  stores  of  every  kind.  A  most  useful  in- 
stitution it  must  be  to  isolated  toilers  on  the  banks  of  the 
Murray. 

On  reaching  Wellington  Lodge  we  were  first  shown  a 
shearing-house  with  every  convenience  for  folding  the  sheep 
in  thousands.  After  the  shearing  operations  are  completed 
the  sheep  are  let  out  into  little  pens,  so  that  it  can  be  at  once 
seen  whether  a  man  has  done  his  work  well  or  ill.  We  saw  all 
the  processes  and  modes  of  packing  the  wool,  of  which  Mr. 
Macfaiiane  is  justly  proud  ;  for  I  believe  his  system  has  been 


280 


A   BUCKBOARD 


adopted  in  almost  all  the  wool-producing  countries  of  the 
world.  Leaving  the  wool-sheds,  we  went  to  the  stables,  which 
were  full  of  young  horses ;  and  here  we  were  shown  a  '  buck- 
board  ' — a  wonderful  Australian  conveyance.  It  is  as  light  as 
a  feather,  and  is  capable  of  carrying  a  great  deal  of  luggage 
or  farm  produce,  besides  the  driver  and  one  passenger.  This 
particular  buckboard  almost  came  to  grief  yesterday  with 
Mr.  Macfarlane,  who  had  gone  out  shooting  with  one  of  his 
daughters.  He  had  left  the  carriage  to  get  nearer  his  game, 
when  the  horses  took  fright  and  ran  away,  tearing  round  and 
round  a  field  ;  a  trace  broke,  and  the  light  trap  nearly  touched 
the  fence  at  every  turn.  The  young  girl  stuck  pluckily  to  her 
post,  and  at  last  succeeded  in  pulling  the  horses  up. 

Through  a  door  in  the  wall  of  the  stable  yard  we  passed 
into  a  beautiful  garden  full  of  violets,  mignonette,  scarlet 
geraniums,  and  late  autumn  flowers  ;  besides  gooseberries,  rasp- 
berries, currants,  and  other  English  fruits;  while  overhead 
stretched  a  long  trellis  covered  with  fine  Muscatel  vines  from 
which  some  late  bunches  of  grapes  were  still  hanging. 

Wellington  Lodge  itself  proved  to  be  a  comfortable  dwell- 
ing, with  rooms  opening  into,  a  garden,  bright  and  gay  with 


A   Buckboard 


BALLARAT  281 


sunshine  and  flowers.  The  view  over  the  plains  was  full  of 
life,  and  the  paddocks  were  well  stocked  with  cattle  and  horses. 
After  an  excellent  luncheon  of  good  things  produced  upon  the 
station,  we  spent  a  pleasant  time  looking  over  a  capital  col- 
lection of  photographs,  some  of  which  Mr.  Macfarlane  very 
kindly  gave  us.  Then  we  went  into  the  garden,  strolled  round 
the  stables,  saw  some  of  the  young  stock,  and  were  shown 
what  a  buck-jumper  could  do.  After  a  few  preliminary  cur- 
vets and  bounds,  the  gates  of  the  yard  were  opened  and  the 
animal  was  allowed  to  '  go '  like  an  arrow  from  a  bow  for 
three  miles.  His  first  leap  was  over  a  very  stiff  gate  more 
than  five  feet  high,  which  he  took  like  a  bird,  and  was  soon 
out  of  sight. 

Having  dined,  we  returned  to  the  railway,  and  took  up 
our  quarters  in  a  boudoir-car  attached  to  the  express  train, 
timed  to  arrive  at  Ballarat  at  six  o'clock  to-morrow  morning. 

Ballarat:  Thursday,  Jane  gth. — After  an  excellent  night 
in  a  luxurious  sleeping-carriage  I  was  called  at  seven.  A 
little  before  eight  the  Mayor  of  Ballarat  and  others  were  an- 
nounced, and  I  had  to  settle  with  them  the  programme  for 
the  day  whilst  the  others  were  making  their  toilettes.  At 
8.30  we  left  the  station  for  Craig's  Hotel,  where  we  found 
breakfast  prepared  in  a  comfortable  room.  Tom  and  the 
doctor  had  arranged  to  arrive  at  half-past  ten.  They  had 
parted  from  us  at  Port  Adelaide  on  the  3rd  instant,  and  had 
gone  by  sea  in  the  '  Sunbeam  '  to  Melbourne,  which  they 
reached  on  the  6th,  after  a  quick  but  stormy  passage.  Tom 
remained  a  couple  of  days  at  Melbourne — just  long  enough  to 
be  present  at  the  opening  of  the  Parliament,  and  also  at  the 
annual  banquet  of  the  Public  Service  Association,  at  both  of 
which  functions  he  was  glad  to  be  able  to  assist.  On  the 
9th  he  embarked  again,  took  the  yacht  on  to  Geelong,  and 
came  by  train  to  meet  us  here.  We  were  just  in  time  to 
receive  the  Mayor  at  half-past  eleven,  and  then  we  all  went 

L  L 


282 


STAR   OF   THE   EAST  MIXE 


Ballarat 


together  to 
the  town  -  hall, 
where  the  Corporation, 
the  Mayoress,  and  a  number 
of  ladies  were  kindly  waiting  for  us. 
After  looking  over  the  building  we  drove 
first  to  the  Albion  Lode  Mine ;  but  as  no  pre- 
paration had  been  made  for  our  descent,  we 
went  on  to  the  Star  of  the  East  Mine,  where,  after  putting  on 
real  miners'  clothes,  we  went  down  in  the  cage  with  Mr.  Carroll 
and  several  other  directors  who  had  come  to  meet  us.  The 
directors  asked  me  to  christen  a  new  lode  the  '  Lady  Brassey,' 
but  I  suggested  that  the  name  should  be  the  '  Sunbeam,'  and 
this  they  eventually  adopted.  I  was  afterwards  glad  to  hear 
that  the  next  day  they  struck  gold.  There  was  a  good  deal  of 
walking  to  be  done  in  the  mine,  and  I  was  very  tired  when  we 
got  to  the  surface,  at  about  three  o'clock,  having  been  under- 
ground more  than  two  hours.  But  there  was  still  the  crush- 
ing and  separating  machinery  to  be  seen.  This  proved  to  be 
much  the  same  as  we  saw  in  use  in  Cornwall  last  year  for 
dealing  with  the  tin  ore. 

It  was  past  three  before  we  got  back  to  the  hotel,  tired 
and  hungry.     Much  a's  we  were  in  need  of  refreshment,  we 


DOW  LING  FOREST  283 


were  not  allowed  to  take  it  in  peace,  for  interviewer  after 
interviewer  kept  coming  in.  At  last,  in  despair,  we  ordered 
three  hansoms  and  went  for  a  drive  round  the  town  and 
environs,  which  looked  wonderfully  beautiful  in  spite  of  the 
wintry  season  and  the  gloomy  day. 

We  dined  at  the  table  d'hote.  Tom  and  the  doctor  arrived 
later.  Tom's  eye  was  very  bad,  and  had  to  be  bandaged  up, 
and  altogether  he  looked  very  unwell. 

Friday,  June  loth. — Miss  Cornwall,  the  discoverer  and 
part  owner  of  the  Midas  Mine,  came  early  this  morning  with 
her  father  and  one  or  two  other  gentlemen — directors  of  the 
mine — to  take  us  to  see  it.  The  drive  through  the  town  was 
pleasant,  and  we  admired  its  fine  public  buildings  and  beau- 
tiful avenues  of  trees.  It  was  a  long  drive  to  the  mine 
through  Dowling  Forest,  a  picturesque  spot  with  large  trees 
growing  amid  park-like  scenery  ;  marred,  however,  by  debris 
of  abandoned  mines,  or  little  red  flags  and  heaps  of  rubbish, 
which  marked  the  camps  of  new  explorers.  Miss  Cornwall 
made  the  way  interesting  by  telling  us  the  history  of  the 
various  mines  we  passed.  One  story  was  about  a  mine 
known  to  be  very  rich,  but  which  had  never  paid  more  than 
its  working  expenses.  The  reason  for  this  unsatisfactory  con- 
dition of  affairs  could  not  be  discovered  for  a  long  time ;  but 
at  last  one  man  '  peached,'  and  was  followed  by  the  police  to  a 
public-house,  where  he  met  four  of  his  fellow-diggers.  Although 
they  had  all  been  carefully  searched  before  leaving  the  mine,  a 
more  rigorous  examination  by  the  police  produced  fifteen  ounces 
of  gold  on  each  man,  the  gold  being  valued  at  4.1.  per  ounce. 

Arrived  at  the  mine,  we  donned  our  mining  costumes 
and  climbed  to  the  top  of  a  high  mound,  where  the  crushing 
apparatus  stood.  The  contents  of  one  of  the  huge  cylinders 
had  been  kept  especially  for  us  to  see,  and  the  miners  now 
proceeded  to  run  it  out,  with  the  result  that  a  good  proportion 
of  small  nuggets  was  obtained.  This  was  by  no  means  the 


284 


THE  MIDAS  MINE 


last  process.  There  would  be  two  or  three  further  washings. 
We  next  went  down  the  mine — in  a  cage,  as  is  usual — and 
had  to  walk  through  the  workings,  for  there  were  no  trucks 
or  trolleys.  The  operations  have  been  successful,  and  the 
character  of  the  ground  leads  to  the  belief  that  large  nuggets 


Lliners    Camp 


may  yet  be  found  in  the  river  bed.  After  going  through  a  great 
many  of  the  levels  I  felt  tired,  and  sat  down,  and,  to  amuse 
myself,  proceeded  to  scratch  in  the  side  of  the  heading  in 
order  to  fill  a  little  pannikin,  which  Miss  Cornwall  said  each  of 
the  children  and  I  were  to  have  to  wash  out  in  the  old-fashioned 
miner's  way.  Each  pannikin  was  marked  and  sent  to  the  top 


WASHING   GOLD  285 


in  charge  of  one  of  the  'head  gangers.'  Many  of  the  miners 
were  Cornishmen  who  had  emigrated  from  the  old  country, 
and  were  bringing  up  their  sons  to  their  own  calling  in  this 
wonderful  new  land.  They  have  a  saying  here  that  a  Cornish 
miner  is  the  best  miner  in  the  world,  and  the  only  one  better 
is  a  Cornish  man's  son.  The  meaning  of  this  is  that  you 
cannot  begin  a  calling  too  early  in  life,  and  that  an  intimate, 
though  perhaps  unscientific,  knowledge  of  the  various  strata 
is  of  the  utmost  importance  in  mining  operations. 

On  returning  to  the  surface  the  air  seemed  frightfully  cold 
in  comparison  with  the  warm  atmosphere  of  the  mine  ;  and  I 
shivered  and  shook,  as  I  sat  by  a  little  heap  of  debris,  and 
washed  out  my  pannikin  of  dirt.  But  I  only  obtained  about 
half  an  ounce  of  small  gold  nuggets,  which,  however,  the 
experienced  say,  denote  the  proximity  of  a  bed  of  very  much 
larger  specimens.1  It  seemed  delightful  to  get  into  the  warm 
shelter  of  the  office,  put  on  our  wraps  again,  and  enjoy  the  lunch 
so  kindly  provided  for  us.  We  drank  success  to  the  Midas  Mine 
and  all  connected  with  it,  specially  to  the  energetic  discoverer, 
principal  shareholder,  and  manageress — Miss  Cornwall. 

Immediately  after  lunch  Tom  and  I  were  obliged  to  leave, 
as  we  wished  to  call  on  the  Bishop.  There  was  only  just  time 
to  do  this  and  catch  the  train  to  Geelong,  at  which  place  we 
arrived  at  about  half-past  six.  We  were  met  at  the  station 

1  In  connection  with  Lady  Brassey's  visit  to  the  Midas  Mine,  the  following 
extract  from  the  Melbourne  Argus  of  June  14th  may  be  of  interest : — '  The 
nugget  obtained  in  the  Midas  Company's  mine,  on  the  Dowling  Forest  Estate, 
Ballarat,  on  June  llth,  has  been  named  the  "  Lady  Brassey."  It  was  found 
within  two  feet  of  the  spot  in  the  drive  from  which  a  dish  of  stuff  was  washed 
by  her  Ladyship  when  she  visited  the  mine  the  previous  day,  and  it  has  since 
been  shown  to  her  in  Melbourne,  and  by  her  leave  has  been  named  after  her. 
Its  weight  is  167  oz.,  and  it  consists  almost  entirely  of  pure  gold.  Together 
with  the  rest  of  the  gold  obtained  from  the  mine  last  week  (117  oz.)  the  nugget 
will  be  exhibited  in  the  window  of  Messrs.  Kilpatrick  &  Co.,  jewellers,  Collins 
Street.  The  Midas  Company  was  only  registered  in  October  1885,  since  which 
time  the  gold  won  has  realised  a  total  of  5,400  oz.  The  Company  began 
operations  with  500Z.  and  has  not  had  to  make  a  single  call.' 


286  GEELONG 

by  Mr.  Bartlett  (one  of  the  numerous  sons  of  the  Mr.  Bartlett 
who  was  so  long  with  Mr.  Brassey  in  France,  Spain,  and  other 
parts  of  the  world),  and  soon  found  ourselves  on  board  the 
yacht  again,  which  looked,  as  usual,  pleasant  and  homelike 
after  our  short  absence. 

Saturday,  June  nth. — I  was  up  early,  and  tried  to  rouse 
the  other  people  up  too,  so  as  to  be  ready  to  receive  the 
Mayor  and  Corporation,  who  arrived  punctually,  accompanied 
by  their  ladies.  The  presentation  of  the  address  of  welcome 
took  some  time,  and  then  we  had  to  go  ashore  and  drive 
round  the  town  of  Geelong  to  admire  its  public  buildings 
and  natural  beauties.  Tom  went  first,  with  the  principal 
members  of  the  Corporation,  in  a  break  drawn  by  four  horses, 
and  I  followed  with  the  children  in  other  carriages.  We 
drove  first  to  the  skating-rink,  through  nice  broad  streets 
with  good  houses  on  each  side.  There  we  were  shown  an 
excellent  collection  of  New  Guinea  curiosities  belonging  to  a 
German  explorer.  From  the  skating-rink  we  drove  through 
fine  streets  to  the  Botanical  Gardens,  where  we  were  given 
beautiful  nosegays,  and  there  met  the  rest  of  the  party,  who 
were  being  taken  round  by  the  curator.  The  gardens,  and 
especially  the  houses,  seem  admirably  planned.  I  noticed  an 
ingenious  arrangement  of  water-pipes  leading  to  the  top  of  the 
tree-ferns,  by  which  the  parasites  growing  on  them  are  kept 
constantly  moist. 

When  we  had  thoroughly  explored  the  gardens  we  bade 
adieu  to  the  Mayor  and  our  friends  on  shore,  and  went  off  to 
the  yacht.  We  reached  Hobson's  Bay  at  dusk,  and  arrived 
at  Government  House  in  the  middle  of  dinner  ! 


CHAPTEE   XIII. 

VICTORIA. 

Sunday,  Jane  \2tli. — The  Government  House  of  the 
colony  of  Victoria  is  an  enormous  building,  surrounded  by 
an  extensive  park,  situated  on  the  top  of  a  small  hill,  which 
commands  a  fine  view  over  Melbourne  and  its  suburbs. 
There  is  a  complete  suite  of  private  apartments  in  the  house, 
besides  rooms  for  many  guests,  and  splendid  reception,  ban- 
queting, and  ball  rooms. 

Monday,  June  i^th. — My  cold  is  still  bad  ;  and  although 
Tom  is  also  far  from  well,  he  went  to  the  town-hall  this  morn- 
ing to  receive  a  deputation  from  the  Victorian  Branch  of  the 
Imperial  Federation  League.  The  morning  was  a  busy  one 


288  MELBOURNE 


until  it  became  time  to  go  down  to  the  yacht  to  lunch  and  to 
receive  the  officers  of  the  naval  forces  and  Naval  Brigade.  Miss 
Cornwall  and  her  father  came  later,  bringing  the  nugget  with 
them  which  had  been  found  on  Friday  not  more  than  two  feet 
from  the  place  where  I  was  scratching.  It  is  to  be  named 
after  me.  It  is  looked  upon  as  the  forerunner  of  other  and 
larger  ones.  Miss  Eomilly  also  arrived,  and  we  all  returned 
to  Melbourne  in  the  evening. 

Tuesday,  June  i^tli. — After  a  bad  night  I  had  to  receive 
many  interviewers.  Amongst  those  who  called  was  a  gentle- 
man from  the  Woman's  Suffrage  Society,  who  wished  to  elicit 
some  expression  of  my  opinion,  as  he  understood  that  I  was 
strongly  in  favour  of  woman's  suffrage.  He  seemed  disap- 
pointed when  I  told  him  he  was  mistaken,  and  that  I  thought 
women  already  did  govern  the  world  more  or  less,  whereas  if  we 
had  votes  we  should  probably  not  have  nearly  as  much  power 
as  we  now  possess  without  any  undue  fuss  being  made  about  it. 

Mabelle  went  down  with  Miss  Komilly  to  see  her  off  to 
England  by  the  '  Bengal.'  Tom  took  the  children  for  a  walk, 
but  it  was  still  too  wet  for  me  to  venture  out,  except  in  a  close 
carriage.  In  the  afternoon  I  went  with  the  Governor  to 
the  fine  public  library,  where  we  were  met  by  Sir  George 
Verdon  and  some  other  gentlemen.  It  is  a  splendid  building, 
and  the  arrangements  are  most  excellent.  A  student  can  get 
any  book  he  requires,  on  almost  every  subject,  without  the 
least  trouble.  From  the  library  we  drove  to  the  picture- 
gallery,  which  contains  a  small  but  excellent  collection,  partly 
selected  and  sent  out  by  Sir  Frederick  Leighton.  Then  we 
went  to  the  museum,  where  we  found  many  New  Guinea  and 
Fijian  curiosities.  Ugly  objects  are  here  arranged  so  as  to 
look  pretty,  and  I  gathered  many  hints  for  the  future  arrange- 
ment of  my  own  museum  at  home. 

Tom  and  Mabelle  had  not  intended  starting  for  Mount 
Gambier  until  to-morrow,  but  they  found  to-day  that  it  was 


THE  MINT  289 


absolutely  necessary  to  leave  by  the  4. 5  train  if  they  wished  to 
arrive  in  time  for  the  opening  of  the  new  railway  from  Mount 
Gambier  to  Narracoorte. 

Wednesday,  June  i$th. — I  spent  a  busy  morning  reading, 
writing,  receiving  interviewers,  and  trying  on  my  fancy  dress 
for  the  Jubilee  Ball.  Lunch  was  early  in  consequence  of  Sir 
Henry  and  Lady  Loch  having  to  lay  the  foundation-stone  of 
the  Genevieve  Ward  of  the  hospital.  I  did  not  go  to  the  cere- 
mony, although  I  discovered  afterward  that  I  had  been  ex- 
pected. The  ladies  of  the  committee  sent  me  a  lovely  bouquet 
which  they  had  intended  to  present,  ornamented  with  a  little 
stuffed  bird  bearing  a  tiny  model  of  the  '  Sunbeam '  on  its 
back.  I  had  a  hard  afternoon's  work  until  tea-time,  when 
my  friend  Mrs.  Fairfax,  the  Admiral's  wife,  arrived  with  Miss 
Dundas. 

Thursday,  June  i6lh. — Sir  Henry  Loch,  Mrs.  Fairfax,  and 
Miss  Dundas  went  to  the  Mint  this  morning  to  see  the  first  of 
the  new  sovereigns  struck,  but  I  was  not  able  to  accompany 
them.  Everyone  seems  to  agree  that  the  likeness  of  her 
Majesty  which  is  to  appear  upon  the  coins  is  not  at  all  good. 
The  weather  was  showery  all  day,  and  bitterly  cold  in  the 
afternoon  when  we  went  to  assist  at  the  stone-laying  of  the 
Wesleyan  College,  where  many  speeches  were  made,  Sir  Henry 


Victoria  Defence  Fleet 


2QO  MOUNT  GAM  BIER 


Loch's  being  a  really  brilliant  oration.  There  was  again  an 
early  dinner  to-night,  to  allow  of  our  all  going  afterwards  to 
the  Bijou  Theatre  to  see  Madame  Majeroni  in  '  Wanda.' 

Saturday,  June  iSth. — Tom,  Tab,  and  Mabelle  returned 
to-day  from  Mount  Ganibier.  I  must  use  Tom's  description 
of  the  expedition. 

'  We  made  another  excursion  from  Melbourne  on  June  I4th, 
to  attend  the  opening  of  the  railway  connecting  the  district  of 
Mount  Gambier,  in  South  Australia,  with  the  direct  line  from 
Adelaide  to  Melbourne.  We  travelled  to  Wolseley  by  the 
ordinary  train,  the  journey  occupying  from  4  P.M.  on  June  14 
until  an  early  hour  on  the  following  morning.  There  we 
waited  several  hours  for  the  special  train  from  Adelaide  ;  and 
Mount  Gambier  was  not  reached  until  a  late  hour  in  the 
evening. 

'  Mount  Gambier  is  a  pleasing  town  of  5,000  inhabitants, 
in  the  centre  of  a  district  of  rich  volcanic  soil,  thrown  up  over 
a  sandstone  formation  by  the  eruptions  of  a  former  period, 
when  the  surrounding  mountains  were  active  volcanoes.  The 
two  principal  craters  are  now  filled  with  lakes  of  great  depth, 
appropriately  named,  from  their  beautiful  colouring,  the  Blue 
Lake  and  the  Green  Lake.  Looking  outwards  from  the  craters, 
a  vast  and  fertile  plain  expands  on  all  sides,  bounded  by  the 
ocean  on  the  south,  and  by  distant  chains  of  hills  on  the  north. 
Here  and  there  the  plain  is  studded  with  other  cones,  as  dis- 
tinctly denned  as  those  of  Mount  Gambier,  but  on  a  smaller 
scale. 

'  I  will  not  enter  in  detail  upon  all  the  incidents  of  the 
opening  of  the  railway.  We  were  greeted  by  the  school 
children  with  a  stirring  rendering  of  the  National  Anthem. 
We  travelled  a  short  distance  on  the  line,  and  were  banqueted 
in  the  evening.  I  replied  for  the  visitors,  and  preached 
federation.  In  the  •  interval  between  the  opening  of  the  rail- 
way and  the  banquet  we  went  out  to  see  a  run  with  the 


MOUNT  GAM  BIER  291 

Mount  Gambier  drags.  The  timber  fencing  would  be  thought 
desperate  riding  in  an  ordinary  English  hunting-field.  The 
doubles  in  and  out  of  a  road  are  decidedly  formidable. 

*  We  visited  the  Wesleyan  Chapel  at  Mount  Gambier.  The 
minister  described  the  excellent  organisation  which  enables 
him  to  give  effective  spiritual  supervision  over  a  wide  district. 
In  the  afternoon  travelled  by  special  train  to  Narracoorte. 
Had  some  interesting  conversation  on  the  land  question. 
From  the  railway  traffic  point  of  view  monopolies  in  land 
were  severely  criticised.  Where  tracts  of  100,000  or  200,000 
acres  are  in  the  hands  of  a  single  proprietor,  the  district 
does  not  progress  as  in  cases  where  the  land  is  subdivided 
into  smaller  holdings.  The  large  proprietor  concentrates  his 
energies  on  sheep.  The  owner  of  a  small  tract  finds  it  pays 
to  give  a  larger  proportion  of  his  land  to  arable  cultivation. 
Subdivision  of  land  encourages  population.  Monopoly  in  land 
has  the  contrary  effect.  If  the  increase  of  numbers,  under 
good  conditions  as  to  standard  of  living,  be  one  of  the  aims 
of  government,  it  follows  that  concentration  of  ownership  and 
occupation  is  contrary  to  public  policy.  The  objection  dis- 
appears where  satisfactory  arrangements  are  made  for  letting 
the  land  on  liberal  terms.  In  this  case  the  large  proprietor 
is  a  provider  of  capital,  for  which  he  receives  interest,  in 
the  form  of  rent,  readily  accepting  a  lower  rate  than  a 
labourer,  with  slender  security  to  offer,  would  be  compelled 
to  pay  if  he  were  the  borrower  of  money  instead  of  the  hirer 
of  land.' 

The  party  from  Mount  Gambier,  though  rather  tired,  were 
able  to  come  on  board  the  yacht  with  us  about  one  o'clock. 
We  had  quite  a  large  and  pleasant  lunch  on  board,  and  an 
'  At  home '  in  the  afternoon,  when  upwards  of  two  hundred 
people  came  to  tea. 

The  yacht  was  berthed  alongside  the  graving-dock  pier 
at  Williamstown,  which  made  it  easy  of  access.  In  spite  of 

M  M 


THE  REVIEW 


the  agonising  pain  which  Tom  was  suffering  from 
an  inflamed  eye,  he  insisted  on  going  to  the  Sea- 
men's Meeting,  and  actually  managed  to  make  a 

good    speech, 
though        he 
scarcely  knew 
what  he  was 
saying  at  the 
time.         The 
party  at  din- 
ner this  even- 
ing   included 
several  mem- 
bers   of    the 
Government, 
among  whom  was 
Mr.  Deakin,  who  has 
just  returned  from  attend- 
ing the  Colonial  Conference  in 
London. 

Monday,  June  2oth. — The  day  of  the 
grand  volunteer  review  (the  beginning  of 
the  festivities  in  Jubilee  week)  dawned 
bitterly  cold,  as  indeed  one  must  expect  in 
midwinter.  I  got  leave  from  the  Doctor, 
with  great  difficulty,  for  Tom  to  go  to  it  in 
a  closed  carriage;  for  he  was  still  suffering 
much  from  his  eyes.  Lady  Loch  drove 
with  me  to  the  ground  in  an  open  carriage, 
and  of  course  we  had  an  excellent  place 
close  to  the  saluting-flag,  and  were  able  to 
admire  the  march  past  of  the  troops.  They 
seemed  an  excellent  and  well-drilled  body 
of  men.  The  Lancers  and  the  Royal 


THE   LEVEE  293 


Naval  Brigade  especially  attracted  attention.  All  the  party 
went  to  the  military  tournament  in  the  evening  except  Tom 
and  I,  who  stayed  at  home  with  Lady  Loch.  The  wind  was 
very  high  and  keen  to-day,  and  seemed  to  increase  in  violence 
towards  evening. 

Tuesday,  June  2ist. — During  the  night  it  blew  half  a  gale, 
and  the  wind  incessantly  shook  all  the  little  lamps  which  are 
to  be  used  at  the  Jubilee  illuminations  to  outline  the  frames 
of  the  windows,  producing  discordant  and  sleep-dispelling 
noises. 

At  half-past  ten  the  day's  celebration  began  with  the 
Governor's  levee,  which  was  tremendously  crowded  by  all  sorts 
and  conditions  of  men.  There  were  two  black  chiefs  from 
Fernshaw.  Lady  Loch  first  presented  her  address  to  the 
Governor  from  the  ladies  of  Victoria,  and  then  hundreds  of 
other  loyal  addresses  followed  from  all  parts  of  the  colony. 
There  was  considerable  confusion,  and  the  scene,  as  we  looked 
down  from  the  gallery  at  the  end  of  the  ball-room,  was  very 
animated  and  amusing.  Directly  after  the  levee  came  a 
grand  lunch  given  by  the  Mayor.  I  went  for  a  long  drive, 
first  to  St.  Kilda,  and  then  on  to  the  Convent  of  the  Good 
Shepherd,  which  enabled  me  to  form  a  very  fair  idea  of 
the  suburbs  of  Melbourne.  I  was  particularly  struck  with 
the  enormous  width  of  the  roads.  Such  space  appears  to  us 
unnecessary,  but  I  am  told  it  is  needed  for  the  occasional 
passage  of  mobs  of  cattle.  We  met  one  large  mob  of,  I  should 
think,  more  than  five  hundred  head,  driven  by  half  a  dozen 
men  with  long  stock  whips.  The  stock-men  appeared  to 
travel  comfortably,  for  some  buggies  followed  laden  with  their 
simple  camp  equipment. 

Wednesday,  June  22nd. — At  twelve  to-day  the  children  and 
I  paid  a  visit  to  the  law  courts,  where  we  were  met  by  Mr. 
Justice  Kernford,  who,  being  engaged  in  court  himself,  de- 
puted Mr.  Sheriff  Bead  to  show  us  round.  The  courts  seem 


294  THE  JUBILEE  BALL 

well  arranged,  and  the  rooms  are  much  more  handsomely 
furnished  than  similar  places  in  England.  The  library  at- 
tached to  the  courts  was  filled  with  books  of  reference.  There 
are  smaller  rooms  for  consultations  with  clients.  There  were 
also  one  or  two  large  reception-rooms,  in  which  hung  some 
portraits  of  former  Governors  and  Judges. 

We  had  an  early  dinner,  and  then  all  dressed  for  the  ball ; 
assembling  first  in  the  large  private  hall  a  little  before  nine, 
where  we  formed  ourselves  into  a  procession.  The  costumes 
were  so  rich  and  correct  in  their  details  that  the  sight  must 
have  been  very  pretty  as  we  passed  through  the  crowds  of 
spectators  (who  had  been  arriving  for  hours,  and  had  filled 
the  public  reception-rooms),  and  took  up  our  positions  on  the 
dais. 

For  the  first  few  minutes  the  crowding  was  tremendous,  as 
everybody  wished  to  shake  hands  with  the  Governor  and  Lady 
Loch.  In  course  of  time,  however,  the  throng  began  to  clear 
away,  and  for  the  rest  of  the  evening  it  was  possible  not  only 
to  walk  about  but  to  dance  in  perfect  comfort.  It  was  a 
magnificent  spectacle,  and  the  arrangements  seemed  admir- 
ably conceived  and  carried  out,  the  Fountain  Court,  covered 
in  by  a  temporary  structure,  being  perhaps  the  prettiest  of 
all.  At  one  o'clock  the  doors  of  the  supper-room  were  thrown 
open.  Not  long  after  supper  Sir  Henry  and  Lady  Loch  and 
I  retired ;  but  I  believe  that  many  of  the  people  did  not  get 
away  until  five  o'clock.  The  illuminations  were  beautiful, 
especially  among  the  shipping,  both  at  Williamstown  and 
Port  Melbourne,  and  the  little  '  Sunbeam  '  made  herself  as 
gay  as  she  could  with  red  and  blue  lights. 

Thursday,  June  2$rd. — The  event  of  to-day  was  the  chris- 
tening of  the  central  hall  of  the  Parliament  Houses,  to  be 
henceforward  known  as  the  '  Queen's  Hall.'  An  immense 
number  of  people  had  assembled.  The  dai's,  to  which  the 
Governor,  Lady  Loch,  and  we  ourselves  were  led,  had  been 


DEMONSTRATION  OF  SCHOOL-CHILDREN          295 

placed  at  the  foot  of  Mr.  Marshall  Wood's  fine  statue  of  her 
Majesty,  and  everything  was  arranged  to  ensure  a  splendid 
coup  d'ceil ;  but  all  the  details  of  the  ceremony  have  been  so 
fully  described  in  the  newspapers  that  I  need  not  repeat  them 
here.  It  was  worth  coming  all  the  thousands  of  miles  we 
have  traversed  by  sea  and  land  to  have  the  opportunity  of 
witnessing  such  loyal  enthusiasm. 

Directly  after  we  left  the  hall  I  hurried  on  board  the 
'  Sunbeam  '  to  receive  a  couple  of  hundred  guests,  and  had 
only  just  time  to  get  back  to  Government  House  to  dine  and 
dress  for  the  State  Concert  at  the  Exhibition  building,  which 
was  densely  crowded.  The  combined  musical  societies,  under 
the  skilful  leadership  of  Mr.  Herz,  opened  the  proceedings  by 
singing  the  '  Old  Hundredth,'  in  which  the  audience  joined 
with  great  heartiness.  This  was  followed  by  a  grand  Jubilee 
Ode,  composed  by  Dr.  Mackenzie,  and  by  several  excellently 
rendered  solos,  among  the  performers  being  Mr.  Beaumont, 
the  tenor,  whose  '  Death  of  Nelson '  brought  the  house 
down,  and  Miss  Amy  Sherwin,  '  the  Australian  nightingale,' 
whose  rendering  of  '  The  Harp  that  once,'  '  Within  a  Mile 
of  Edinboro'  Town,'  and  '  Home,  Sweet  Home '  was  simply 
perfect. 

Friday,  June  2^th. — To-day  a  demonstration  of  school- 
children, said  to  be  the  largest  gathering  of  the  kind  ever  held 
in  the  colony,  took  place  in  the  Exhibition  building.  Twenty 
thousand  children  must  have  been  there  ;  and  as  they  each 
W7ore  a  rosette  and  carried  a  little  flag,  the  scene  looked  gay 
as  a  summer  garden.  Of  course  there  were  the  usual  loyal 
anthems ;  and  besides  the  cheers  in  the  programme  the 
children  did  a  good  deal  of  happy  shouting  on  their  own 
account.  The  Bishop  of  Melbourne  gave  them  an  excellent 
address,  and  all  the  arrangements  were  admirably  and  carefully 
carried  out. 

Saturday,   June    2$tli. — Awoke   early   after  a  fairly   good 


296 


CAULFIELD  RACES 


night,  and  set  to  work  at  once  on  my  correspondence,  which 
accumulates  terribly  in  spite  of  my  efforts  to  answer  every 
letter  as  it  arrives.  I  made  many  futile  attempts  to  write  up 
my  journal,  but  was  interrupted  by  numerous  interviewers, 
especially  by  secretaries  of  charitable  societies,  anxious  to 
get  some  share  of  the  proceeds  derived  from  showing  the 
'  Sunbeam.' 

Preciselv  at  twelve  o'clock   we   started  for  the  races  at 


s^-^asvr ' •"  '•' '•"' •'•  -' "'  ^    '•  :         •-          "*•-  •-'<-- 

Selectors 


Caulriekl.  The  road  lay  for  several  miles  through  prosperous- 
looking  suburbs  consisting  of  villas  and  a  multitude  of  small 
wooden  houses  with  corrugated  iron  verandahs  and  roofs. 
However  convenient  this  material  may  be  for  such  purposes, 
it  does  not  add  to  the  beauty  of  the  landscape.  Bungalows 
in  India,  and  indeed  all  over  the  East,  look  picturesque  and 
pretty,  with  their  deep  wooden  verandahs,  which  must  surely 


DANGEROUS    WORK  297 


be  much  cooler  than  these  corrugated  iron  houses,  said  to  be 
hot  in  summer  and  cold  in  winter. 

We  arrived  at  the  racecourse  at  about  a  quarter  to  one. 
The  heavy  rain  of  last  night  had  swamped  the  place,  and 
though  luckily  the  course  was  not  flooded,  it  was  very  heavy 
going,  and  a  great  deal  of  the  ground  close  to  the  course 
seemed  quite  under  water.  I  heard  a  story  of  a  lady  having 
to  swim  her  horse  over  a  field  during  this  morning's  run  !  It 
was  bitterly  cold,  and  we  all  felt  glad  of  the  excitement  caused 
by  the  appearance  of  the  jockeys,  mounted  on  nice-looking 
horses.  I  fixed  my  mind  on  horse  number  twelve  on  the  card, 
and  thought  he  looked  extremely  well  as  he  cantered  past  the 
stand.  The  poor  animal  kept  up  bravely  till  near  the  end, 
when  he  caught  his  foot  in  a  hurdle,  while  going  at  a  fearful 
pace,  and  fell,  breaking  his  off-leg  so  badly  that  he  had  to  be 
shot  on  the  spot.  His  jockey  escaped  with  only  a  severe 
shaking.  I  had  110  idea  until  I  came  here  what  steeple- 
chase riding  was  like  in  Australia.  To-day,  just  before  the 
first  race  came  off,  an  ambulance-carriage  was  driven  into 
the  centre  of  the  ground  and  took  up  a  central  position 
so  as  to  be  able  to  quickly  reach  any  part  of  the  course.  I 
was  assured  that  it  was  not  at  all  unusual  for  two  or  three 
jockeys  to  be  injured  in  one  race.  Another  significant  and 
permanent  adjunct  of  the  Caulfield  racecourse  is  the  neat 
little  hospital,  provided  with  every  possible  medical  and 
surgical  appliance  for  remedying  injuries  to  the  human  frame. 
There  are  eight  beds  in  the  hospital,  and  I  was  told  that  they 
had  at  times  been  all  filled  with  serious  cases.  Such  a  state 
of  things  degrades  the  good  old  national  sport  of  steeple- 
chasing  to  the  level  of  Spanish  bullfights,  where  the  toreadors 
hear  Mass  before  going  into  the  ring.  It  is  not  wonderful 
that  these  dreadful  accidents  happen,  for  some  of  the  fences 
are  truly  fearful,  consisting  of  a  big  tree  cut  into  four  or  five 
pieces,  nailed  firmly  one  on  top  of  the  other  to  a  height  of  four 


298  WILLIAMSTOWN 


feet  six  inches.  This  arrangement  precludes  all  possibility  of 
the  fence  yielding  if  the  horse  touches  it.  The  argument  in 
favour  of  this  fence  is  that  it  represents  the  real  fence  of  the 
country,  and  that  horses  are  accustomed  to  jump  it.  The 
accidents,  which  are  nearly  as  frequent  and  as  bad  in  the  flat 
races,  occur  generally  from  the  tremendous  number  of  starters. 
To-day  there  were  thirty-two  in  one  race  and  forty-seven  in 
another,  and  some  of  the  worst  casualties  were  caused  by  one 
horse  falling  and  others  tumbling  over  him. 

At  half-past  two  we  left,  for  the  Governor  had  to  open  the 
bazaar  in  aid  of  the  Convalescent  Home  in  the  place  of  Lady 
Loch,  who  was  unable  to  leave  her  room.  We  drove  to  the 
Exhibition  building,  which  did  not  look  half  so  pretty  as 
yesterday  when  it  was  filled  by  the  children.  However,  every- 
thing went  off  well  according  to  the  programme,  and  after  one 
or  two  short  speeches,  and  a  few  pieces  on  the  organ,  we  made 
the  tour  of  the  bazaar,  and  tried  to  find  amid  the  quantities  of 
pretty  things  something  to  buy,  which  is  always  a  difficult 
matter.  From  the  Exhibition  building  Mr.  des  Graz  and  I 
proceeded  to  the  yacht  at  Williamstown,  whither  she  had 
been  obliged  to  return  on  account  of  the  rough  weather  off 
Sandridge.  My  telegram  had  not  been  received,  and  I  had 
to  wait  at  the  station,  until  a  civil  greengrocer  volunteered  to 
drive  me  down  to  the  pier  alongside  of  which  the  yacht  was 
berthed.  After  the  spacious  rooms  of  Government  House  the 
'  Sunbeam '  cabins  looked  very  small,  but  they  are  snug  and 
bright.  When  one  is  so  many  thousands  of  miles  away  from 
England  the  various  little  treasures  scattered  about  them 
remind  me  of  home  and  its  happy  associations,  and  I  feel  not 
utterly  cut  off  from  the  scenes  I  love  so  well. 

"VVe  were  packed  up  ready  to  go  to  Sir  W.  Clarke's  charm- 
ing place  at  Sudbury,  when  we  received  a  telegram  saying 
that  in  consequence  of  a  death  in  his  household  he  could  not 
receive  us ;  so  all  our  plans  have  to  be  changed.  Tom  joined 


TO  ST.  HUBERT'S  299 


me  on  board  the  yacht  shortly  before  midnight,  after  a  pleasant 
evening  at  the  banquet  given  by  the  Melbourne  branch  of  the 
Imperial  Federation  League.1 

Tuesday,  June  28th. — I  was  awakened  early  by  the  patter- 
ing of  rain  on  the  deck,  and  on  looking  through  the  portholes 
I  could  not  see  three  yards  ahead  for  the  curtain  of  wet  mist 
which  seemed  to  hang  before  them.  Tom  was  anxious  that 
we  should  give  up  our  projected  journey,  for  he  was  much 
afraid  of  the  risk  I  should  run  from  the  cold  and  damp.  But, 
just  as  I  always  in  England  go  to  a  meet  on  a  fine  day  because 
it  is  fine,  and  on  a  wet  day  because  I  hope  it  will  clear  up,  I 
determined  to  start  now.  I  was  already  dressed  by  ten 
o'clock,  when  the  Governor,  and  a  few  others  whom  Tom  had 
invited  to  accompany  him  as  far  as  the  Heads,  arrived.  The 
fog  was  still  so  dense  that  the  deputy  harbour-master  would 
not  allow  the  yacht  to  be  unmoored ;  and  after  waiting  some 
time,  the  Governor  returned  to  Melbourne,  whither  I  also 
went  by  the  10.45  train.  Tom — who  had  settled  to  take  the 
yacht  round  to  Sydney — had  to  postpone  his  departure,  as  it 
was  impossible  to  move  out ;  and  we  afterwards  learned  that 
many  accidents  happened  during  the  fog.  From  Spencer 
Street  Station  we  drove  across  to  Princes  Bridge  Station,  and 
thence  proceeded  at  a  snail's  pace — still  on  account  of  the  fog — 
out  of  the  city,  till  we  got  to  Mitcham,  when  it  began  to  clear. 
A  few  minutes  afterwards  the  sun  came  out  brilliantly  like 
an  English  summer's  day,  and  when  we  reached  Lilydale  it 
really  felt  quite  hot. 

Messrs.  Cobb  &  Co.  had  sent  a  Tom  Thumb  sort  of  coach 
and  a  buggy,  into  which  our  numerous  party  could  by  no 
means  squeeze.  However,  we  packed  both  vehicles  as  full  as 
possible,  and  sent  for  another  conveyance,  familiarly  known 
as  a  '  Tip-up,'  its  narrow  wheels  making  it  liable  to  upset 
except  on  good  roads. 

1  See  Appendix. 

N  N 


300  BLACK  SPUR 


About  three  o'clock  we  reached  St.  Hubert's,  a  pretty 
house,  the  owner  of  which  is  now  in  England  with  his  family. 
One  of  his  sons  remains  to  manage  the  estate.  We  were 
soon  comfortably  established  in  pleasant  rooms  looking  on  to 
a  sunny  verandah.  The  view  from  our  windows  was  perfectly 
enchanting,  stretching  away  over  the  distant  mountains,  now 
covered  with  snow.  A  tremendous  swramp  lies  between  the 
house  and  the  foot  of  the  range,  which  accounts  for  the  heavy 
mist  that  rises  at  sunset.  My  room  wras  delicious  with  a 
blazing  fire,  and  after  lunch  we  went  round  the  cellars  with 
our  kind  host,  and  saw  all  the  interesting  and  various  pro- 
cesses of  wine-making.  Mr.  de  Castella  has  introduced  the 
best  methods  of  preparation,  as  practised  in  Europe,  and  has 
succeeded  in  producing  wines  of  a  quality  equal  to  the  finest 
supplied  from  the  French  and  German  vineyards.  By  the 
time  we  had  finished  our  tour  of  inspection  it  was  cold  and 
dark,  and  after  dinner  we  all  went  early  to  bed. 

Wednesday,  June  2gtli. — We  wTere  called  at  half-past  six, 
and  soon  after  nine  made  a  start,  in  two  coaches,  on  a  cold  and 
wintry  morning,  for  Black  Spur.  Our  way  first  lay  through 
the  vineyards,  which  were  not  in  their  best  looks,  having 
only  just  been  scarified,  as  the  process  is  called.  It  means 
cutting  off  the  branches  and  reducing  the  vines  to  small  and 
ugly  bushes,  destitute  of  leaves  at  this  season.  On  our  way 
we  passed  a  large  '  selection '  belonging  to  Mr.  McNabb,  who 
is  a  great  judge  of  prize  cattle  and  stock  of  all  kind,  and  who, 
like  many  other  Scotchmen  in  the  colony,  seems  to  have  pros- 
pered in  everything  he  puts  his  hand  to.  Further  on  we 
came  to  Koordal,  a  '  reserve  '  for  the  aboriginals.  It  has  a 
nice  house,  and  the  land  is  good.  The  aboriginals  are  rapidly 
dying  out  as  a  pure  race,  and  most  of  the  younger  ones  are 
half-breeds.  Even  in  this  inclement  weather  it  was  sad  to  notice 
how  little  protection  these  wretched  beings  had  against  its 
severity.  We  passed  a  miserable  shanty  by  the  side  of  the 


FERNS  HA  W  301 


road,  scarcely  to  be  called  a  hut,  consisting  merely  of  a  few 
slabs  of  bark  propped  against  a  pole.  In  this  roadside  hovel  two 
natives  and  their  women  and  piccaninnies  were  encamped,  pre- 
ferring this  frail  shelter  to  the  comfortable  quarters  provided 
for  them  at  Koordal.  The  condition  of  the  men  of  the  party 
contrasted  very  unfavourably  with  their  appearance  when  they 
presented  themselves  under  the  charge  of  Captain  Traill,  the 
Governor's  A.D.C.,  at  his  Excellency's  Jubilee  levee  last  week. 
To-day  they  looked  like  the  veriest  tramps,  and  were  most 
grateful  for  a  bit  of  butterscotch  for  the  baby  and  the  shilling 
apiece  which  we  gave  them  after  an  attempt  at  conversation. 

From  Healesville  we  rattled  merrily  over  an  excellent 
road,  the  scenery  improving  every  mile,  till  we  reached  the 
picturesque  little  village  of  Eernshaw,  a  tiny  township  on  the 
river  Watt.  Important  as  an  absolutely  pure  water  supply  is 
to  a  city  like  Melbourne,  where  the  present  provision  is  any- 
thing but  satisfactory,  we  could  not  help  regretting  that 
this  hamlet  and  several  others  must  be  cleared  away  in  the 
course  of  the  next  two  years,  in  order  to  provide  space  for 
the  gathering-ground  of  the  city's  drinking  water.  The 
increased  facilities  for  travel  afforded  by  the  railwa}7,  now 
nearly  completed  to  Healesville,  will,  however,  enable  people 
to  make  new  settlements  on  the  other  line  of  hills  further 
from  Black  Spur.  The  memory  of  Fernshaw  will  always 
linger  pleasantly,  and  I  rejoice  that  I  have  seen  it  before  it 
is  swept  off  the  face  of  the  earth  by  the  requirements  of  the 
big  city  near  it. 

From  Fernshaw  up  the  Black  Spur  must  be  a  perfectly 
ideal  drive  on  a  hot  summer's  day,  and  even  in  midwinter  it 
wTas  enchanting.  The  road  is  cut  through  a  forest  of  high 
eucalyptus-trees,  varying  from  100  to  450  feet  in  height,  and 
from  twenty  to  fifty,  and  even  seventy,  feet  in  girth.  At  in- 
tervals roaring  torrents  rush  down  gullies  overgrown  with 
tree-ferns,  and  full  of  dicksonia-antarcticas  and  alsophilas. 


302 


FERNS  HA  W 


To-day  they  looked  very  curious  ;  for,  instead  of  growing  as 
usual,  with  their  fronds  erect  or  nearly  level,  all  were  bent 
down  by  the  weight  of  the  late  heavy  fall  of  snow,  so  that  they 

resembled  graceful  um- 
brellas and  parasols. 
So  fairy-like  was  the 
sylvan  scene  that  I  half 
expected  to  see  the 
curved  branches  open 
softly  and  disclose 


naiads  or  wood-nymphs. 
I  had  always  been  told 
that  these  fern-gullies 
were  charming,  but  I 
never  thought  anything 
could  be  half  so  lovely 

as  this  romantic  ravine.  If  only  the  sunlight  could  have 
glanced  through  the  trees  and  thrown  some  shimmering  sun- 
beams on  the  bright  green  leaves,  it  would  have  been  even 


RAIL-SPLITTERS  303 


more  delightful.  After  climbing  up  the  hill  by  a  steep  but 
good  road  we  arrived  at  Myrtle  Gully,  called  after  the  trees 
which  grow  there.  They  are  quite  different  from,  our  idea  of 
myrtles,  though  their  dark  and  glossy  leaves  contrast  finely 
with  the  lighter  green  of  the  young  tree-ferns  and  the  blue- 
green  of  the  eucalypti.  My  botanical  ideas  are  getting  quite 
confused  and  upset  in  Australia,  and  I  must  study  the  new 
forms  with  the  assistance  of  some  kind  director  of  gardens. 
It  is  necessary  to  understand  the  classification  of  these  plants, 
for  the  common  names  are  entirely  deceptive  and  utterly 
opposed  to  one's  preconceived  ideas  of  the  species  to  which 
they  belong. 

We  climbed  up  to  the  summit  of  the  hill,  and  on  our  way 
saw  some  rail-splitters  at  work.  These  men  are  peculiar  to 
Australia,  and  I  cannot  but  think  they  do  harm  to  the  country. 
On  payment  of  a  fee  of  1 1.  a  year  they  are  allowed  to  go  into 
the  forests  and  kill  the  finest  trees  by  '  ringing '  them.  Often 
the  trees  thus  dealt  with  are  left  to  die  as  they  stand  and  dis- 
figure the  forest.  In  this  way  an  enormous  quantity  of  valu- 
able timber  seems  to  be  uselessly  destroyed.  The  rail-splitters 
remind  me  of  squirrels,  who  nibble  off  nuts  before  they  are 
ripe,  and  then  take  a  dozen  away  to  their  winter's  nests ;  or 
of  a  vixen,  who  will  bite  the  heads  off  twenty  chickens  and 
only  carry  one  back  to  her  cubs. 

On  our  return  to  the  comfortable  inn  at  Fernshaw  we 
found  cheerful  fires  ready  to  welcome  us.  This  inn  is  very 
prettily  situated.  At  the  back  runs  the  river  Watt,  brawling 
over  its  stones  like  the  veriest  Scotch  salmon-trout  stream. 
It  is  full  of  excellent  imported  trout,  which  flourish  well  in 
these  antipodean  waters  and  attain  a  weight  of  six  or  seven 
pounds.  Across  the  river  is  thrown  a  primitive  bridge,  con- 
sisting of  the  trunk  of  a  big  tree  cut  in  halves.  Very  slippery 
and  slimy  it  looked,  and  I  did  not  feel  inclined  to  attempt 
the  perilous  passage.  Near  the  inn  were  some  extremely  nice 


THE  BRIDGE 


gardens  with  the  trunks  of  old  tree-ferns  filled  with  flowers, 
producing  a  pretty  effect  as  rustic  flower-pots. 

Precisely  at  half-past  two  we  started  on  our  homeward 
journey,  and  with  the  exception  of  a  few1  minutes'  stay  at 
Healesville  to  water  the  horses,  and  at  the  hlacks'  camp  to 
have  a  little  more  chat  with  them,  we  did  not  stop  anywhere 


on  the  way.  Since  morning  the  hlacks  had  turned  their  huts 
right  round,  for  the  wind  had  shifted  and  they  wanted  shelter 
from  its  severity. 

At  5.15  we  reached  St.  Hubert's,  just  saving  the  daylight 
over  the  last  seven  miles  of  bad  road.  We  all  felt  better  for 
our  pleasant  expedition,  though  the  violent  joltings  of  the 
road  and  the  bumpings  of  the  coach  were  decidedly  fatiguing. 


BOTANICAL   GARDENS  305 

Thursday,  June  ^oth. — We  were  called  at  half-past  six, 
and  hastily  got  up  to  pack  off  the  luggage  before  setting  off 
at  eight,  on  a  fine  though  misty  morning.  We  had  a  de- 
lightful drive  to  the  station  at  Lilydale,  after  bidding  a  regret- 
ful adieu  to  picturesque  St.  Hubert's. 

Once  in  the  suburbs  of  Melbourne,  it  was  necessary  to 
crawl  along  at  a  snail's  pace  on  account  of  the  numerous 
express  trains  running  into  the  city  at  this  early  hour.  We 
did  not  reach  the  terminus  until  nearly  eleven  o'clock,  and 
were  glad  to  drive  quickly  to  Menzie's  Hotel  for  breakfast. 
A  large  mail  arrived  for  us  from  Wellington,  as  well  as 
heaps  of  letters  and  telegrams.  At  half-past  twelve  Mabelle 
and  I  went  to  the  Botanical  Gardens,  where  Mr.  Guilfoyle, 
the  superintendent,  met  us,  and  was  good  enough  to  allow 
me  to  drive  all  round  the  gardens.  He  kindly  explained 
the  arrangement  of  the  plants,  clearing  away  many  botanical 
difficulties  which  have  puzzled  me  ever  since  I  landed  in 
Western  Australia.  I  do  not  think  I  ever  saw  so  well-arranged 
and  beautiful  a  garden  as  this,  and  never  have  I  had  so  intel- 
ligent and  kind  a  cicerone  as  Mr.  Guilfoyle.  There  is  a  beau- 
tiful lake  in  the  gardens,  well  stocked  with  different  species  of 
wild-fowl.  We  drove  all  over  the  exquisitely  kept  lawn,  yet 
the  carriage-wheels  appeared  to  make  no  impression.  The 
grass  grows  from  a  mixture  of  buffalo  and  other  kinds  of 
grass-seeds — a  combination  which  produces  a  velvet-like  sward 
about  three  inches  in  depth,  and  apparently  incapable  of 
injury.  At  one  part  of  the  gardens  where  the  carriage  could 
not  possibly  penetrate,  Mr.  Guilfoyle  had  thoughtfully  pro- 
vided a  chair  and  two  men  to  carry  me  through  the  fern- 
gully.  This  rivals  what  we  saw  at  Fernshaw  yesterday,  and  I 
was  able  to  observe  what  I  could  not  well  see  there — the 
undergrowth  of  smaller  ferns  and  the  parasitic  ferns  grow- 
ing on  the  trunks  of  others.  I  was  quite  sorry  to  leave. 
Mr.  Guilfoyle  sent  us  away  laden  with  interesting  botanical 


306  THE  BOOK  ARCADE 

specimens,  and  gave  Mabelle  and  me  each  a  sweet-smelling 
bouquet  of  daphnes  and  white  camellias. 

We  lunched  at  Government  House.  After  bidding  good- 
bye to  H.E.  and  Lady  Loch,  from  whom  we  have  received  so 
much  kindness,  we  went  to  Menzie's  Hotel,  calling  on  our  way 
at  Cole's  Book  Arcade,  which  is  one  of  the  sights  of  Melbourne. 
A  most  curious  place  it  is  ;  consisting  of  a  large  arcade  three 
stories  high,  about  the  length  of  the  Burlington  Arcade  in 
London,  though  perhaps  rather  wider.  The  whole  place  from 
top  to  bottom  is  one  mass  of  books,  arranged  in  different 
styles,  some  according  to  price  and  some  according  to  subject. 
It  was  crowded  with  intending  purchasers,  as  well  as  with 
readers  who  apparently  had  not  the  slightest  intention  of 
purchasing,  and  who  had  only  gone  there  to  while  away  a 
leisure  hour,  and  to  listen  to  the  band,  which  discoursed  sweet 
music  to  them  whilst  they  read. 

After  strolling  through  this  wonderful  arcade,  we  collected 
the  luggage  from  the  hotel  and  sent  it  off  to  the  station,  fol- 
lowing ourselves  hi  time  to  catch  the  4.55  train  to  Seymour. 

Friday,  July  ist. — We  left  by  the  9.30  train  for  Shep- 
parton,  in  pouring  rain,  passing  through  a  flat  rich  grazing 
country,  which  seemed  well  stocked  with  sheep.  The  grass 
looked  luxuriant,  and  must  be  excellent  for  dairy  produce. 
The  fences  were  different  from  any  we  had  seen  before,  made 
of  felled  trees  laid  lengthwise  all  round  the  paddocks.  As 
may  easily  be  imagined,  they  form  a  formidable  obstacle  for 
young  horses,  many  of  which  were  running  in  the  paddocks. 
All  this  was  interesting,  but  the  beauties  of  the  distant  land- 
scape were  quite  blotted  out  by  the  rain  and  mist.  However, 
when  we  crossed  the  Goulbourn,  the  sun  began  to  try  and 
peep  through  the  clouds,  which  had  hitherto  hidden  every- 
thing from  our  view.  Shepparton  is  a  rapidly  growing  town- 
ship, with  2,000  inhabitants.  A  few  years  ago  there  was  not 
a  single  house  in  the  place. 


LIVEL  Y  PONIES 


307 


The  township  of  Shepparton,  like  all  Australian  settlements, 
is  arranged  in  square  blocks,  the  houses  consisting  chiefly 
of  four-  or  six-roomed  cottages  of  one  story,  built  of  wood  or 
corrugated  iron.  At  present  the  whole  place  appears  to  be 
under  water,  but  its  inhabitants  say  that  in  summer  it  is 
beautiful,  and  the  pasturage  certainly  looks  excellent.  In  the 
course  of  our  drives  we  went  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robinson's 
house.  There  I  met  some  ladies  and  gentlemen  interested  in 
ambulance  work,  to  whom  I  said  a  few  words  and  gave  some 
papers.  I  hope  they  will  communicate  with  the  head-centre 
at  Melbourne,  and  obtain  permission  to  establish  a  branch- 
centre  here.  Everybody  seems  to  agree  that  it  would  be  most 
useful,  as  the  doctors  are  few  and  far  between,  and  there  are 
only  five  medical  men  to  an  area  of  i  ,000  square  miles  !  We 
left  by  the  4.30  train  for  Seymour,  Mr.  Bose  driving  me  to 
the  station  in  his  carriage  with  his  pretty  pair  of  ponies. 
They  are  said  to  be  perfectly  quiet,  and  I  suppose  they  are, 
according  to  Australian  ideas  ;  but  they  did  not  come  up  to 
my  notion  of  docility.  Besides  sundry  kicks  and  buck-jumps, 
they  had  both  legs  over  the  splinter-bar  once,  one  leg  over  the 


Sydney  Harbour 


O  O 


3o8  S  YDNE  Y 

pole  twice,  and  another  leg  over  the  traces,  which  fortunately 
canie  unfastened,  or  in  the  regular  kicking  match  which 
ensued  some  mischief  would  have  been  done.  I  expected 
every  minute  that  the  little  carriage  would  have  been  broken 
to  pieces,  and  that  we  should  have  been  landed  at  the  bottom 
of  the  quagmire  over  which  the  road  appeared  to  run. 

Seymour  was  reached  at  6.30,  just  in  time  to  change  into 
the  express,  and  at  Albury  we  were  again  transferred,  at 
10.30  P.M.,  into  Lord  Carrington's  carriage,  sent  up  from 
Sydney  for  us. 


CHAPTEK   XIV. 

NEW    SOUTH    WALES. 

Saturday,  July  2nd. — When  I  awoke  in  the  morning  I  saw 
a  landscape  of  a  very  different  character  from  the  scenery 
of  Victoria,  showing  that  we  were  getting  into  a  warmer 
climate. 

Our  train  was  late,  and  all  were  glad  when  Sydney  was  at 
last  reached  and  we  found  ourselves  driving  swiftly  to  Govern- 
ment House.  The  way  lay  through  crowded  streets  resem- 
bling the  Hammersmith  Eoad  beyond  Kensington.  There 
were  some  pretty  views  of  the  harbour  down  the  narrow  streets 


out  of  doors,  and  1  e    J^^ur-immensely. 
which  there  is  a  love  >v  ^eteA  to  be  fcap- 

heard  so  much  c     rt  to*  ^.^  ^  my  preconceived 

pointed,  but  it  moie  1    m  «  J  ^  crowded  with  small 

ideas  of  its  attract,   is.     i  ^  in  the  non-arrival  of 

boats,  and  the  Volunteeis,  W^.^  in  Mac(1»arrie  Fort, 
the  'Sunbeam,'  were  ta  ing  ^^  ^  ^^  ^  Tarpeian  Eock 
So  deep  is  the  water  b«^a  .^  Line>  the  P.  &  0.,  and  other 
that  the  big  ships  •  ^  Ue  gjonggjde.  we 

»iant  traversers  of  u1'    ^ fl  t<>  ^  to  bed  early  after 

^t  a  ^Jj^b^iights.  Beteeretn-inghowever 
our  recent  short .  steam-launch  to  meet  Torn  11 

arrangements  were  mad,    .01  ^  ^^  ^  Headg;  ^  to  teU 

the  '  Sunbeam'  on  Volunteers  wished  to  go 

him  to  stop  at  Watson  s ;  Ba; >      :i  ^  ^ys   are 

out  to  meet  him.    Satrn  d«    a     ^  fo  ^  for  Monday 
their  only  possible  •  ^  to  hundreds  of  people, 

it  would  be  a  serious         W  ^  ^  ^^.^^  Qn  the  i00k- 


Wa    soon  at  the  window  en^  ^  ^  ^ 

The  morning  was  misty,  b,      t  ^^^   ^  Lady 

were  most   beautiful.      "£*      EsceUency's  staff,  Colonel 

Carrington,  with  then-  child  e;  ^^  ^   steam. 

St.  Quintin,  myself  and  ot.  atson's  Bay 


the  various  little  creeks  and  inlets  were  studded  by  fine  houses 
with  pretty  gardens  stretching  down  to  the  blue  waters  of  the 
harbour.  We  passed  Clark's  Island,  which  is  the  quarantine 
station  for  dogs,  Darling  Head  being  the  quarantine  station 
for  human  beings,  and  then  we  saw  the  '  Sunbeam '  lying  at 
anchor  in  the  little  inlet  called  Watson's  Bay.  The  gig  was 
soon  sent  alongside,  and  we  were  speedily  on  board.  I  was 
delighted  to  see  Tom  looking  so  much  better,  though  he  was 
still  obliged  to  wear  a  pair  of  green  spectacles.  After  a  some- 
what lengthy  inspection  of  the  yacht  Lord  and  Lady  Car- 
rington  and  party  returned  to  town,  and  we  had  service  on 
board. 

Precisely  at  half-past  two,  as  agreed,  we  weighed  anchor, 
and  proceeded  slowly  up  the  harbour  under  steam.  Not 
seeing  anything  of  the  boats,  which  were  also  to  leave  Sydney 
at  2.30,  we  steamed  as  slowly  as  possible  in  order  not  to  meet 
them  too  soon.  A  very  pretty  sight  it  \vas  when  we  beheld 
the  Volunteers  approaching  in  two  regular  lines  of  boats,  ac- 
companied by  crowds  of  people  in  small  sailing  and  rowing 
boats,  as  well  as  launches  and  steamers,  all  apparently  peril- 
ously overloaded  with  passengers. 

When  the  Volunteers  reached  the  yacht  they  all  tossed 
their  oars  and  stood  up  and  saluted.  Then  the  command- 
ing officers  came  alongside,  and  we  received  them  on  board. 
It  really  was  a  lovely  sight,  and  my  only  wish  was  to  be,  like 
the  famous  bird,  in  two  places  at  once — namely,  where  I 
was,  to  help  to  entertain  the  Volunteers  and  thank  them  for 
their  warm  and  kindly  welcome,  and  on  shore  to  look  at  the 
dear  old  '  Sunbeam  '  surrounded  by  the  mosquito  fleet,  through 
which  she  had  considerable  difficulty  in  making  her  way 
without  doing  any  damage.  It  took  some  time  for  all  the 
officers  and  men  to  come  on  board  to  have  some  refresh- 
ment and  look  over  the  yacht,  and  it  was  therefore  rather  late 
before  the  commanding  officer  rowed  us  ashore  in  his  gig. 


372  SYDNEY 

We  landed  at  the  man-of-war  steps,  close  to  Government 
House,  where  a  large  crowd  had  assembled  to  give  us  another 
welcome.  They  formed  a  little  lane  for  us  to  pass  through, 
cheering  lustily,  and  smiling  and  nodding  as  if  they  were 
glad  to  see  us.  There  was  nothing  formal  or  obtrusive 
about  their  welcome.  It  was,  in  truth,  a  real,  warm,  honest 
greeting  from  friends  across  the  sea,  and  it  touched  both 
Tom  and  myself  deeply.  All  such  demonstrations  invariably 
give  me  a  choking  sensation  in  niy  throat,  and  I  was  not 
altogether  sorry  when  we  had  made  our  way  through  the 
crowd  of  kindly  welcomers  and  reached  the  steep  pathway 
leading  to  Government  House.  Halfway  up  we  could  stop 
and  survey  the  scene,  and  I  was  able  to  partially  gratify  my 
wish  to  see  the  yacht  from  the  shore  with  the  boats  around  it. 

After  a  short  rest  we  had  another  quiet  evening,  Tom 
coming  to  dinner,  but  returning  to  sleep  on  board  the  yacht. 
I  went  to  bed  early  to  try  and  nurse  a  bad  and  rapidly  increas- 
ing cold,  caught  during  the  wet  journey  between  Melbourne 
and  Sydney. 

Monday,  July  ^tli. — I  awoke  at  five,  and  wrote  letters. 
The  doctor  would  not  hear  of  my  going  out,  as  my  cold  was 
no  better. 

It  continued  foggy  all  day,  and  the  children  had  to  con- 
tent themselves  with  skating  and  battledore  and  shuttlecock 
in  the  verandahs.  Lord  Carrington,  Tom,  and  Mabelle  went 
for  a  long  walk,  calling  on  Cardinal  Moran,  and  paying  visits 
to  the  picture:gallery,  the  Anglican  cathedral,  and  other  places  ; 
and  after  an  early  dinner  at  6.45  all  the  party  went  to  the 
meeting  of  the  Royal  Humane  Society.  I  was  bitterly  disap- 
pointed at  being  unable  to  attend,  and  perhaps  do  something 
to  encourage  the  friends  of  the  St.  John  Ambulance  Asso- 
ciation. 

Tuesday,  July  $tli. — Awoke  early,  and  had  a  busy  morning. 
The  day  proved  lovely,  so  I  was  allowed  to  walk  in  the  garden. 


THE  SUBURBS 


313 


After  lunch  we  started  in  a  carriage-and-four  for  a  long  but 
most  delightful  drive  to  the  South  Head.  We  passed  through 
the  far-extending  suburbs  of  Sydney  with  their  good  houses 
and  gardens.  It  was  very  charming  to  have  the  occasional 
glimpses  of  the  many  inlets  and  creeks  of  the  harbour. 
Farther  on  we  reached  the  real  bush,  full  of  flowers,  the 
ground  being  covered  with  the  red  and  white  epacris,  and 


•Summei'  Hill  Creek 


with  various  banksias,  hoyas,  and  other  flowers.  At  the 
South  Head  the  view  of  the  city,  through  the  light  veil  of 
smoke  and  fog  which  hung  over  the  landscape,  and  beyond 
the  lighthouse  on  the  other  side  over  the  ocean,  was  very 
fine. 

There  was  a  large  and  pleasant  party  at  dinner,  and  in  the 


314  NAVAL    VOLUNTEER  DRILL 

evening  an  'At  home,'   at  which  I  was  interested  to  meet 
several  Sussex  people.     The  world  is  very  small  after  all ! 

Wednesday,  July  6th. — I  had  a  busy  morning,  and  at 
noon  went  on  board  the  yacht,  returning  by  three  o'clock 
to  meet  Mr.  Montefiore  at  the  large  picture-gallery.  Thence 
we  went  to  look  at  Mr.  Bray's  collection  of  curiosities  from 
New  Guinea  and  the  Islands,  and  spent  a  pleasant  and  in- 
structive hour.  Some  of  our  party  returned  to  Government 
House  for  an  early  dinner,  while  Tom,  Mabelle,  and  others 
went  on  board  the  yacht  to  entertain  the  officers  of  the  Naval 
Volunteer  force  which  has  been  established  in  Sydney,  on  the 
model  of  the  corps  which  Tom  was  instrumental  in  raising 
at  home.  At  eight  o'clock  I  went  down  to  the  shore  and 
looked  at  the  Volunteers  drilling  in  the  open.  They  certainly 
are  a  splendid  body  of  men,  and  their  drill  is  quite  wonderful. 
I  have  never  seen  such  good  cutlass  drill  anywhere,  and  I 
have  '  assisted  '  at  many  similar  inspections. 

Thursday,  July  ?th. — To-day  we  called  on  the  Mayor,  and 
were  taken  all  over  the  fine  buildings  which  are  being  erected 
as  a  memorial  of  the  Centenary  of  New  South  Wales.  After- 
wards we  visited  the  Picturesque  Atlas  Printing  Office,  and 
watched  the  processes  of  printing,  engraving,  lithographing, 
&c.  Dinner  wras  again  early,  and  after  it,  Lady  Carrington, 
Mabelle,  Mr.  Egerton,  and  others  went  to  a  Zerbini  quartette, 
whilst  Lord  Carrington,  Tom,  and  the  remainder  of  the  party 
set  off  to  a  shoeblacks'  concert,  the  performers  at  which 
had  originally  been  some  of  the  roughest  ragamuffins  in  the 
city. 

Tuesday,  July  I2th. — The  morning  was  pouring  wet.  Tom 
started  at  half-past  nine  to  meet  Mr.  Inglis,  who  had  arranged 
to  conduct  him  round  the  docks  at  Cockatoo  Island  and  over 
the  '  Vernon '  reformatory-ship,  an  institution  which  owes  its 
origin  to  Sir  Henry  Parkes.  He  was  much  interested  with 
what  he  saw  on  board  the  '  Vernon.'  The  most  hopeless 


PARLIAMENT  HOUSE  315 

characters  do  not  seem  beyond  the  reach  of  the  wholesome 
influence  of  the  band. 

At  1.45  some  friends  came  onboard  the  'Sunbeam'  to 
lunch,  and  directly  afterwards  people  began  to  arrive  for  an 
'  At  home,'  which  lasted  until  5  P.M.  Luckily  the  weather 
cleared  a  little,  or  I  do  not  know  what  we  should  have  done 
to  amuse  our  guests.  There  were  a  few  gleams  of  sunshine 
at  intervals,  which  served  to  dry  the  awnings  and  to  make 
things  look  more  cheerful  and  comfortable. 

At  five  o'clock  we  all  went  to  the  Legislative  Council  and 
heard  Mr.  Watts  speak,  and  then  to  the  Legislative  Assembly, 
where  a  debate  was  also  going  on.'  We  were  afterwards  shown 
over  the  Chambers  and  their  libraries  by  Sir  Henry  Parkes. 
I  admired  the  dining-room,  which  was  much  prettier  than 
that  of  our  own  House  of  Commons.  From  its  balcony  there 
is  a  magnificent  view  of  Sydney  town  and  harbour.  The  libra- 
ries seemed  well  furnished  with  books  and  looked  thoroughly 
comfortable.  It  is  the  oldest  Parliament  House  south  of  the 
Line,  having  been  built  early  in  the  century.  The  members 
all  seemed  wonderfully  fresh  and  untired,  considering  that  it 
wras  7.30  A.M.  before  the  House  rose  this  morning.  The 
powers  of  human  endurance  are  possibly  strengthened  by  the 
fine  climate. 

Wednesday,  July  i^tli. — I  had,  as  usual,  a  busy  morning, 
and  left  at  eleven  o'clock,  with  Tom,  Mabelle,  and  Captain 
Gascoigne,  to  lunch  on  board  the  German  man-of-war  '  Bis- 
marck.' Captain  and  Mrs.  Bosanquet  and  several  officers 
were  there  ;  and  we  had  a  pleasant  party,  enlivened  by  the 
strains  of  an  excellent  band.  We  had  to  hurry  away  directly 
afterwards  to  be  in  time  for  the  meeting  which  the  Governor 
had  kindly  convened  at  Government  House  in  connection  with 
the  St.  John  Ambulance  Association.  The  meeting,  held  in 
the  drawing-room,  was  well  attended  and  successful.  That 
over,  there  was  only  scant  time  to  rest  before  an  early  dinner, 


3i6  THE  SAILORS  HOME 


after  which  we  went  to  a  meeting  of  the  Geographical  Society 
at  the  Freemasons'  Hall,  where  Mr.  Bevan  the  explorer  gave 
us  an  interesting  account  of  his  fourth  and  latest  voyage 
to  New  Guinea.  These  explorations  were  undertaken,  the  first 
in  a  Chinese  junk,  the  second  in  a  big  cutter,  the  third  in  a 
schooner,  and  the  last  in  the  steamer  '  Victory.' 

Thursday,  July  i^tli. — The  children  and  Tom  went  out 
riding,  and  I  had  a  husy  morning  with  Mr.  Wright,  working 
until  half-past  eleven,  when  I  went  with  Mr.  Bevan  to  see 
some  interesting  New  Guinea  curiosities  at  the  establishment 
of  Messrs.  Burn  and  Philps,  the  enterprising  firm  who  sent 
him  out  to  make  his  explorations.  Tom  had  made  an  ap- 
pointment with  Captain  Hammill  to  visit  the  Goodenough 
Sailors'  Home,  but,  having  a  great  deal  to  do  on  board  the 
'  Sunbeam,'  he  asked  me  to  go  on  his  behalf  and  meet  the 
manager  and  the  committee  of  the  institution.  We  had  great 
difficulty  in  finding  the  place,  and,  after  driving  half  over 
Sydney  without  discovering  its  whereabouts,  went  to  the 
town-hall  for  information,  and  were  there  directed  to  two 
houses — Trafalgar  House,  and  the  Goodenough  Home,  esta- 
blished by  Sir  Anthony  Hoskins  when  he  was  out  here  as 
Commodore.  The  houses  in  both  cases  are  small,  but  look 
beautifully  clean. 

Mr.  Shearston,  the  manager,  seems  a  perfect  enthusiast, 
and  too  much  cannot  be  said  in  praise  of  his  self-denial.  He 
has  given  up  the  whole  of  his  private  house,  except  one  bed- 
room and  the  tiniest  little  scrap  of  an  office,  for  the  purposes 
of  the  Home.  Truly  the  promoters  of  the  movement  deserve 
every  assistance  in  their  good  work ;  and  it  makes  one  feel 
inclined  to  help  them  to  secure  the  new  site  so  urgently  re- 
quired, when  it  is  seen  how  earnestly  they  labour  in  the  good 
cause  themselves.  They  not  only  take  in  good  characters, 
but  go  into  the  streets  at  night  and  pick  up  sailors,  no 
matter  how  intoxicated  they  may  be.  They  put  them,  to 


PARRAMATTA  317 


bed,  and  endeavour  to  send  them  back  to  their  ships  in  the 
morning,  so  far  recovered  as  to  escape  reprimand  and  perhaps 
dismissal.  The  inspection  of  this  institution  took  some  time, 
and  on  our  way  back  we  passed  the  proposed  new  site  for  the 
Home. 

Captain  Hammill  and  Mr.  Bevan  lunched  with  us  on  board 
the  '  Sunbeam,'  and  later  on  the  yacht  was  shown  to  a  large 
number  of  people.  After  Lady  Carrington's  '  At  home '  in 
the  afternoon,  Tom,  Tab,  and  Captain  Gascoigne  went  to  dine 
at  the  Yacht  Club,  and  we  had  a  quiet  dinner,  after  which  I 
did  a  good  deal  more  work  with  Mr.  Wright. 

Friday,  July  i$tk. — An  early  start  had  to  be  made  this 
morning  in  order  to  meet  Sir  Henry  Parkes  at  the  station  at 
nine  o'clock.  Tom,  Baby,  and  I  were  the  only  members  of  the 
party  who  turned  up,  and  we  found  that  Mr.  Salomons  and  the 
Chinese  Commissioners  had  been  invited  to  accompany  us. 
Precisely  at  nine  we  left  the  station  in  a  comfortable  saloon 
carriage,  and,  passing  through  the  suburbs  of  Sydney,  reached 
Parramatta  at  9.30.  This  is  one  of  the  oldest  townships 
in  New  South  Wales.  Conspicuous  in  the  landscape  rise  the 
double  spires  of  its  handsome  church,  \vhich  is  more'  than  a 
hundred  years  old.  The  township  has  for  years  past  derived 
considerable  importance  from  its  wool  trade  and  manufac- 
tures ;  and  has  now  an  excellent  fruit  trade,  which  has 
sprung  up  quite  lately.  Fruit- orchards  surround  the  to\vn,  and 
the  orange  groves  look  bright  and  green  and  beautiful  with 
their  shiny  leaves  and  globes  of  golden  fruit.  It  was  almost 
accidentally  that  oranges  were  first  grown  here.  The  unex- 
pected success  of  the  first  few  orange-pips,  which  grew  and 
prospered  amazingly,  led  to  the  industry  being  taken  up,  and 
splendid  orange  groves  now  surround  the  town. 

After  leaving  Parramatta  our  way  still  lay  through  orchards 
and  vineyards,  until  we  reached  Seven  Hills  Grove,  command- 
ing a  beautiful  view.  Thence  we  went  on  to  Blacktown,  which 

p  P 


RAILWAY  ZIGZAGS 


takes  its  name  from  the  large 
number  of  aboriginals  who 
formerly  lived  in  the  neighbour- 
hood ;  but  they  are  now  almost 
extinct.  At  intervals  we  either 
crossed  or  ran  alongside  of  the 
old  bullock-track,  now  a  good 
high  road,  to  Bathurst.  Bath- 
urst  can  now  be  reached  in  a 
few  hours  from  Sydney.  In  the 
old  times  it  took  four  days  to 
get  there  by  coach,  and  much 
longer,  of  course,  by  bullock 
team !  We  crossed  a  large 
river,  the  Nepean,  passing 

through  some  charming  fern- gullies,  and  soon  afterwards 
reached  the  zigzags  of  the  railway.  They  are  so  abrupt,  that 
instead  of  the  train  turning  round,  it  is  alternately  pulled 
and  pushed  up  the  steep  incline.  This  seems  to  me  a  dan- 
gerous plan,  and  it  certainly  does  not  economise  labour  or 
steam  force.  It  was  interesting  to  find  at  one  of  the  stations 
that  the  engine-driver  who  was  taking  the  train  up  had 


THE  BLUE  MOUNTAINS  319 

worked  for  Mr.  Brassey  for  many  years  in  France  and  else- 
where, had  married  Tom's  nurse,  and  had  danced  with  me 
at  the  ball  given  in  the  engine-sheds  at  Shrewsbury  at  the 
great  fete  on  the  occasion  of  our  marriage.  At  another  place 
where  we  stopped  the  station-master  for  many  years  occu- 
pied a  similar  position  at  Aylesford,  near  my  brother-in- 
law's  place.  They  were  both  anxious  to  come  and  see  the 
yacht,  and  I  was  rather  amused  to  hear  at  lunch  that  while 
we  were  going  up  the  mountain  they  had  immediately  re- 
turned to  Sydney  and  had  gone  on  board. 

The  view  from  Springwood  is  beautiful,  and  close  by  lies 
Sassafras,  or  '  Flying  Fox '  Gully,  so  called  from  the  number 
of  flying  foxes  found  there.  We  next  passed  Falconberg,  Sir 
Henry  Parkes's  place,  and  went  on  to  Lawoon,  where  we 
stopped  a  short  time,  and  where  a  man  brought  us  some 
curious  little  black  snakes — great  pets  at  present.  Not  far 
from  here  are  the  beautiful  Wentworth  Falls,  and  the  views 
became  superb ;  I  had  not  expected  anything  half  so  lovely. 
Distant  glimpses  of  undulating  forests  were  interrupted  by 
abrupt  sandstone  cliffs,  so  steep  that  it  was  impossible  not  to 
believe  a  large  stream  ran  beneath  them.  There  is  no  river 
here,  however,  although  the  many  small  creeks  and  rivulets 
make  beautiful  falls,  tumbling  over  the  sandstone  cliffs  through 
luxuriant  creepers  and  tropical  ferns.  It  is  impossible  to  ex- 
aggerate the  beauty  of  the  scene.  The  charm  of  the  land- 
scape was  the  really  Indian  blue  of  the  distant  hills,  from 
which  they  derive  their  name  of  Blue  Mountains.  It  is  not  a 
blue  haze,  but  a  vivid  blue,  with  tints  varying  from  darkest 
indigo  to  palest  cerulean  blue ;  but  the  colour  is  everywhere 
intense,  and  there  are  no  half-tones.  Perhaps  one  of  the  most 
attractive  views  is  that  just  before  reaching  Katoomba,  nearly 
3,500  feet  above  the  sea-level.  The  train  was  stopped  before 
reaching  the  station  to  let  us  admire  the  distant  landscape. 
I  should  have  liked  to  stay  for  hours. 


320 


BLACKHEATH 


Further 

ft^  on  is  Black- 

heath  Hill,  from 
which  the  view  is  said 
to   be   the   finest    in    the 
whole  of  the  Blue  Mountains, 
though  some  maintain  that 
the  outlook  from  the  hig  zig- 
zag near  Lithgow  Down  is  still 
finer.   On  the  return  journey 
we  had  to  wait  nearly  half 
an  hour  at  Blackheath,  and 
as  I  was  not  able  to  walk  far 
I  utilised  the  time  by  taking 
photographs.  But  no  sun- 
picture  can  ever  give 
the  least  idea  of 
this     scenery. 
Its  finest  ef- 
fects re- 
quire 


FALCONBERG  321 


the  brush  of  the  painter.  On  our  return  journey  the  noonday 
sun  had  dispersed  the  mists,  and  all  the  delicate  details  of  the 
more  distant  landscapes  were  brought  clearly  into  view.  We 
travelled  at  a  terrible  pace,  and  the  sharpness  of  the  curves 
threatened  every  moment  to  send  the  train  off  the  line. 
These  sudden  turns  and  jerks  had  the  effect  of  making  us  all 
rather  uncomfortable,  and  poor  Baby  and  I  felt  quite  sea-sick. 
The  sensation  was  the  same  as  when  the  ship  makes  a  deep 
curtsy  and  seems  to  leave  you  behind  as  she  dips  into  the  waves ! 

There  is  a  branch  line  at  Katoomba  to  the  Yenoolan  or 
Fish  River  Caves,  which  I  should  have  liked  to  have  visited 
had  there  been  more  time.  I  had  to  console  myself  with  the 
reflection  that  I  had  seen  the  caves  at  Adelsberg,  Neptune's 
Caves  in  Sardinia,  the  caves  at  Moulmein,  and  other  vast 
limestone  caves  in  various  parts  of  the  world. 

After  passing  Sir  Alfred  Stephen's  magnificent  place  we 
reached  Falconberg,  and  by  this  time  I  felt  so  tired  that  I  was 
truly  glad  of  my  carrying-chair.  I  do  not  think  I  could  have 
walked  even  the  short  distance  between  the  station  and  the 
house.  Arrived  there,  I  was  obliged  to  ask  leave  to  lie  down 
instead  of  going  to  see  the  beautiful  fern-glens  with  the  rest 
of  the  party.  It  was  a  great  disappointment.  I  was  able, 
however,  to  enjoy  the  lovely  distant  view  from  the  verandah, 
as  well  as  the  closer  view  of  the  rocky  sandstone  cliffs  and 
fern-clad  gullies ;  and  I  could  hear  the  mocking  note  of  the 
rarely  seen  lyre-bird,  the  curious  cachinnation  of  the  laughing 
jackass,  and  the  occasional  distant  note  of  the  bell-bird.  Even 
this  brief  rest  amidst  these  pleasant  surroundings  refreshed 
me  greatly,  and  I  felt  much  better  when  later  on  we  resumed 
our  journey.  The  engine-driver  was  told  to  go  slowly  round 
the  sharp  curves,  and  we  were  spared  a  repetition  of  the  un- 
pleasant experience  of  the  morning.  We  arrived  in  Sydney 
a  little  after  six,  feeling  much  indebted  to  Sir  Henry  Parkes 
for  his  great  kindness. 


322  THE  NAVAL   BRIGADE 

There  was  no  time  to  think  of  rest,  for  I  had  to  dress 
immediately  and  go  with  Tom,  Mabelle,  and  others  to  the 
Ambulance  meeting  at  the  town-hall.  It  was  a  very  good 
one,  and  afterwards  the  committee  of  the  Williamstown  and 
Port  Melbourne  Sailors'  Home  presented  me  with  a  testi- 
monial, in  order,  as  they  said,  to  express  their  gratitude  for 
what  we  have  been  able  to  do  for  them.  Tom  and  Mabelle 
went  on  from  the  meeting  to  Mrs.  Tooth's  ball. 

Saturday,  July  i6th. — I  awoke  feeling  so  tired  that  Dr. 
Hoffmeister  made  me  remain  in  bed  till  the  middle  of  the  day 
in  order  to  keep  quiet,  though  I  contrived  to  get  through  much 
work  with  pen  and  pencil. 

Lunch  was  ordered  early,  and  a  little  after  two  we  went 
on  board  the  yacht  to  receive  the  ladies  of  the  Wollahra  centre 
of  the  St.  John  Ambulance  Association,  to  whom,  according 
to  previous  arrangement,  I  presented  certificates.  At  half- 
past  three  the  contractors  who  gave  Tom  the  charming  picnic 
up  the  Hawkesbury  River  last  Saturday l  came  on  board  with 
their  wives  and  lady  friends,  and  were  soon  followed  by  the 
members  of  the  Royal  Sydney  Yacht  Club  and  their  friends. 
The  boys'  band  from  the  '  Yernon  '  played  extremely  well 
during  the  afternoon,  the  music  and  brilliant  sunshine  adding 
cheerfulness  to  the  proceedings.  When  the  general  company 
had  left,  the  bo}-s  had  a  hearty  meal  of  tea  and  cake,  and 
were  delighted  at  being  shown  over  the  yacht. 

Tom  and  I  were  obliged  to  hurry  away  at  half-past  four 
in  order  to  see  the  Naval  Brigade  at  exercise,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  Hixson.  A  very  interesting  sight  it  proved 
to  be.  Their  drilling  and  marching  past  were  admirable,  as 
were  also  their  volley  and  file  firing  ;  while  the  rapidity  with 
wThich  they  formed  into  rallying  squares  to  resist  cavalry  was 
really  marvellous.  Towards  the  close  of  the  proceedings  it 
was  growing  dusk,  and  the  bright-coloured  tongues  of  flame 

1  See  Appendix. 


BOTANICAL   GARDENS 


323 


from  the  rifles  showed  sharply  against  the  dark  blue  sky. 
Tom  presented  the  medals  to  the  men  and  made  them  a 
speech ;  and  after  all  was  over  we  returned  to  Government 
House. 

Sunday,  July  \jt\i. — Tom  and  Mabelle  went  on  board 
H.M.S.  '  Nelson  '  at  10.30  A.M.  for  church-service,  and  then  on 
to  H.M.S.  '  Opal,'  where  they  met  Admiral  and  Mrs.  Fairfax, 
and  Captain  and  Mrs.  Bosanquet,  and  a  few  other  friends. 


Cook's   Monument,  Botany  Bay 


The  day  turned  out  so  lovely  that  I  was  persuaded  to  go 
round  the  Botanical  Gardens  in  a  bath-chair.  I  admired  im- 
mensely the  taste  with  which  these  gardens  are  laid  out,  and  the 
skill  with  which  a  great  portion  of  the  site  has  been  reclaimed 
from  the  sea.  What  seems  so  puzzling  in  this  climate  is  the 
existence  of  tropical,  semi-tropical,  and  temperate  plants  side 
by  side.  I  saw  violets,  geraniums,  roses,  strelitzias,  in  full 
bloom,  some  growing  under  the  shade  of  palms  from  Ceylon, 
Central  Africa,  and  the  warmest  parts  of  North  Australia, 


324  PREPARING    TO  START 

while  others  flourished  beneath  the  bare  branches  of  the  oak, 
beech,  birch,  and  lime  trees  of  the  old  country. 

In  the  afternoon  I  had  intended  to  go  to  the  cathedral 
with  Lady  Carrington,  but  felt  so  unwTell  that  I  was  obliged  to 
lie  down  for  a  time,  and  then  sit  in  the  sun  and  try  to  recruit. 
I  had,  however,  to  go  to  bed  at  five ;  but  I  made  an  effort  and 
got  up  again  at  seven  in  order  to  appear  at  our  last  dinner  at 
this  charming  house,  where  wye  have  spent  so  many  happy 
days  and  received  so  much  kindness.  After  dinner  we  had 
a  long  talk  over  new  and  old  times,  and  all  felt  quite  sad 
at  the  prospect  of  the  inevitable  parting  which  must  come 
to-morrow. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

NEW  SOUTH   WALES    (continued). 

Monday,  July  i8th. — Lovely  sunrise — the  last  we  shall 
see,  alas !  in  this  beautiful  place.  Very  busy ;  rather  a 
worrying  morning ;  so  much  to  settle  and  arrange.  Did  some 
final  shopping  with  the  children.  Met  Lord  Shaftesbury  at 
lunch.  Went  off  to  the  '  Sunbeam,'  feeling  quite  sad  that 
the  moment  of  departure  had  at  last  arrived.  The  Admiral 
came  on  board  '  Sunbeam '  at  the  last  moment,  bringing 
some  violets  as  a  farewell  offering.  Sailed  slowly  away,  and 
gradually  lost  sight  of  the  Heads  in  the  darkness. 

Tuesday,  July  igtli. — At  half-past  twelve  Tom  came  below 
to  announce  our  arrival  off  the  port  of  Newcastle.  The  wind 


326  HOVE-TO 

had  been  so  fresh  and  fair  that  we  made  a  smart  run  of  seven 
hours,  sighting  the  lights  at  Nobby  Head  at  about  half-past 
ten.  Our  head  was  then  put  off  the  land,  and  we  hove  to, 
to  wait  for  the  tug.  This  is  a  process  which  to  the  old  salt 
seems  a  pleasure  nearly  equal  to  that  of  going  ashore,  at 
all  events  to  dropping  anchor  in  a  well-sheltered  harbour. 
Though  I  certainly  cannot  call  myself  an  inexperienced  sailor, 
it  appears  to  me  to  be  the  acme  of  discomfort.  Even  in  a 
heavy  gale  it  affords  but  sh'ght  relief  from  the  storm-tossed 
motion  of  the  ship.  On  the  present  occasion  it  was  a  change 
from  pleasantly  gliding  along  through  the  water  at  a  speed 
of  nine  or  ten  knots  an  hour  to  a  nasty  pitching  motion 
which  made  us  all  very  wretched.  Everything  began  to  roll 
and  tumble  about  in  a  most  tiresome  manner  ;  doors  com- 
menced to  bang,  glasses  to  smash,  books  to  tumble  out  of 
their  shelves,  and  there  was  a  general  upset  of  the  usually 
peaceful  equilibrium  of  the  yacht.  So  unpleasant  was  this, 
that  I  suggested  to  Torn  that,  instead  of  waiting  outside  for 
the  reception  tug,  we  should  get  up  steam  and  go  into  harbour 
at  daylight  so  as  to  have  a  few  hours'  rest.  This  we  did, 
and  glided  into  the  harbour  precisely  at  5.30  A.M.,  anchoring 
just  off  the  railway-pier,  and  quite  taking  the  good  people  of 
Newcastle  by  surprise.  The  town  presented  a  great  contrast 
to  its  namesake  at  home,  for  the  morning  dawned  bright  and 
lovely,  with  hardly  a  smoke-wreath  to  intercept  the  charming 
view.  We  looked  out  on  a  noble  river  with  a  busy  town  on 
its  banks  and  low  hills  in  the  background. 

About  eight  o'clock  the  chairman  of  the  reception  com- 
mittee, Lieutenant  Gardner,  of  the  Royal  Naval  Brigade,  came 
on  board  to  arrange  the  order  of  the  proceedings.  Everybody 
was  most  kindly  anxious  to  show  us  everything  there  was  to 
be  seen,  but  Tom  thought  the  lengthy  programme  would  be 
too  much  for  my  strength,  and  suggested  that  the  original 
arrangement  should  be  adhered  to.  Punctually  at  half-past 


NEWCASTLE 


327 


%-^>* 


-'-  ^3%j^~- 


ten  the  Mayor  and  Cor- 
poration came  on  board  to 

give   us  a  cordial  welcome 

and  present  an  address.     At 

11.15   we   embarked   in    two 

steam-launches  and  went  up 

the    harbour,    which    looked 

gay  and  beautiful,  the   port 

being  crowded  with  shipping. 

We  were  told,  however,  that 

it  is  not  nearly  so  full  as  it 

used  to  be  a  year  or  two  ago. 

They  say  that  bad  times  have 

affected  this  like  every  other 
place,  and  that  only  a  quarter  of  the 
number  of  vessels  are  in  harbour  now, 
compared  to  the  returns  of  this  time  last 
year. 

Our  first  visit  was  to  the  hydraulic  cranes,  by 
which  a  ship  can  take  in  a  thousand  tons  of  coal  in 
ten  hours.  From  the  cranes  we  went  a  little  further  up 
the  harbour,  to  the  landing-place,  where  a  dense  crowd  eagerly 
awaited  us.  Carriages  were  in  readiness,  but  Tom  rather 
upset  the  plans  by  his  usual  wish  to  walk  instead  of  going  in 
state  in  a  coach.  I  fear  he  severely  tried  the  lungs  and  legs 
of  his  entertainers  by  taking  them  at  a  brisk  pace  up  a  steep 
hill  to  the  high-level  reservoir.  As  soon  as  I  got  into  the 

Q  Q 


NOBBY  HEAD 


carriage  a  basket  of  fragrant  violets  was  given  to  me  by  the 
school  children  of  Lampton,  one  of  the  collier  townships  in 
the  neighbourhood.  We  drove  past  the  reserve  and  up  to  the 
reservoir,  from  which  there  is  a  fine  view  of  the  town  and  sur- 
rounding country.  We  stayed  a  long  tune  at  the  top  of  the 
breezy  hill  watching  the  dark  blue  waves  turn  to  pale  green 
as  they  curled  their  white-crested  heads  into  great  rollers  and 
dashed  against  the  steep  cliffs  of  the  many  little  headlands 
and  promontories  of  the  bay.  Looking  in  another  direction, 
the  view  extends  over  the  rich  alluvial  plain  which  surrounds 
Newcastle,  thickly  studded  with  houses  and  colliery  town- 
ships. One  new  colliery  has  been  started  quite  close  to  the 
shore,  and  not  improbably  it  will  be  carried,  like  the  old 
Botallack  mine  in  Cornwall,  right  under  the  sea,  where  the 
richest  seam  of  coal  runs.  While  we  were  taking  in  the 
characteristic  features  of  the  landscape  the  sun  became  so 
powerful,  in  spite  of  a  cold  wind,  that  umbrellas  and  sun- 
shades were  found  necessary. 

After  leaving  the  reservoir  we  drove  through  another 
quarter  of  the  town.  Every  house  had  at  its  door  a  smiling 
group  of  people  who  greeted  us  warmly.  Leaving  the  town, 
we  went  on  to  Nobby  Head.  The  position  is  fortified,  and 
garrisoned  with  a  company  of  the  Permanent  force.  From 
this  point  the  town  is  better  seen  than  from  the  reservoir, 
and  there  is  a  good  prospect  of  the  entrance  to  the  harbour. 
Though  it  was  comparatively  calm  to-day,  the  waves  rolled  in 
with  great  force ;  and  it  is  said  that  in  bad  weather  the  sea  is 
perfectly  frightful.  Just  inside  the  Heads,  not  thirty  yards 
from  the  shore,  a  small  black  buoy  marks  the  spot  where  a 
steamer  went  down  with  every  soul  on  board,  not  only  in  sight 
of  land,  but  actually  in  port.  While  Tom  was  inspecting  we 
rested  in  the  signal -station  and  talked  to  the  signalman. 

On  leaving  the  fort  we  drove  to  Mr.  Black's  wool-shed, 
where  the  various  processes  of  dumping  and  preparing  the 


THE   COAL-PIT  329 


wool  for  shipment  were  explained  to  us.  It  is  wonderful  to 
see  how  the  bulk  of  a  bale  can  be  reduced  by  hydraulic  pres- 
sure. The  shed  is  perfectly  empty  at  this  moment,  but  in  a 
few  weeks  it  will  be  at  its  fullest,  for  the  shearing  season  has 
already  commenced.  To-day  its  ample  space  was  utilised  to 
hold  a  large  luncheon-party,  at  which  a  number  of  ladies  and 
gentlemen  were  present.  The  speeches  at  this  banquet,  though 
short,  were  good.  Having  partaken  of  their  hospitable  enter- 
tainment, we  were  conducted  by  our  kind  hosts  into  a  train 
which  was  waiting,  literally,  at  the  door  of  the  shed,  and  were 
taken  off,  more  or  less  through  the  streets  of  the  town,  to  the 
Newcastle  Colliery  Company's  Works. 

As  soon  as  we  cleared  the  suburbs  the  country  became  very 
pretty,  and  the  place  where  we  left  the  train,  to  descend  the 
coal-mine,  was  really  quite  romantic,  and  entirely  different  to 
what  one  sees  in  the  Black  Country  at  home.  There  were 
several  charmingly  designed  triumphal  arches  for  us  to  pass 
under,  all  made  of  semi-tropical  flowers  and  palms.  The  con- 
trast between  these  flowers  and  plants  and  the  brisk  keen 
mountain  air,  blowing  cold  and  fresh  in  spite  of  the  hot  sun, 
was  remarkable.  After  admiring  the  beauty  of  the  various 
specimens  of  flowers,  and  inspecting  the  works  at  the  pit's 
mouth — where  men  were  hard  at  work  filling  skips  and  empty- 
ing them  into  trucks  waiting  for  their  loads— some  of  the 
party  got  into  the  cage  and  descended  400  or  500  feet  into  the 
bowels  of  the  earth.  A  few  of  the  ladies  declared  they  felt 
nervous ;  but  there  was  really  nothing  to  make  them  so  except 
the  total  darkness.  Arrived  at  the  bottom,  we  found  many 
miners  with  candles  stuck  in  the  front  of  their  hats,  and 
carrying  lamps  of  the  simplest  construction,  a  piece  of  waste 
stuck  into  the  spout  of  an  ordinary  can  filled  with  what  is 
called  China  oil  (a  decoction  of  mutton  fat),  waiting  to  light 
us  on  our  darksome  path.  Several  trucks  were  ready  pre- 
pared, into  one  of  which  I  got  with  the  children,  and  we 


330  PIT-PONIES 

started,  a  large  and  merry  party.  On  our  way  in  we  met  all 
the  miners  coming  out,  for  they  leave  off  work  at  3.30  in 
order  to  be  at  the  pit's  mouth  at  four,  only  working  eight 
hours  a  day. 

All  mines  bear  a  greater  or  less  resemblance  to  each  other, 
whether  they  contain  black  diamonds,  like  the  one  in  which 
we  then  found  ourselves,  white  diamonds,  gold,  silver,  tin, 
copper,  gypsum,  or  any  other  mineral.  There  is  the  same 
descent  in  a  cage,  the  same  walk  through  workings — higher 
or  lower,  as  the  case  may  be — or  ride  in  a  trolly  or  truck  along 
lightly-laid  rails,  and  the  same  universal  darkness,  grirniness, 
and  sloppiness  about  the  whole  affair,  which  render  a  visit, 
however  interesting,  somewhat  of  an  undertaking.  This  mine 
seemed  to  contain  a  particularly  good  quality  of  coal,  and  the 
sides  shone  and  glistened  in  the  lamplight  as  we  passed  along 
them.  Our  walk  through  the  levels  of  pit '  B  '  was  much  longer 
than  I  had  expected,  and  must  have  been  quite  half  a  mile.  The 
temperature  was  always  over  80°,  the  atmosphere  sometimes 
very  bad,  and  the  walking  rather  uneven.  Thousands,  not  .to 
say  millions,  of  cockroaches  of  portentous  size  enlivened  if  they 
did  not  add  to  the  pleasure  of  the  walk.  "We  passed  a  great 
many  horses,  in  good  condition,  going  back  to  their  stables  for 
the  night.  They  are,  it  is  said,  very  happy  down  in  the  pit ;  so 
much  so,  that  when  during  the  Jubilee  they  were  taken  up  for 
three  days'  holiday,  there  was  the  greatest  difficulty  in  prevent- 
ing them  from  returning  to  the  pit's  mouth,  at  which  men  had 
to  be  stationed  to  drive  them  back  for  fear  they  might  try  to 
put  themselves  into  the  cages  and  so  tumble  down  the  shaft. 
Horses  very  quickly  adapt  themselves  to  circumstances  ;  and 
I  dare  say  the  garish  light  of  day  was  painful  to  their  eyes, 
and  that  they  were  anxious  to  return  from  the  cold  on  the 
surface  of  the  ground  to  the  even  temperature  of  80°  in  the  pit. 

Our  walk  was  a  long  and  weary  one,  and  I  felt  thankful 
when  we  approached  the  pit's  mouth  and  could  breathe  cooler 


A   SUBTERRANEAN  BANQUET  331 

and  purer  air.  Our  hosts  were  anxious  that  I  should  go  a  little 
further ;  but  I  could  not  do  so,  and  sank  down  into  a  chair 
to  rest.  The  others  went  on,  as  I  thought,  to  see  some  other 
workings ;  but  I  afterwards  heard  that  they  soon  reached  a 
beautiful  room  hollowed  out  of  the  solid  coal,  with  sides  like 
ebony,  and  sparkling  with  black  diamonds.  The  walls  were 
decorated  with  arches  and  cleverly  arranged  geometrical  pat- 
terns, formed  of  the  fronds  of  various  kinds  of  Adiantium, 
an  inscription  with  cordial  words  of  welcome  being  traced  in 
the  same  delicate  greenery.  In  the  centre  stood  a  table 
with  light  refreshments  of  various  kinds.  The  entertainment 
afforded  the  opportunity  for  speeches,  in  which  the  rapid 
development  of  the  mining  industry  of  this  district  was  de- 
tailed in  telling  figures,  and  mutual  sentiments  of  kindness 
were  most  cordially  conveyed.  At  the  pit's  mouth  crowds  of 
women  and  children  had  assembled  to  see  us,  and  a  little 
further  off  a  train  was  drawn  up,  filled  by  ladies  and  gentle- 
men who  had  preferred  to  wander  about  park-like  glades, 
while  their  more  energetic  friends  had  made  the  descent  into 
the  coal-mine.  The  united  party — numbering,  I  should  think, 
nearly  one  hundred- — next  proceeded  on  board  the  '  Sun- 
beam,' for  a  very  late  five-o'clock  tea  and  a  hasty  inspection 
of  the  vessel.  At  an  early  hour  I  retired  to  rest,  utterly  worn 
out. 

Wednesday,  July  2Otli. — Contrary  to  my  usual  habit  of 
awaking  between  four  and  five  o'clock,  I  was  sound  asleep 
when  tea  was  brought  at  5  A.M.  ;  and  I  should  dearly  have 
liked  to  have  slept  for  two  or  three  hours  longer,  so  completely 
wras  I  exhausted  by  yesterday's  hard  work.  But  it  could  not 
be ;  and  after  a  cup  of  tea,  and  a  little  chat  over  future  plans, 
I  set  to  work  sorting  papers,  and  putting  names  in  books,  to 
be  given  to  our  kind  hosts  of  yesterday,  in  remembrance  of 
our  visit.  At  7.15  we  entered  the  boat  which  was  waiting 
alongside,  and  proceeded  to  the  shore,  Tom,  as  usual,  pulling 


332  THE  HIGHEST  LINE  IN  A  USTRALIA 

an  oar.  Poor  '  Sir  Roger,'  who  has  been  explosively  happy 
during  the  past  two  days  at  having  us  on  board  again,  made 
a  desperate  effort  to  stow  himself  away  in  the  boat,  which, 
unhappily,  could  not  be  allowed  on  account  of  the  quarantine 
regulations.  It  seems  very  hard  that  the  poor  doggies  can 
never  have  a  run  on  shore  whilst  we  are  in  Australian  wraters. 
Their  only  chance  of  change  and  exercise  consists  in  being 
sent  in  a  boat  to  some  quarantine  island  for  an  hour  or  twro. 

Arrived  at  the  landing-place,  Mr.  Gardner,  to  whom  we 
were  much  indebted  for  making  our  visit  to  Newcastle  so  very 
pleasant,  was  waiting  to  take  us  to  the  station.  We  started 
punctually  at  the  time  fixed,  and  passed  through  a  dull  but 
fertile-looking  country,  until  we  reached  West  Maitland,  where 
I  received  a  charming  present  of  a  basket  of  fragrant  flowers. 
About  twelve  o'clock  we  were  glad  to  have  some  lunch  in  the 
train.  At  Tarn  worth  Mr.  King  met  us  with  his  little  girl,  who 
shyly  offered  me  a  large  and  lovely  bouquet  of  violets. 

From  Tamworth  the  country  became  prettier  and  the 
scenery  more  mountainous.  At  one  station  there  was  quite  a 
typical  colonial  landscape :  park-like  ground  heavily  wooded 
with  big  gum-trees,  and  a  winding  river  with  a  little  weir, 
where  one  felt  it  might  be  quite  possible  to  catch  trout.  The 
country  continued  to  improve  in  beauty,  and  we  saw  on  all  sides 
evidences  of  its  excellence  from  a  squatter's  point  of  view.  At 
one  place  a  herd  of  splendid  cattle  were  being  driven  along  the 
road  by  a  stockman,  and  we  passed  many  large  flocks  of  sheep. 
About  eight  Arrnadale  was  reached. 

The  line  from  Armadale  to  Tenterfield  is  the  highest  in 
Australia,  and  is  considered  a  good  piece  of  engineering  work. 
It  is  in  that  respect  a  great  contrast  to  the  line  over  the  Blue 
Mountains,  where  the  engineers  had  a  comparatively  easy  task 
in  following  the  tracks  of  the  old  bullock-road. 

The  country  round  Tenterfield  is  something  like  the 
New  Forest,  with  fine  trees  and  a  good  many  boggy  bottoms. 


TENTERFIELD 


333 


About  fourteen  or  fifteen  miles  from  here  the  local  '  Ben 
Lomond'  rises  to  a  height  of  4,500  feet.  In  the  clear  star- 
light night  we  had  occasional  glimpses  of  its  deep  glens  and 
rocky  peaks. 

Thursday,  July  2ist. — The  train  reached  Tenterfield  about 
one  o'clock  this  morning,  and  we  drove  straight  to  the  Com- 
mercial Hotel,  where  we  found  comfortable  rooms  and  blazing 


Cattle   crossing   the   Darling   River 


fires.  Everything  looked  clean  and  tidy,  and  a  cold  supper 
awaited  belated  travellers,  of  whom  there  were  many  besides 
ourselves.  I  was  awrakened  at  7.30  A.M  by  the  sun  shining 
gloriously  through  the  windows  of  my  room.  The  air  felt 
delightfully  fresh,  reminding  one  of  a  lovely  spring  morning 
in  England  about  April.  Soon  after  eleven  came  Mr.  Walker, 


334  THE  SETTLEMENT  STATION 

of  Tenterfield,  who  had  kindly  called  to  show  us  everything 
worth  seeing  in  the  township  near  his  station.  His  is  a  large 
holding,  even  for  Australia,  300  square  miles  in  extent,  and 
stretching  fourteen  miles  in  one  direction  and  eighteen  in 
another. 

After  lunch  all  the  party  except  the  children,  who  were 
out  riding,  started  in  two  waggonettes  for  Tenterfield  Station. 
The  township  of  Tenterfield,  like  all  new  Australian  towns,  is 
laid  out  in  square  blocks,  with  corrugated  iron  houses,  and 
various  places  of  worship  for  different  denominations.  The 
views  of  the  country  around  are  pleasing,  and  the  land  looks 
fairly  fertile,  and  is  well  wooded,  with  distant  mountains  seen 
through  purple  haze.  We  first  went  to  the  settlement  at  the 
station,  where  we  saw  a  good  thoroughbred  horse, '  Cultivator,' 
who  has  done  well  in  racing  both  at  home  and  in  the  colo- 
nies; 'Lord  Cleveland'  (son  of  the  'Duke  of  Cleveland'),  a 
good  coach-horse  with  fair  action,  eighteen  hands  high ;  and 
a  little  cart-horse  with  sloping  shoulders,  short  bone  between 
fetlock  and  knee,  and  square  back  like  a  thoroughbred  short- 
horn bull. 

From  the  stables  we  went  to  look  at  the  old  store  which  in 
days  gone  by  used  to  be  sufficient  for  the  needs  of  the  whole 
neighbourhood  for  a  hundred  miles  round.  Then  we  proceeded 
to  the  wool-shed,  built  of  corrugated  iron,  the  wooden  shed 
having  been  burnt  down.  Mr.  Walker  has  about  70,000  head 
of  cattle  usually,  and  from  50,000  to  100,000  sheep,  but  his 
stock  is  somewhat  reduced  this  year  on  account  of  the  long 
drought.  He  has  300  thoroughbred  Berkshire  pigs,  besides 
some  wonderful  milch  cows  and  a  fine  Jersey  bull.  The  cows 
are  much  wilder  here  than  they  are  at  home,  and  Mr.  Walker 
has  a  most  ingenious  contrivance  for  securing  the  animals 
for  milking.  They  are  driven  through  a  large  gate  into  a 
passage,  which  gets  narrower  and  narrower  until  it  reaches  a 
point  where  the  cow  can  be  secured. 


TENTERFIELD 


335 


After  looking  at  the  station  buildings  we  went  into  the 
house,  a  comfortable  cottage  residence  with  a  nice  verandah 
all  round,  and  what  must  be  a  pretty  garden  in  summer. 
Even  now  it  is  full  of  violets,  and  some  fine  specimens  of 
English  trees — oaks,  elms,  limes,  and  pines.  After  tea  we 
went  for  a  second  drive  all  round  the  township,  and  up  some 
low  hills  to  get  a  view  of  the  town  from  a  distance  and  of  the 
mountains  from  a  different  point  of  view.  Next  we  took  a  few 


Sheep    crossing   River 


photographs,  and  should  have  taken  more  had  not  the  focus- 
sing-glass of  the  camera  got  broken.  Then  we  drove  back  into 
the  town,  and,  I  think,  round  almost  every  street,  and  saw  all 
the  public  buildings,  which  are  indeed  creditable  to  such  a  new 
and  rising  township.  We  dined  again  at  the  table  d'hote,  and 
after  dinner  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker  called  with  all  sorts  of  stuffed 
birds  and  beasts  and  other  curiosities,  which  they  had  kindly 
brought  as  a  remembrance  of  our  visit.  They  took  off  Mabelle 
to  a  concert,  for  which  the  superior  of  the  convent  had  sent 

K  E 


336  AN  EARLY  START 

to  beg  my  patronage  in  the  morning.  I  could  not  promise 
to  be  present,  and  was  much  startled  during  dinner  to  hear 
that  old-fashioned  English  institution,  the  crier,  going  round 
with  his  bell  and  lustily  announcing  that  a  concert  '  was  to  be 
held  this  evening  under  the  patronage  of  Lady  Brassey  and  the 
Honourable  two  Miss  Brasseys.'  He  kept  walking  up  and  down 
shouting  this  out  until  the  concert  commenced,  and  when  he 
disappeared  the  Salvation  Army  appeared  upon  the  scene  with 
a  brass  band,  the  sounds  of  which  are  still  ringing  in  my  ears 
as  I  am  trying  to  write  this,  preparatory  to  going  to  bed  be- 
times to  secure  some  rest  before  an  early  start  in  the  morning. 
Friday,  July  2 2nd. — This  was  evidently  not  to  be  a  night 
of  rest  for  me.  Between  one  and  two  I  was  awakened  by  the 
first  arrivals  by  the  mail  train.  At  three  o'clock  people  began 
to  get  up  and  go  away,  and  we  could  fully  appreciate  how 
Australian  buildings  let  in  every  sound.  Between  four  and 
five  the  bugle  sounded  to  call  the  gallant  New  South  Wales 
Light  Horse  to  parade.  At  five  o'clock  I  was  called.  It  was 
a  cold,  bright  morning,  with  a  hard  frost,  and  as  soon  as  my 
fire  and  lamps  were  lighted  I  got  up  and  began  preparing  for 
the  journey.  We  heard  much  galloping  of  horses  in  the  early 
morning,  and  soon  gentlemen  in  scarlet  uniforms  began  to 
appear  from  various  parts.  We  waited  until  a  quarter  to 
seven,  and  then,  as  our  proffered  escort  did  not  turn  up,  we 
had  to  go  to  the  station  without  it,  for  fear  of  missing  the 
train.  Five  gallant  members  of  the  troop  joined  us  on  the 
way.  The  commanding  officer  wore  blue  undress  uniform,  and 
the  others  were  in  scarlet.  It  was  amusing,  on  our  way  to  the 
station,  to  see  late-comers  galloping  furiously  along  the  road, 
and  it  needed  a  little  judicious  delay  to  enable  the  scattered 
troopers  to  collect  themselves  and  form  into  line.  At  the 
station  we  met  our  old  friends  the  Chinese  Commissioners, 
looking  very  curious  in  travelling-gowns  over  their  national 
costumes. 


ANTIQUE   COACHES 


337 


Off  the  Track 

In  spite  of  the  strict  injunctions  we  had  received  to  be 
punctual  to  seven  o'clock,  it  was  7. 1 5  before  the  train  started. 
We  passed  through  a  pretty  but  barren  country,  and  reached 
Warrangarra,  on  the  frontier,  in  about  three-quarters  of  an 
hour.  There  I  saw  the  most  extraordinary-looking  coaches, 
dating,  I  should  think,  from  the  time  of  Queen  Elizabeth, 
with  enormous  reflecting-lamps,  which  produced  a  curious 
effect  in  the  day,  but  doubtless  are  useful  for  bush-travelling 
at  night.  No  sooner  had  we  alighted  from  the  train  than— 
I  cannot  say  to  my  surprise,  for  familiar  faces  are  always 
turning  up  in  unexpected  places — the  grandson  of  an  old 
wheelwright  at  Catsfield  came  to  speak  to  me,  inquiring  first 
after  our  family  and  then  after  his  own  belongings  at  home. 


338  AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE 

I  \vas  able  to  give  him  good  news,  and  to  tell  him  of  the  altera- 
tions going  on  at  Normanhurst,  where  he  had  worked  for  a 
long  time.  He  has  been  out  here  four  years,  and  did  very  well 
until  last  year,  when  times  became  so  bad ;  but  things  are 
looking  up  again,  and  he  told  me  he  had  four  months'  certain 
work  before  him,  and  a  very  good  chance  of  an  opening  in  the 
new  township  as  the  railway  approaches  completion.  He  looks 
exceedingly  well,  and  says  his  wife  and  children  also  enjoy 
excellent  health.  He  consulted  me  about  taking  the  advice 
of  his  relations  and  going  home.  I  told  him  I  thought  it 
would  be  a  great  pity  to  do  so  at  present.  \Vorking  men  in 
the  colonies  have  a  good  time  if  they  can  only  keep  sober  and 
are  honest  and  industrious.  Indeed  those  in  the  old  country 
can  scarcely  form  an  idea  of  how  superior  the  working  man's 
condition  is  out  here.  Of  course  there  are  quite  as  many 
ne'er-do-weels  here  as  in  the  old  country,  and  I  fear  that  the 
policy  of  the  Government  rather  encourages  this  class,  and 
that  there  is  trouble  in  store  in  the  near  future.  The  so-called 
unemployed  are  mostly  utter  loafers,  who  will  not  give  a  good 
day's  work  for  a  fair  day's  wage.  They  refuse  to  work  for  less 
than  eight  shillings  a  day,  and  many  of  them  if  offered  work 
at  that  price  only  dawdle  about  for  a  few  hours  and  do  really 
nothing. 


« 


..... 


CHAPTEE   XVI. 

QUEENSLAND. 

AT  Warrangarra  Station  we  left  the  train  and  stepped 
through  the  rail  fence  which  divides  New  South  Wales 
from  Queensland.  A  walk  of  about  two  hundred  yards  brought 
us  to  the  Queensland  train,  where  we  found  a  comfortable  car- 
riage prepared  for  our  reception.  The  Chinese  Commissioners 
were  in  another  carriage,  and  we  proceeded  as  far  as  Stanthorpe, 
where  they  were  met  by  a  great  many  of  their  fellow-country- 
men and  carried  off  to  see  the  extensive  tin  mines  close  to 
the  township,  where  600  Chinamen  are  employed.  From 
Stanthorpe  we  went  on  climbing  up  till  we  reached  Thulun- 
bah,  up  wards  of  3,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Thence 
we  went  on  to  Warwick,  which  was  reached  about  12.40.  Here 
a  dear  little  boy  appeared  at  the  station  and  handed  me  a 
large  and  beautiful  bunch  of  violets.  It  is  very  pleasant  to 
receive  flowers  from  people  whom  I  have  never  before  seen, 
and  who  only  know  my  books. 


340  DARLIXG  DOWNS 


After  leaving  Warwick  we  entered  on  the  tract  of  country 
known  as  the  Darling  Downs,  and  a  splendid  stretch  of  land 
it  is,  covered  with  magnificent  stock,  both  sheep  and  cattle 
looking  well  even  now  after  the  long  summer  drought.  How 
much  better  they  will  look  in  a  few  weeks'  time  when  the  new 
grass  has  had  time  to  grow  can  scarcely  be  imagined.  The 
first  station  we  passed  through  was  one  of  the  largest  private 
stations  on  the  downs ;  the  next  was  called  the  Clifton 
Station,  and  belongs  to  a  company.  Edenvale  Station  could 
be  seen  in  the  distance ;  and  on  the  opposite  side  stretched 
a  large  station  belonging  to  Mr.  Tyssen,  whose  landed  estates 
are  valued  at  five  millions.  This  extensive  table-land  looks 
something  like  the  prairies  of  South  America,  only  with  more 
trees  and  fewer  undulations.  The  occasional  fires  we  met 
with  on  our  way  heightened  the  resemblance.  On  reaching 
Tawoomba,  one  of  the  largest  and  pleasantest  towns  in  this 
neighbourhood,  a  lady  came  to  the  carriage  door  and  gave 
me  another  bunch  of  violets.  The  violets  of  Australia  have 
more  perfume  than  any  we  grow  in  England  ;  certainly  they 
are  more  fragrant  than  those  one  gets  on  the  Riviera. 

From  Tawoomba  the  railway  rapidly  descends,  dropping  as 
much  as  1,300  feet  in  ten  miles.  The  scenery  somewhat  re- 
sembles that  of  the  Blue  Mountains,  and  is  even  more  beau- 
tiful. The  exquisite  effects  produced  by  the  waning  daylight 
lent  a  peculiar  charm  to  this  landscape.  The  forest  close  to  us 
looked  dark  and  sombre,  whilst  the  valley  further  off  was  bathed 
in  sunlight,  and  in  the  dim  distance  the  mountains  over  which 
we  had  passed  early  in  the  day  faded  into  a  delicious  pale 
blue  chiaroscuro.  The  banks  beneath  or  above  us  were  cleft 
by  little  gullies,  with  struggling  rivulets,  edged  by  delicate 
ferns  and  strange  plants.  The  railway  stations  even  seemed 
prettier  and  more  homelike  than  any  we  have  yet  seen  in 
Australia.  They  were  surrounded  by  gardens,  and  quite  over- 
grown with  creepers.  The  line  must  have  been  expensive  to 


HELIDON 


make,  and  evidently  required  great  engineering  ability.  A 
more  direct  line  could  perhaps  have  been  constructed  which 
would  have  saved  heavy  gradients  and  much  rock-cutting. 


Fern  Forest 


At  Helidon  Mr.  Laidby  joined  the  train.  He  had  been 
late  for  the  train  at  Tawoomba  and  had  ridden  down  to 
Helidon,  the  train  taking  one  hour  and  a  quarter  to  do  the 
twelve  miles.  I  was  sorry  to  hear  that  he  and  his  mother  had 


342  SYDXEY  TO  BRISBANE 

been  summoned  from  Brisbane  to  see  a  brother  who  was  some 
400  miles  off  in  the  bush  suffering  terribly  from  rheumatic  fever. 
The  sick  man  had  been  carried  to  a  civilised  place  by  some 
bushmen,  who  were  nursing  him  day  and  night.  I  am  happy 
to  say  he  is  now  in  a  fair  way  to  recovery.  Mrs.  Laidby  is 
already  a  great  supporter  of  the  St.  John  Ambulance  Asso- 
ciation, and  declares  herself  more  than  ever  convinced  of  its 
utility. 

I  caught  a  severe  cold  on  my  arrival  at  Brisbane,  and  have 
been  in  bed  for  three  days.  I  have  therefore  nothing  to  chro- 
nicle, and  shall  accordingly  make  use  of  Tom's  diary  for  that 
time  :— 

'  July  2Oth. — Returned  on  board  the  "  Sunbeam,"  and 
cast  off  from  the  buoy,  making  sail  for  Brisbane  with  a  fresh 
breeze  from  the  north-west. 

'  July  2ist-22nd. — We  continued  under  sail  with  variable 
winds  and  generally  fine  weather.  The  chief  features  of  the 
fine  stretch  of  coast  between  Newcastle  and  Brisbane  are 
the  Boughton  Islands,  Cape  Hawke,  a  densely  wooded  pro- 
montory rising  to  the  height  of  800  feet,  and  the  Solitary 
Islands,  a  detached  group  scattered  over  a  space  of  22  miles 
in  a  north  and  south  direction,  at  a  distance  of  four  to  six 
miles  from  the  shore.  A  light  is  exhibited  from  the  south 
Solitary,  and  a  signal  establishment  is  kept  up.  We  com- 
municated with  this  isolated  port.  An  islet  adjacent  to  the 
south  Solitary  Island  is  remarkable  for  a  large  natural  arch, 
which  the  ceaseless  breaking  of  the  sea  has  opened  through 
the  rock. 

'  Passing  north  from  the  Solitaries  we  again  closed  with 
the  coast  at  Cape  Byron.  The  scenery  is  magnificent.  The 
coast  range  attains  to  a  great  elevation.  Mount  Warning,  the 
loftiest  peak,  rises  to  a  height  of  3,840  feet,  and  is  visible  fully 
sixty  miles.  It  was  our  guiding  mark  in  the  navigation  of  the 
coast  for  a  space  of  twent}'-four  hours.  At  Danger  Point  the 


A    SMASH- UP  343 


boundary  line  between  Queensland  and  New  South  Wales  de- 
scends to  the  coast  from  the  high  summits  of  the  Macpherson 
Eange. 

'July  2 yd. — At  noon  we  were  off  the  entrance  to  the 
narrow  channel  which  divides  Stradbroke  Island  from  Moreton 
Island,  tearing  along  at  twelve  knots  an  hour,  under  lower 
canvas  only,  with  a  strong  wind  off  the  land  and  smooth 
water.  It  was  a  splendid  bit  of  yachting.  We  passed  a 
steamer  which  had  come  out  with  the  Mayor  and  a  large 
party  from  Brisbane  to  meet  us.  They  \velcomed  us  to 
Queensland  with  hearty  cheers,  to  which  we  cordially  re- 
sponded. We  stood  in  close  under  the  land  and  followed  the 
high  coast  of  Moreton  Island.  Its  northern  extremity  is  a 
fresh,  verdure-clad,  and  well-wrooded  point  of  land,  on  which 
stands  a  lighthouse.  On  this  sunny,  breezy  day  the  scenery 
of  this  fine  coast  was  quite  beautiful. 

'  Off  the  north  end  of  Moreton  Island  we  took  a  pilot,  and 
proceeding  under  steam  arrived  at  10  P.M.  off  Government 
House,  Brisbane,  a  distance  of  50  miles  from  Cape  Moreton. 
The  navigation,  from  the  bar  of  the  river  to  Brisbane,  a  dis- 
tance of  25  miles,  is  extremely  intricate.  Everything  has 
been  done  which  it  is  possible  to  do,  by  leading  lights  at  fre- 
quent intervals,  to  assist  the  pilots ;  but  we  passed  a  steamer 
of  the  British  India  Company — which  had  entered  the  river 
an  hour  ahead  of  the  '  Sunbeam ' — aground  on  a  bank,  from 
which  she  was  not  floated  until  after  a  delay  of  two  days.' 

Monday,  July  2$t1i. — In  the  afternoon  drove  to  'One-tree 
Hill,'  a  richly-wooded  height,  commanding  a  splendid  view  of 
Brisbane,  and  of  the  far-extending  range  of  mountains  run- 
ning parallel  with  the  coast.  On  our  return  to  Government 
House  the  horses  bolted,  the  carriage  was  smashed  to  pieces, 
one  of  the  horses  was  fearfully  injured,  and  we  had  a  narrow 
escape  from  a  fatal  accident. 

Tuesday,   July   26th. — After    a    busy   morning,  went   on 


344  THE  MARBURG  SHOW 

board  the  Queensland  Government  gunboat.  The  Governor, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  de  Burgh  Persse,  and  one  or  two  others,  came 
to  lunch  on  board  the  '  Sunbeam,'  and  I  had  an  '  At  home ' 
afterwards. 

Wednesday,  July  2jth. — We  all  rose  early  and  started  by 
the  9.30  train,  with  the  Governor,  Sir  Samuel  Griffith,  the 
Mayor,  and  a  large  party,  for  the  first  Agricultural  Show 
ever  held  at  Marburg.  The  train  ran  through  a  pretty  coun- 
try for  about  an  hour,  to  Ipswich,  an  important  town,  near 
which  there  is  a  breeding  establishment  for  first-class  horses. 
On  reaching  the  station  we  were  received  by  a  number  of 
school  children,  who  sang  '  God  save  the  Queen '  and  then 
presented  Mabelle  and  me  each  with  a  lovely  bouquet.  After 
some  little  discussion  over  arrangements  we  were  packed  into 
various  carriages  and  started  off,  the  Governor's  carriage  of 
course  leading  the  way.  The  horses  of  our  carriage  appeared 
somewhat  erratic  from  the  first,  and  soon  we  were  nearly 
brought  to  a  standstill  against  the  trunk  of  a  large  tree. 
Fortunately  the  eucalyptus  has  so  soft  a  bark  that  it  tore  off, 
and  we  did  not  break  anything.  TATe  shaved  the  next  big  tree 
in  our  road  by  a  hair's-breadth,  and  then  discovered  that  the 
reins  were  coupled  in  an  extraordinary  manner.  Having  rec- 
tified this  mistake,  we  proceeded  on  our  way  rejoicing  ;  but 
again  we  were  on  the  point  of  colliding  with  a  monarch  of 
the  forest,  when  one  of  our  own  sailors  who  was  on  the  box 
of  the  carriage  seized  the  reins  and  pulled  the  horses  round. 
Tom  remarked  that  it  was  rather  stupid  driving.  The  man 
who  was  driving  (a  German)  said,  '  Xot  at  all,  sir :  the  horses 
have  never  been  in  harness  before.'  When  the  other  carriages 
came  up  we  changed  into  a  less  pretentious  vehicle,  drawn  by 
quieter  horses. 

'  Marburg  is  an  interesting  German  settlement,  formed  in 
the  last  twenty  years.  The  settlers  have,  by  the  most  labo- 
rious efforts,  cut  down  the  dense  scrub  with  which  this  part  of 


GERMAN  INDUSTRY  345 

the  country  was  covered.  Their  frugality,  their  patience  under 
many  privations,  and  their  industry  have  been  rewarded. 
They  grow  maize,  sugar,  tobacco,  and  vegetables,  but  their 
cattle  seem  to  be  the  most  thriving  and  successful  part  of  their 
business.  In  some  seasons  want  of  water,  and  in  every  season 
the  heavy  rainfall  at  the  period  when  the  grain  is  coming  to 
maturity,  are  serious  drawbacks  to  agriculture  in  this  district. 
On  the  whole,  it  may  be  said  that  Queensland  is  far  more 
adapted  to  be  a  pastoral  than  an  agricultural  country.' 

Every  house  in  the  neat  little  settlement  was  decorated, 
and  many  triumphal  arches  had  been  erected.  An  incident 
of  a  somewhat  comic  nature  occurred  at  the  Show.  An 
address  was  being  presented  to  the  Governor  by  a  man  on 
horseback,  who  dropped  his  reins  to  give  more  emphasis  to  his 
delivery,  and  his  horse,  finding  itself  free,  began  to  nibble  the 
reins  of  the  horses  attached  to  the  Governor's  carriage.  A 
general  scrimmage  seemed  imminent,  of  which  the  man  on 
horseback  took  not  the  least  notice.  He  went  on  reading 
the  address  with  the  most  imperturbable  countenance,  until 
two  Volunteers  rushed  to  the  horses'  heads  and  separated 
them.  The  Show  wTas  duly  opened  by  the  Governor,  and  wre 
waited  to  see  some  of  the  animals  tried.  Luncheon  was  served 
in  a  sort  of  half-house,  half-tent,  and  some  very  good  though 
short  speeches  were  made.  We  drove  back  by  another  road 
to  Eosewood  in  order  to  enable  us  to  see  more  of  the  scenery 
of  this  fine  country. 

But  our  adventures  were  not  over  for  the  day.  In  going 
down  a  steep  hill  our  driver  did  not  allow  quite  enough  room, 
and  caught  the  back  of  one  of  the  long  low  German  waggons 
which  are  used  in  this  district.  The  hind  wheels  came  off, 
and  a  woman  and  child  who  were  seated  in  the  waggon  were 
thrown  into  the  road  shrieking  and  screaming.  Fortunately 
they  proved  to  be  more  frightened  than  hurt,  and  the 
wraggon  having  been  repaired  and  the  child  and  its  mother 

s  s 


346 


FERNBERG 


comforted  with  pictures  and  sugar-plums  which  I  happened 
to  have  with  me,  they  went  on  their  way,  and  we  reached 
the  station  a  few  minutes  late,  but  picked  up  our  time  before 
getting  back  to  Brisbane.  After  a  hasty  dinner  I  had  to 


German  Waggon 


be  off  to  an  Ambulance  meeting  kindly  convened  by  the 
Mayor.  Considering  the  short  notice  given,  the  meeting  was 
a  wonderful  success.  Tom,  Lady  Musgrave,  and  Mabelle  went 
on  to  the  Liedertafel  Concert  afterwards,  and  the  rest  of  the 
party  to  the  Jubilee  Singers'  entertainment,  both  of  which 
were  excellent. 

Thursday,  July  28th. — Was  called  early,  and  passed  a  very 
busy  morning.  At  ten  o'clock  I  went  for  a  drive  in  Mr. 
Stevenson's  drag  to  his  house  at  Fernberg,  from  which  there 
is  a  good  view  over  Brisbane  and  its  surroundings.  Miinie 
came  with  me,  and  the  rest  of  the  party  rode  in  the  same 
direction,  but  went  further  than  we  did.  At  twelve  we  re- 
ceived an  address,  very  prettily  decorated  with  seaweed,  from 


KEPPEL   BAY  347 


the  Sailing  Club  of  Brisbane.  We  were  to  have  embarked  in 
the  '  Sunbeam  '  at  half-past  twelve,  but  unfortunately  two 
tubes  of  the  boiler  had  burst,  and  we  had  to  wait  for  some 
time  while  they  were  being  repaired.  When  we  started  the 
people  assembled  on  the  high  banks  cheered  us  all  the  way 
down.  But  we  were  a  good  deal  delayed  by  the  faulty  tubes, 
and  did  not  leave  the  mouth  of  the  river  till  dusk.  The 
scenery  of  the  bank  on  each  side  is  pleasing,  and  we  all 
enjoyed  the  sail  down. 

Friday,  July  2C)th. — We  sailed  merrily  all  night  and  all 
to-day,  with  a  fair  fresh  breeze ;  but  there  was  a  considerable 
roll,  and  having  been  on  shore  so  long,  we  more  or  less 
felt  the  motion.  During  the  night  the  question  of  stopping 
at  Maryborough  was  definitely  settled,  and  we  sailed  o^/side 
Sandy  or  Fraser  Island  instead  of  ^side  it.  This  prevented 
us  from  accepting  the  kind  and  hospitable  invitation  of  the 
Mayor  and  inhabitants  of  the  township.  At  noon  we  had  run 
204  knots,  and  were  able  to  shape  our  course  more  towards 
land,  the  water  becoming  smoother  with  every  knot  we  made. 
We  saw  Elliott  Island,  where  if  it  had  been  calm  it  would 
have  been  very  nice  to  stop.  It  swarms  with  turtle  and  sea- 
birds  of  every  kind,  which  are  reported  to  be  perfectly  tame, 
as  the  island  is  seldom  visited.  Cape  Bustard  was  made  later 
on,  and  we  had  a  quieter  evening  ;  but  about  10  P.M.  the  yacht 
began  to  roll  again  heavily,  the  wind  having  shifted  a  little, 
obliging  us  to  alter  our  course. 

Saturday,  July  ^oth. — At  5  A.M.  we  dropped  anchor  in 
Keppel  Bay,  but  had  to  wait  for  the  tide  to  rise.  We  landed 
in  the  course  of  the  morning  in  the  '  Gleam,'  the  '  Flash,' 
and  the  '  Mote,'  and  made  quite  a  large  party,  with  dogs,  mon- 
key, and  photographic  apparatus.  We  found  a  convenient 
little  landing-place,  and  looked  over  the  telegraph  station 
and  post-office,  which  are  mainly  managed  by  the  wife  of  the 
signalman,  Aird,  an  honest  Scotchman,  who  knew  me  from 


348 


THE    TELEGRAPH  STATION 


my  books,  and  was  very  anxious  to  give  us  a  real  hearty 
welcome  to  his  comfortable  little  house.  The  first  thing  he 
offered  us  each  was  a  tumbler  of  delicious  new  frothy  niilk,  the 


IP 

.1 ._- i, — i 


Turpentine  Tree 


ROCKHAMPTON 


349 


greatest 
possible 
treat.  After 
sending    off 
a  telegram  or 
two,  and  post- 
ing some  letters, 
I  was  carried  up 
to  the   lighthouse 
where   the    custom- 
house officer  lives,  and 
from  which  there  is  a 
fine  view  over  land  and 
sea.     When  the  tide  rose 
we  returned  on  hoard,  and 
about  half-past  two  all  the 
inhabitants    of    the    station 
came    on    board    to    see    the 
yacht  of  which  they  had  read 
and  heard  so  much,  and  which 
they   were    glad    to    see,    as    they 
said,    '  with    their    own    eyes.'      At 
half-past  three  our  visitors  returned 

i- 

ashore,  and  we   had  to  start  up   the 
river.     A  little  higher  up,  the  harbour- 
master of  Kockhampton   met  us,  bringing  many  telegrams 
from  various  people  in  that  town  as  well  as  in  Brisbane,  all 
sent  with  the  object  of  making  our  visit  pleasant. 

We  arrived  at  Rockhampton  at  9.30  P.M.  The  cold  I 
caught  at  the  last  Ambulance  meeting  has  been  gradually 
increasing,  and  became  so  bad  to-day  that  I  was  obliged 
to  go  to  bed  early  and  take  strong  measures  to  try  and 
stop  it ;  so  that  when  the  Mayor  of  Rockhampton  came  on 
board  to  welcome  us  I  was  not  visible,  nor  did  I  see  the  Naval 


350  AN  EXPEDITION 

Volunteers  who  were  waiting  on  the  bank  to  receive  Torn.  It  is 
very  pleasant  to  find  how  warmly  he  is  welcomed  everywhere 
as  the  originator  and  founder  of  the  Naval  Volunteer  move- 
ment. 

Sunday,  July'  31  st. — I  stayed  on  hoard  all  day,  so  cannot 
describe  Eockhampton  from  my  own  knowledge  of  it.  The 
others  all  went  to  church  ;  Mr.  Ballard,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Mae- 
donald,  and  Mr.  Thompson,  the  owner  of  the  opal-mines  at 
Springsure,  came  to  lunch,  the  latter  bringing  some  curious 
specimens  from  his  quarries.  We  had  service  at  six  o'clock, 
after  which  I  was  glad  to  go  to  rest. 

Monday,  August  1st. — A  busy  morning,  as  usual,  before 
starting.  We  left  at  i  o  A.M.  in  three  waggonettes  (or  four-wheel 
buggies,  as  they  are  called  here)  for  Mount  Morgan,  each 
vehicle  being  drawn  by  four  horses.  Our  party  occupied  two 
of  the  waggonettes,  and  the  sailors  and  luggage  filled  the  third. 
After  passing  through  the  clean  and  tidy  town  of  Eockhampton, 
the  streets  of  which,  though  wide,  cannot  be  called  picturesque, 
we  entered  on  a  long  stretch  of  road.  I  never  saw  anything 
so  gorgeous  as  the  Tliunleryia  rcnusta  and  Bougainvillea,  now 
in  full  bloom,  which  hid  most  of  the  verandahs  with  a  perfect 
curtain  of  rich  orange  and  glorious  purple.  The  hospital  is 
a  fine  building  on  the  top  of  the  hill ;  the  grammar-school 
and  several  other  good- sized  public  buildings  give  the  whole 
place  a  well-to-do  air.  We  crossed  a  bridge  spanning  an  arm 
of  a  lagoon  covered  with  a  curious  little  red  weed,  out  of 
which  rose  a  splendid  lotus  lily,  known  as  the  Eockhampton 
Lily.  The  blossoms  are  blue,  red,  and  white,  and  rear  their 
graceful  heads  above  the  water  in  a  conspicuous  manner, 
growing  sometimes  as  large  as  a  breakfast-saucer.  It  was  a 
beautiful  morning,  and  had  I  not  felt  unwell  with  bronchitis, 
from  which  I  have  so  long  been  suffering,  I  should  have  en- 
joyed the  drive  immensely.  About  seven  miles  out  we  came 
to  a  large  poultry  farm,  but  I  am  afraid  the  venture  had  not 


MOUNT  MORGAN  35  r 


proved  successful,  for  the  farm  looked  neglected.  Quite  a 
little  crowd  had  assembled  in  the  verandahs  of  the  inn  and 
adjoining  store,  and  the  people  had  hoisted  a  Union  Jack  in 
our  honour. 

About  half-way  up  the  hill  we  were  glad  to  pull  up  at 
a  creek  to  water  the  horses  and  sit  in  the  shade.  This 
was  just  before  reaching  the  '  Crocodile '  inn,  where  several 
coaches  were  waiting  to  change  horses.  Soon  afterwards  we 
passed  several  mines,  or  rather  reefs,  with  queer  names,  such 
as  the  '  Hit  or  Miss,'  the  '  Chandler,'  and  the  '  Hopeless,' 
arriving  in  due  time  at  the  Eazor-Back  Hill.  It  is  indeed 
well  named ;  for,  steep  as  we  had  found  the  little  pitches 
hitherto,  this  ascent  was  much  more  abrupt,  and  might  well 
be  likened  to  the  side  of  a  house.  Everybody  was  turned 
out  of  the  carriages  except  me,  and  even  with  the  lightest 
buggies  and  four  good  strong  horses,  it  seemed  as  if  the 
leaders  must  tumble  back  into  the  carriage,  so  perpendicular 
was  the  ascent  in  some  places.  On  one  side  of  the  road  a 
deep  precipice  fell  away,  and  when  we  passed  a  cart  or  met 
a  heavily  laden  dray  coming  down  from  the  mines  we  seemed 
to  go  dangerously  near  the  side.  Altogether,  the  drive  would 
not  have  been  a  pleasant  one  for  nervous  people.  Bad  and 
steep  as  the  present  road  is,  however,  it  cuts  off  a  great 
piece  of  the  hill,  and  is  quite  a  Queen's  Highway  compared 
to  the  old  road.  Having  at  last  reached  the  summit  of  the 
hill  and  breathed  our  panting  horses,  wre  went  on  through  a 
park-like  country,  more  or  less  enclosed,  which  led  to  the 
Mount  Morgan  territory. 

Here  the  most  conspicuous  building  is  the  hotel,  erected 
by  the  company  for  the  convenience  of  the  many  visitors  to 
the  works.  Although  not  yet  finished,  it  is  quite  a  pretty 
house,  and  will  accommodate  a  large  number  of  guests. 
It  stands  close  to  a  dam  across  the  mountain  stream  wrhich 
flows  through  the  valley,  and  has  for  a  foreground  a  refreshing 


352  THE  MINES 


lake  and  bathing-place,  formed  by  the  arrested  waters.  We 
did  not  stop  here,  but  crossed  the  creek  and  went  up  to 
the  company's  office,  where  we  were  warmly  welcomed  by  the 
practical  manager  of  the  mines,  Mr.  Wesley  Hall.  The  sun 
was  now  intensely  hot,  and  it  was  quite  a  relief  to  retire  into 
the  shade.  I  felt  very  tired  ;  but  as  they  had  kindly  harnessed 
two  fresh  draught  horses  into  the  buggy  on  purpose  to  take 
me  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  I  considered  myself  bound  to  go  ; 
and  off  we  started,  passing  enormous  stacks  of  stone  taken 
from  the  top  of  the  mountain.  These  blocks  are  said  to  be 
full  of  ore,  but  have  been  allowed  to  lie  so  long  exposed  to 
air  and  weather  that  many  plants  and  creepers,  and  even 
some  large  shrubs,  are  growing  over  them.  As  wre  climbed 
up  the  hills,  which  became  steeper  and  steeper  at  each  turn, 
we  passed  works  and  furnaces  of  every  description,  reaching 
at  last  a  plateau,  from  which  a  fine  view  opened  out  beneath 
us. 

The  township  of  Mount  Morgan  nestles  in  a  pretty  valley, 
and  is  enclosed  by  round-topped  hills,  which  are  covered 
with  trees.  A  mile  or  two  further  we  reached  the  foot  of  the 
steepest  hill  of  all,  where  the  rest  of  the  party  found  trucks 
waiting  for  them,  worked  by  an  endless  rope,  going  up  and 
down.  Into  one  of  these  they  soon  packed  themselves,  and 
were  speedily  drawn  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  while  we  climbed 
slowiy,  and  indeed  painfully,  up  by  a  pretty  country  road, 
eventually  arriving  at  the  shoot,  at  the  bottom  of  which  three 
drays  wrere  standing.  Into  these,  lumps  of  stone  were  being 
run  as  fast  as  possible,  and  when  filled  they  were  taken 
down  to  the  works,  to  be  quickly  replaced  by  empty  return 
drays.  The  stone  looked  exactly  like  old  ironstone,  but  we 
were  told  that  it  was  the  richest  native  gold  yet  found, 
having  been  assayed  as  high  as  99-8  per  cent.,  and  selling 
readily  for  4?.  4.9.  an  ounce.  To  this  was  added  the  assurance 
that  half  an  ounce  of  gold  per  ton  would  pay  all  working  ex- 


A    MOUNTAIN  OF  GOLD  353 

penses.  The  blacksmith's  forge  stood  a  little  further  on,  and 
then  we  came  to  a  very  narrow  woodland  path,  up  which  Tom 
and  the  sailors  carried  me  in  turns,  as  far  as  another  platform 
on  the  hill.  Here  were  several  troughs  leading  to  the  larger 
shoot  we  had  seen  below,  which  kept  it  constantly  fed,  and 
also  the  openings  of  long  tunnels  which  had  been  pierced  into 
the  very  heart  of  the  mountains.  These  shafts  were  merely 
experimental,  to  make  sure  that  the  richness  of  the  ore  was 
not  superficial,  but  extended  to  a  depth  of  some  two  hundred 
feet  beneath  the  ground  on  which  we  were  standing.  It  was 
curious  to  hear  these  statements,  and  look  at  the  surround- 
ing country,  which  was  perfectly  free  from  the  defacement  of 
mining  operations.  The  top  of  the  mountain,  on  a  part  of 
which  wre  were  standing,  had  originally  been  of  sugar-loaf 
form,  but  its  extreme  apex  has  been  cut  off,  and  quarrying 
operations  are  now  going  on  vigorously.  Tons  of  valuable 
stone  are  daily  raised  to  the  surface,  from  which  large  quan- 
tities of  gold  can  be  extracted.  One  blast  which  took  place 
while  we  stood  there  proved  nearly  fatal  to  both  me  and  '  Sir 
Roger.'  The  stone  turned  out  to  be  harder  than  the  miners 
had  anticipated,  and  the  fragments  blew  further  than  they 
should  have  done.  One  piece  missed  poor  '  Sir  Roger's  '  paw 
by  an  inch  ;  and  another  whizzed  past  my  head  within  two 
inches ;  while  a  smaller  piece  hit  me  on  the  shoulder  with 
what  the  manager  described  as  a  '  whacking  sound,'  making 
me  feel  quite  faint  for  a  few  moments. 

After  strolling  about  picking  up  specimens,  trying  to  learn 
from  Mr.  Wesley  Hall  to  distinguish  between  good  and  bad 
stone,  their  differing  qualities  being  to  us  novices  extremely 
difficult  to  detect,  we  sat  down  quietly  to  enjoy  the  view 
and  try  to  realise  the  truth  of  the  wonderful  stories  we 
had  been  hearing,  which  seemed  more  fit  to  furnish  mate- 
rial for  a  fresh  chapter  of  the  'Arabian  Nights,'  or  to  be 
embodied  in  an  appendix  to  'King  Solomon's  Mines/  than 

T  T 


354  THE    WATCHMAN 


to  figure  in  a  business  report  in  this  prosaic  nineteenth 
century.  Mabelle  and  I  returned  slowly  to  the  hotel,  which 
we  found  clean  and  comfortable.  While  I  was  lying  on  the 
sofa,  waiting  for  the  others  to  arrive,  a  regular '  srnash-up  '  took 
place  outside.  Five  horses  3roked  in  a  timber-waggon  (two 
and  two  abreast  and  one  leading)  were  going  down  a  steep 
bank  into  the  creek  below,  when  the  timber  suddenly  lifted 
and  came  on  the  backs  of  the  wheelers.  The  animals  began 
kicking  violently,  getting  their  legs  among  the  timber ;  it  was 
extremely  difficult  to  extricate  them  even  with  the  help  of  a 
dozen  powerful  and  willing  hands,  though  everyone  near  ran 
to  the  assistance  of  the  bewildered  teamster,  who  seemed  quite 
unable  to  cope  with  the  emergency. 

Presently  an  old  man — a  most  picturesque  individual- 
passed  slowly  b}T,  surrounded  by  quite  a  pack  of  hounds,  in- 
cluding lurchers,  retrievers,  and  even  curs,  as  well  as  some 
very  good-looking,  well-bred  greyhounds  and  kangaroo-hounds. 
On  inquiry  I  found  that  his  business  was  to  patrol  the 
place  all  night,  and  prevent  intruders  coming  to  take  away 
samples  of  Mount  Morgan  ore.  The  dogs  are  said  to  know 
their  business  thoroughly,  and  contrive  to  be  a  terror  to  the 
neighbourhood  without  seriously  hurting  anybody. 

Australian  up-country  hotels  are  certainly  not  meant  for 
rest.  They  are  always  either  built  of  corrugated  iron,  which 
conveys  every  sound,  or  of  wood,  which  is  equally  resonant. 
As  a  rule  the  partitions  of  the  rooms  do  not  reach  to  the  top 
of  the  roof,  so  that  the  least  noise  can  be  heard  from  end  to 
end  of  the  building.  There  is  alwaj's  a  door  at  one  extremity, 
sometimes  at  both,  besides  a  wide  verandah,  up  and  down 
which  people  stroll  or  lounge  at  pleasure.  Every  landlady  ap- 
pears to  have  half-a-dozen  small  children,  who  add  their  con- 
tribution to  the  day's  noises  in  the  shape  of  cries  and  shouts 
for  '  mammy,'  who,  poor  soul,  is  far  too  busy  to  attend  to  them 
herself  or  to  spare  anyone  else  to  do  so. 


LIQUID   GOLD  355 


Tuesday,  August  2nd. — The  crushing-mills  and  the  ma- 
chinery have  to  be  kept  working  all  night,  for  of  course  the 
furnaces  are  never  let  out ;  and  before  daybreak  all  the 
noises  of  the  works  began,  so  that  we  were  up  early,  and  after 
breakfast  went  to  the  chlorination  works  with  Mr.  Trinear,  the 
assayer. 

The  first  thing  shown  us  was  the  stone  just  as  it  came 


from  the  drays  we  had  watched  at  work  yesterday.  This 
was  speedily  crushed  into  powder,  baked,  and  mixed  with 
charcoal.  It  then  passed  through  another  process  within  the 
powerful  furnaces,  which  separated  the  ore  from  the  rock  and 
poured  it  forth,  literally  in  a  stream,  golden  as  the  river 
Pactolus.  I  never  saw  anything  more  wonderful  than  this 
river  of  liquid  gold.  A  little  phial  held  to  the  mouth  of  one 


356  CHLORINA  TION 


of  the  taps  became  just  a  bottle  of  gold  in  solution.  By 
adding  hydrochlorate  of  iron  the  gold  is  precipitated  in  about 
seventy  hours,  and  the  water  can  be  drained  off  pure  as  crystal, 
without  a  vestige  of  gold  remaining  in  it.  The  gold  itself  is 
then  mixed  with  borax,  put  through  a  further  smelting-process, 
and  ultimately  comes  out  in  solid  nuggets,  worth,  according  to 
the  purity  of  the  gold,  from  30x3?.  to  400^.  each.  The  children 
were  very  pleased  at  being  able  to  hold  i,2ooZ.  in  their  hands. 
Mr.  Trinear  told  me  that  as  the  metal  comes  from  the  furnaces 
mixed  with  charcoal  they  often  obtain  as  much  as  75,  and  he 
had  got  as  much  as  86,  per  cent,  of  gold. 

The  Mount  Morgan  Gold  Mining  Company  possess  pro- 
bably the  most  productive  gold-mine  in  the  world.  The  dis- 
covery of  the  gold-bearing  rock,  of  which  the  whole  mass  of 
Mount  Morgan  is  composed,  was  made  while  searching  for 
copper  ore.  The  gold  at  Mount  Morgan  is  obtained  from  a 
lode  of  decomposed  iron  pyrites,  partly  underlying  a  bed  of 
quartz,  and  at  various  points  cropping  up  to  the  surface.  The 
original  discoverers  of  the  ore,  and  the  individuals  who  sup- 
plied the  slender  amount  of  capital  with  which  the  company 
commenced  operations,  have  realised  great  fortunes. 

At  Mount  Morgan  the  process  known  as  chlorination  has 
been  developed  on  a  larger  scale  than  has  elsewhere  been 
attempted.  It  is  described  as  follows  : — 

'  The  process  of  chlorination  at  Mount  Morgan  is  a  very 
interesting  one,  and  would  well  repay  a  visit  of  inspection  by 
any  who  are  interested  in  the  profitable  and  economic  treat- 
ment of  auriferous  ores.  The  tailings,  as  they  come  from  the 
battery  or  from  the  dry  crusher,  as  the  case  may  be,  are  first 
of  all  roasted  in  eight  large  furnaces,  each  with  a  capacity  of 
putting  through  eight  tons  in  twenty-four  hours.  The  roasting 
of  the  ore  in  the  first  place  is  to  free  it  from  the  waters  of 
crystallisation  and  to  burn  all  organic  matter  out  of  it.  When 
it  leaves  the  furnaces,  it  is  turned  out  to  cool  in  a  large  space, 


CHLORINA  TION 


357 


between  the  furnaces  and  the  chlorinising  barrels.  When  it 
has  sufficiently  cooled,  it  is  taken  on  an  inclined  tramway 
to  the  hoppers  connected  with  the  chlorination  barrels,  in 
which  the  gas  is  generated  by  mingling  chloride  of  lime  with 
sulphuric  acid.  Water  only  is  added,  and  the  barrels,  which 
are  perfectly  air-tight,  are  kept  revolving  until  the  gold  is 


thoroughly  chlorinated,  or,  to  speak  plainly,  put  into  a  fluid 
state.  Each  barrel  contains  a  charge  of  about  a  ton  of  ore, 
and  it  is  possible  to  get  through  twelve  charges  in  the  twenty- 
four  hours. 

The  period  for  which  the  barrels  are  made  to  revolve 
averages  one  and  a  half  hour.  When  this  operation  is  over  the 
contents  of  the  barrels  are  discharged  into  draining- vats,  from 


358  CHLORINATION 


whence  the  water  and  the  gold,  put  into  a  state  of  solution, 
are  drained  into  charcoal  niters  below.  Charcoal  possesses 
such  an  affinity  for  the  chlorine  that  the  gold  is  rapidly 
deposited,  and  the  charcoal  is  so  laid  in  these  V-shaped 
niters  that  the  golden  fluid  passes  through  layers,  gradually 
becoming  finer  towards  the  bottom,  and  thus  practically  all 
the  gold  that  is  dissolved  by  the  chlorine  gas  in  the  barrels 
is  caught  in  the  charcoal.  So  effectual  is  the  process  that 
the  refuse  from  the  draining-tubs  will  not  assay  more  than 
a  pennyweight  or  a  pennyweight  and  a  half  to  the  ton,  while 
the  water  which  drains  off  from  the  charcoal  filters  is  pumped 
back  and  goes  through  the  process  a  second  time.  The 
contents  of  the  charcoal  filters  are  conveyed  straight  to  the 
srnelting-works.  There  the  charcoal  on  which  the  gold  has 
been  precipitated  is  first  roasted  in  furnaces,  and  the  residuum 
smelted  in  the  usual  srnelting-pots.  After  this  it  is  run  into 
ingots  of  the  purest  gold. 

'  Chlorination  was  originally  attempted  in  the  United  States. 
It  has  been  perfected  at  Mount  Morgan.  By  the  ordinary 
crushing  and  washing  process  one  ounce  to  the  ton  would  be 
extracted  from  the  rock  quarried  at  Mount  Morgan.  By  chlo- 
rination  every  particle  of  gold  is  extracted.  The  product  some- 
times reaches  17  oz.  per  ton.  The  average  maybe  taken  at 
5  oz.  Half  an  ounce  would  cover  expenses.' 

The  day  turned  out  lovely,  and  if  my  cough  had  not  been 
so  bad,  I  should  have  enjoyed  the  drive  down  from  Mount 
Morgan.  The  pitches  were  just  as  steep,  but  they  were  nearly 
all  downhill,  which  made  our  progress  seem  quicker  and  plea- 
santer.  The  country  looked  very  pretty ;  the  ferns  were  quite 
lovely,  and  the  lilies  in  full  bloom.  The  pleasure  of  the  drive 
was  further  marred  by  the  dreadful  odours  arising  from  the 
decaying  carcasses  of  unfortunate  bullocks  which  had  been 
left  by  the  roadside  to  die  from  exhaustion.  Happily,  there 
were  no  such  horrors  at  the  pretty  place  where  we  paused  to 


TO  EMERALD  AND   SPRINGSURE  359 

bait  our  horses — the  same  at  which  we  had  stopped  going 
up  yesterday — and  we  arrived  at  the  railway  hotel  at  Bock- 
hampton  at  2.5,  and  immediately  went  on  board  the  'Sun- 
beam.' 

In  spite  of  heavy  rain  in  the  afternoon  a  great  many 
ladies  came  to  see  the  yacht,  and  were  followed  later  by 
the  Naval  Artillery  Volunteers,  the  Naval  Brigade,  and  other 
visitors.  At  6  P.M.  Tom  went  ashore,  accompanied  by  the 
children,  to  review  the  Naval  Brigade,  with  which  he  was 
well  pleased.  After  a  hasty  dinner  at  seven,  we  all  went  to 
an  Ambulance  Meeting  in  the  council-chamber  of  the  town- 
hall.  The  heat  of  the  room  seemed  great  on  first  entering  it 
from  the  fresh  air  outside,  and  I  thought  I  should  have  fainted 
before  I  reached  my  chair  at  the  farthest  end  of  the  room. 
Presently,  however,  some  doors  were  opened,  and  matters  im- 
proved. The  meeting  was  very  satisfactory,  a  committee 
being  appointed,  and  several  doctors  promising  to  help  and 
give  lectures,  while  many  of  the  people  present  gave  in  their 
names  as  subscribers.  From  the  Ambulance  Meeting  we  went 
straight  on  to  the  station,  where  the  servants  had  rigged  up 
very  comfortable  beds  for  Baby  and  me  in  one  and  for  Mabelle 
and  Miinie  in  another  railway-carriage,  the  gentlemen  being 
provided  for  in  two  others.  We  were  soon  in  bed,  and  at  ten 
o'clock  started  for  Emerald  and  Springsure.  We  should  have 
been  most  comfortable  but  for  the  piercingly  cold  draughts. 
The  moon  shone  brilliantly,  and  I  could  see  from  my  cot  the 
lightly  wooded  but  flat  pastures  alternating  with  miles  and 
miles  of  bush,  with  here  and  there  a  log  hut  or  a  tin  house 
standing  in  its  own  little  clearing,  making  an  interesting 
picture  as  we  flew  through  the  district. 

Wednesday,  August  yd. — There  was  still  a  bright  moon, 
and  as  we  approached  Emerald  the  country,  seen  by  its  light, 
looked  most  picturesque.  At  Emerald,  the  rail  to  Springsure 
branches  off  from  the  main  line  to  Barceldine.  In  the  early 


360  THE   OPAL-MINES 


morning,  as  we  were  passing  Fernlee,  where  the  Government 
line  ends,  our  servants  produced  some  welcome  tea.  From 
there  we  ran  on  to  Springsure,  where  our  arrival  caused  great 
excitement,  for  it  was  really  the  opening  of  the  line,  ours  being 
the  first  passenger  train  to  arrive  at  the  township.  By  about 
half-past  eight  we  wrere  all  dressed,  and  wrent  to  a  comfortable 
inn,  some  on  foot  and  some  in  waggonettes,  where  we  break- 
fasted. 

After  watching  experiments  with  various  horses,  to  see 
which  were  best  and  quietest,  we  started  in  a  couple  of 
buggies  for  the  opal-mines,  or  rather  opal-fields,  of  Spring- 
sure.  We  had  not  driven  far  when  we  came  to  a  fence  right 
across  the  high  road,  and  had  to  go  some  way  round  over 
rough  ground  and  across  a  creek  to  avoid  it.  This  did  not 
excite  any  astonishment  in  the  mind  of  the  gentleman  who 
drove  us,  and  he  seemed  to  think  it  was  a  casual  alteration 
owing  to  the  new  line ;  but  on  a  dark  night  the  unexpected 
obstruction  might  prove  inconvenient.  When  the  top  of  the 
hill  where  the  opals  are  to  be  found  was  reached,  we  all  got 
out  and  set  to  work  to  pick  up  large  and  heavy  stones  with 
traces  of  opals  in  them,  as  well  as  some  fragments  of  pumice- 
stone  with  the  same  glittering  indications.  W'e  wrere  shown 
the  remnants  of  a  rock  which  had  been  blown  up  with  dyna- 
mite to  get  at  a  magnificent  opal  firmly  imbedded  in  it.  The 
experiment  resulted  in  rock,  opal,  and  all  being  blown  into 
fragments,  and  nothing  more  has  ever  been  seen  of  the  precious 
stone.  Our  search  not  proving  very  successful,  we  proceeded 
to  the  large  sheep-station  of  Eainworth.  This  fine  property 
originally  belonged  to  Mr.  Bolitho,  and  I  was  told  that  it  then 
consisted  of  300  square  miles  of  country  thoroughly  well 
stocked,  with  excellent  buildings,  and — what  is  to  be  most 
valued  in  this  dry  and  thirsty  land— a  running  stream,  which 
had  never  been  known  to  be  empty,  even  in  a  ten  years' 
drought.  The  question  of  water  becomes  a  serious  considera- 


KA  INS  WOR  TH  36  r 


tion  out  here,  where  every  full-grown  beast  is  supposed  to 
drink  and  waste  ten  gallons  of  water  a  day.  The  drive  to  the 
station  was  very  pleasant.  We  passed  a  racecourse,  where  a 
little  race-meeting  was  going  on.  It  looked  a  very  simple 
affair,  and  we  were  told  that  once  a  year  all  the  sporting 
population  in  what  Australians  call  '  the  neighbourhood,'  ex- 
tending for  some  hundred  miles  around,  assemble  here  to  try 
their  nags  against  one  another. 

We  seem  rather  unlucky  about  accidents,  for  on  our  way 
down  a  steep  hill  the  horses  suddenly  became  restive ;  and  if 
it  had  not  been  that  our  driver  sent  them  spinning  down  one 
hill  at  full  gallop,  and  up  the  next,  thus  leaving  them  no  time 
for  kicking,  and  preventing  the  carriage  from  ever  touching 
them,  we  should  probably  have  had  a  repetition  of  our  smash 
the  other  day.  We  did  not  see  a  single  kangaroo  all  the 
way,  but  passed  a  number  of  good-looking  cattle  and  horses. 
Years  ago  this  country  swarmed  with  game,  and  was  so 
eaten  up  that  the  ground  looked  as  bare  as  your  hand,  the 
pasture  being  undistinguishable  from  the  roads.  By  a  stren- 
uous effort  the  settlers  killed  30,000  kangaroos  on  a  com- 
paratively small  area  on  the  Ekowe  Downs,  the  adjoining 
station  to  this,  and  thousands  more  died  at  the  fence,  which 
was  gradually  pushed  forward,  in  order  to  enclose  the  sheep 
and  keep  out  the  marsupials. 

By-and-by  we  arrived  at  a  smart  white  gate  in  the  fence, 
which  a  nice  little  boy  dressed  in  sailor  costume,  who  had 
accompanied  us  from  Springsure,  opened  for  us.  These  pad- 
docks held  some  merino  sheep.  Some  fine  timber  had  been 
left,  so  that  the  station  looked  more  like  an  English  gentle- 
man's estate  than  any  place  we  have  yet  visited.  We  jolted 
wearily  over  huge  boulders  and  great  slabs  of  rock,  and  went 
up  and  down  tremendously  steep  pitches  in  the  roads,  until  at 
last  we  arrived  at  Eainsworth,  where  we  received  the  warmest 
welcome  from  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Todhunter.  After  luncheon  I 

u  u 


362  A  MOB   OF  CATTLE 

stayed  in  the  verandah  and  rested,  whilst  the  rest  of  the 
party  went  out  to  look  round  the  station  and  the  opal- 
fields. 

The  view  from  the  verandah  of  the  house  up  to  the  Rains- 
worth  mountain  was  remarkable,  its  most  conspicuous  feature 
being  the  peculiar-shaped  hill,  1,500  feet  high,  with  its  top 
cut  off,  leaving  a  table-land,  where  what  is  called  opal -glass 
is  found.  This  substance  resembles  opal  in  its  consistency, 
except  that  it  is  white  and  transparent  and  does  not  possess 
prismatic  colours  like  imprisoned  rainbows.  Before  we  left, 
Mrs.  Todhunter  kindly  gave  me  some  curious  specimens  of 
limestone,  stalactites,  and  stalagmites,  picked  up  on  the  surface 
of  the  black  soil  in  the  neighbourhood,  besides  two  very  curious 
little  iron  balls,  joined  together  like  a  natural  dumb-bell.  We 
left  in  good  time,  and  had  an  uneventful  drive  home.  I  felt 
curious  to  know  the  value  of  this  fine  station,  and  was  told 
it  was  40,000'.  This,  certainly,  if  correct,  does  not  seem  high 
for  an  extra-good  station  with  a  comfortable  house  on  it, 
besides  stables,  farm-buildings  of  every  possible  kind,  a  well- 
stocked  though  rather  neglected  garden  and  orchard,  a  large 
wool- shed  some  ten  miles  off,  and  a  practically  inexhaustible 
supply  of  water.  Besides  all  this,  there  are  plenty  of  well- 
fenced  paddocks,  containing  30,000  sheep,  200  bullocks,  and 
some  horses ;  also  drays  and  carts,  and  other  farming  imple- 
ments. 

On  reaching  Springsure  we  found  some  excitement  prevail- 
ing on  account  of  a  mob  of  a  thousand  cattle  having  passed 
near  the  town.     These  mobs  of  cattle  are  obliged  by  law  to 
travel  six  miles  a  day  at  least,  unless  they  have  cows  and 
young  calves  with  them,  when  the  compulsory  distance  is  less. 
They  feed   all  the  way  on   their  neighbours'    ground,   so  to 
speak,  and  travel  many  thousands  of  miles ,  occupying  months 
on  the  journey.     A  clever  stockman  loses  very  few  beasts  on 
the  way,  and  such  men  command  high  wages.     They  often 


THE   CATTLE-CAMP 


363 


undertake  the  journey  at  their  own  risk,  and  are  paid  only 
for  the  number  of  cattle  actually  delivered.  I  was,  as  usual, 
too  tired  to  go  out  again,  but  the  rest  of  the  party  set  off  to 
see  the  cattle-camp,  and  had  a  long  walk  over  a  rough  road  ; 
but  they  declared  the  sight  well  rewarded  them  for  their 
trouble.  The  cattle  were  preparing  to  settle  down  for  the 

night ;  whilst  the  camp-fires 
were  just  being  lit,  and  be- 
ginning to  twinkle  in  the 
early  twilight.  On  one 
side  a  brilliant  red  sunset 
glowed,  and  on  the  other 
the  moon  was  rising  and 
shedding  her  silver  light 


upon  the  scene.  It  ^was  so  tempting  to  remain  out  that  the 
sightseers  were  rather  late  for  dinner ;  after  which  we  took  up 
our  old  quarters  in  the  railway  carriages,  and  started  on  our 
homeward  journey.  This  proved  much  more  comfortable  than 
the  outward  trip,  for  the  railway  officials  had  kindly  stopped 
nearly  all  the  draughts. 

Thursday,  August  ^tli. — I  awoke  about  five,  and  was  at 
once  struck  by  the  strange  appearance  of  the  moon,  which 


364  AN  ECLIPSE 


did  not  look  so  big  as  usual,  and  had  assumed  a  curious  shape. 
I  gazed  at  her  in  a  lazy,  sleepy  way  for  some  time,  until  it 
suddenly  occurred  to  me  that  an  eclipse  was  taking  place, 
whereupon  I  roused  myself  and  got  my  glasses.  I  was  very 
glad  not  to  have  missed  this,  to  me,  always  most  interesting 
sight,  especially  as  I  had  not  the  slightest  idea  that  an  eclipse 
would  occur  this  morning.  The  atmosphere  was  marvellously 
clear,  and  I  saw  it  to  absolute  perfection. 

We  reached  Rockhampton  about  6  A.M.,  and  were  put  into 
a  quiet  siding  till  eight,  by  which  time  we  had  dressed  and 
were  ready  to  go  and  breakfast  at  the  comfortable  railway 
hotel.  There  was  just  time  for  a  satisfactory  talk  about 
arrangements  for  future  movements  before  eleven  o'clock, 
when  the  Mayor  arrived  to  take  us,  in  quite  a  procession  of 
buggies,  to  the  hospital.  Here  Doctor  Macdonald  met  us, 
and  I  was  put  into  a  chair  and  carried  through  the  various 
wards  of  an  excellently  planned  and  perfectly  ventilated 
building.  Everything  looked  scrupulously  clean,  and  the  pa- 
tients appeared  happy  and  well  cared  for.  Several  instances 
were  pointed  out  to  me  by  Doctor  Macdonald  in  which  the  St. 
John  Ambulance  would  have  been  of  great  use.  I  heard  of 
one  case  of  a  man  who  had  come  down  200  miles  with  a 
broken  leg,  no  attempt  having  been  made  to  bandage  it  up. 
The  poor  fellow  arrived,  as  may  easily  be  imagined,  with  the 
edges  of  the  bone  all  ground  to  powder  and  the  tissues  sur- 
rounding it  much  destroyed.  Then  there  was  another  case  of 
an  arm  broken  in  the  bush,  and  the  poor  man  lying  all  night 
in  great  agony  ;  and  again  of  another  stockman  who  crushed 
his  knee  against  a  tree  while  riding  an  unbroken  horse.  The 
instances  are  too  numerous  to  mention  where  the  knowledge 
of  how  to  make  the  best  of  the  available  means  of  relief  and 
transport  would  have  saved  much  needless  suffering.  There 
were  some  good  rooms  for  convalescent  patients,  besides 
paying  wards. 


THE  HOSPITAL  365 


Everything  looked  bright,  cheerful,  and  sunny  except  the 
ophthalmic  wards,  which,  if  I  may  use  such  an  expression, 
displayed  an  agreeable  gloom.  Here,  all  was  painted  dark 
green,  and  the  system  of  ventilation  seemed  quite  perfect, 
for  air  without  light  was  admitted  and  the  temperature 
equalised,  this  being  an  important  factor  in  bad  cases.  Oph- 
thalmia appears  to  be  quite  a  curse  in  Australia,  as  we  have 
already  found  to  our  cost,  through  Tom's  suffering  from  it. 
There  were  nice  shady  verandahs  to  this  part  of  the  hospital, 
and  comfortable  chairs  for  the  patients  to  sit  and  lounge 
in,  besides  a  pretty  garden.  Not  far  off,  in  the  compound, 
stood  the  various  quarters  for  the  nurses  and  servants,  and 
the  dead-house,  and  dissecting-room,  with  other  necessary 
though  painful  adjuncts  to  a  hospital.  The  doctor's  cheerful 
bungalow,  also  near,  was  surrounded  by  a  pretty  garden. 

A  rough  drive  over  a  bad  road  took  us  to  the  Botanical 
Gardens,  which  are  enclosed  by  the  most  charming  fence  I 
have  ever  seen ;  or  rather  by  a  fence  made  beautiful  by  the 
luxuriant  creepers  growing  over  it.  A  mass  of  the  brilliant 
blossoms  of  the  orange  Thuribergia  vcmista,  purple  Bouyain- 
villeas,  and  ivory-white  Baumantia  extended  from  end  to  end 
and  side  to  side.  This  fence  encircled  a  lavish  growth  of 
palms  of  all  kinds  and  shapes  and  sorts  and  sizes,  and  many 
other  tropical  plants,  which  quite  overshadowed  the  common 
European  shrubs.  These  seem  to  flourish  to  perfection  in 
winter  here,  and  include  verbenas  of  all  colours,  and  unusual 
size  and  brilliancy ;  a  great  profusion  of  phloxes,  the  Phlox 
Dntmmondi  being  a  perfect  weed,  and  scenting  the  whole  air. 
These  taller  flowers  were  intermixed  with  mignonette,  musk, 
and  many  dear  old  home  favourites  ;  while  all  one  side  of  the 
garden  was  taken  up  by  a  bush-house  full  of  splendid  palms. 
Ferns,  various  Alsopltilas,  Lycopodium  scandens,  Vanillas, 
Hoyas,  flourished  in  great  variety.  Pink  and  red  Bougain- 
rilleas  were  growing  on  standards  outside,  among  the  orange- 


366 


A  MEAT-CANNING  FACTORY 


trees,  and  beyond  lay  lagoons  covered  with  the  far-famed  blue, 
red,  and  pink  lotus-lilies  of  Rockhampton. 

The  sun  became  very  hot,  and  I  was  glad  to  be  carried 
back  to  the  carriage  and  to  drive  straight  to  the  boat,  and 
so  on  board  the  yacht  to  rest,  while  the  remainder  of  the 
party  went  shopping  in  the  town.  In  the  afternoon  we  all 
went  in  the  steam-launch  to  see  the  Creek  Meat  Canning 
Factory — a  concern  which  has  lately  changed  hands,  and 

holds  some  of  the  largest  contracts 
in  the  world  for  supplying  armies 
and  navies  with  tinned  meat.  The 
quality  is  excellent.  Mr.  Bertram, 
the  manager,  met  us  at  the  pier, 
at  which  we  had  considerable 
difficulty  in  landing,  for  the  tide 
was  low.  After  a  little  time  and 
trouble  we  managed  to  reach  the 
shore,  and  went  through  the  works, 
which  are  most  interesting.  The 
manufactory  stands  on  the  bank 
of  the  river  close  to  a  pretty  lake 
embosomed  amongst  hills,  and 
surrounded  with  paddocks,  where 
the  cattle  rest  after  being  driven  in  from  distant  stations. 

We  were  all  safe  on  board  the  yacht  by  9  P.M.,  and  at 
ten  o'clock  the  anchor  was  weighed.  The  night  was  fine, 
and  we  only  stopped  at  intervals  to  allow  the  pilot  to  re- 
connoitre, or  to  wait  for  a  rise  of  tide.  This  is  a  most  curious 
river,  and  might  well  be  made  the  scene  of  a  romance  by 
some  poetical  person.  It  is  only  every  ten  or  twelve  days 
that  craft  drawing  over  ten  feet  can  get  up  or  down  the  river, 
and  then  only  by  the  light  of  the  moon.  By  day  no  large 
vessel  can  reach  Eockhampton. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

THE     EAST     COAST. 

Friday,  August  5</<. — At  1.30  A.M.  we  anchored  off  John- 
stone  Point,  and  at  8  o'clock  we  hove  anchor  and  proceeded 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Fitzroy  River.  The  pilot  left  us  at  10.30, 
and  we  proceeded  out  to  sea  under  sail.  There  was  a  strong 
wind  from  the  south-east,  and  I  was  glad  to  stay  in  bed  all 
day.  We  passed  through  the  Cumberland  Isles,  and  Tom  had 
a  rather  anxious  night,  as  the  navigation  was  very  intricate. 

Saturday,  August  6tJt. — The  morning  broke  clear  and  fine, 
the  fresh  breeze  still  continuing.  The  scenery  during  the 
day  was  lovely,  and  I  was  carried  into  the  deck-house  in 


UP   THE   COAST 


order  that  I  might  enjoy  it.  The  views  were  more  like 
the  Inland  Sea  of  Japan  than  the  tropical  scenery,  made 
up  of  cocoanut  palms,  tree-ferns,  and  coral  islands,  which 
I  had  been  looking  for.  The  mountain  shapes  were  very 
beautiful,  as  were  also  the  bays  and  inlets,  and  the  varied 
colours  of  the  land,  sea,  and  sky  gave  brilliancy  and  effect  to 
the  landscape.  The  east  coast  of  Australia  at  this  season  of 
the  year  is  a  perfect  cruising-ground  for  yachtsmen.  The 
Great  Barrier  reef,  extending  for  a  distance  of  1,000  miles 
from  Swain  Keefs  to  Cape  Yorke,  protects  the  coast  from  the 
heavy  swell  of  the  Pacific.  The  steady  breezes  from  the  south- 
east are  favourable  for  sailing,  especially  in  the  direction  in 
which  we  are  steering. 

At  4  P.M.  we  were  off  Pine  Island,  a  small  islet  of  the  Percy 
group,  on  which  a  light  has  been  established.  From  Pine 
Island  onwards  to  the  Whitsunday  Passage  the  navigation 
recalls  the  experiences  of  mai\y  pleasant  summers  on  the  west 
coast  of  Scotland.  The  inner  route,  which  we  followed,  passes 
between  numberless  rocks  and  islands.  The  Percy  Isles  form 
a  distinct  group,  extending  twenty  miles  from  north  to  south, 
and  eight  miles  from  east  to  west.  To  the  westward  of  the 
Percy  Isles  a  still  larger  group  has  received  the  collective  name 
of  Northumberland,  the  several  islands  being  distinguished  by 
familiar  Northumbrian  names.  Advancing  northwards,  at  a 
distance  of  some  sixty  miles  from  the  Percy  group,  the  Cum- 
berland, Sir  James  Smith,  and  Whitsunday  groups  form  a 
continuous  archipelago  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  passage. 
The  highest  peaks  attain  an  elevation  little  short  of  i  ,000  feet. 
The  islands  are  for  the  most  part  richly  wooded.  Some 
peaks  are  clothed  with  timbers  to  the  summit,  others  are 
smooth  and  grassy,  a  few  are  bare  of  vegetation.  The  rocks 
are  magnificent.  Paternoster  rises  sheer  from  the  water  to  a 
height  of  more  than  900  feet. 

'  Turning  from  the  sea  to  the  mainland,  the  coast-rangei 


GLOUCESTER  ISLAND  369 

at  a  short  distance  inland  forms  a  continuous  barrier,  vary- 
ing in  height  from  3,000  to  upwards  of  4,000  feet.  At  Whit- 
sunday Passage,  through  which  we  passed  on  the  afternoon 
of  August  6th,  the  line  of  coast  is  broken  by  Cape  Conway, 
which,  at  its  south-eastern  extremity,  rises  to  a  height  of  1,637 
feet.  A  chain  of  peaks  extends  northwards  from  Cape  Con- 
way  to  Mount  Drysander,  and  forms  a  fine  amphitheatre  of 
hills  on  the  western  side  of  the  Whitsunday  Passage.  On 
the  eastern  side  is  a  group  of  islands,  of  which  Whitsunday, 
the  largest,  is  eleven  miles  long,  while  Whitsunday  Passage 
is  twenty  miles  in  length.  At  its  narrowest  part  it  is  con- 
tracted to  a  breadth  of  two  miles.  On  the  mainland  side  the 
passage  opens  out  into  the  fine  natural  harbour  of  Porte  Molle. 
On  the  eastern  side  the  line  of  shore  is  broken  by  the  bays  of 
Whitsunday  Island,  and  the  channels  which  divide  it  from  the 
smaller  islands,  by  which  it  is  completely  surrounded.' 

Cape  Gloucester  was  reached  in  about  three  hours  after 
we  had  issued  from  the  Whitsunday  Passage.  Piounding  the 
cape,  we  anchored  for  the  night  close  under  the  land. 

Sunday,  August  Jtli. — The  morning  dawned  clear  and  bright, 
and  we  sent  off  two  men  in  the  dinghy  to  land  on  Gloucester 
Island.  They  took  the  dogs  for  a  run  ashore,  and  I  asked 
them  to  collect  what  they  could  in  the  way  of  shells  or 
greenery.  They  did  not  bring  back  much  of  either,  but  re- 
ported that  the  island  was  very  pretty  and  had  a  nice  sandy 
shore,  with  forests  running  down  almost  to  the  water's  edge, 
and  quantities  of  parrots  and  parrakeets.  We  had  church 
at  half-past  ten,  and  directly  after  service  went  across  to 
Bowen,  anchoring  a  short  distance  from  H.M.S.  '  Paluma.' 
Bowen  is  a  small  town,  but  the  harbour  is  spacious.  The  sea 
was  rather  rough,  and  we  found  some  difficulty  in  communi- 
cating with  the  shore  ;  but  after  lunch  all  the  party  landed  in 
the  large  cutter.  I  was  sorry  to  hear  that  Bowen  is  rapidly 
dwindling  and  losing  its  trade ;  the  inhabitants  hope,  however, 


370  TOWNSVILLE 


to  recover  some  of  their  former  vitality  when  once  the  network 
of  railways  is  extended  to  their  little  town.  Later  on  the 
officers  of  the  '  Paluma '  came  on  board,  and  seemed  pleased 
to  meet  people  lately  from  Europe ;  for  they  have  been  on  this 
station  several  years,  surveying  the  Barrier  Eeef.  Our  own 
shore  party  returned  late,  having  much  enjoyed  their  expedi- 
tion and  the  long  walk.  They  had  picked  up  a  good  many 
curiosities,  including  one  of  the  largest  and  finest  hawksbill- 
turtle  shells  I  had  ever  beheld.  It  had  been  most  carefully 
polished  by  a  lighthouse-keeper  on  one  of  the  reefs,  who  had 
caught  the  creature  himself.  A  great  many  telegrams  were 
received  this  evening,  all  referring  to  the  various  kind  arrange- 
ments proposed  for  us  at  Towiisville  and  elsewhere. 

Monday,  August  8th. — Weighed  anchor  at  daybreak,  and 
were  pushed  merrily  forward  by  strong  S.E.  breezes.  We 
sailed  swiftly  up  the  coast  as  far  as  Townsville — a  pretty- 
looking  town  of  foreign  appearance,  with  its  wharves  and  busi- 
ness-houses close  down  on  the  beach,  wrhilst  the  villas  and 
private  residences  stand  on  the  little  nooks  and  corners  of  a 
hill  at  the  back.  The  officers  of  H.M.S.  'Myrmidon,'  which 
was  lying  in  harbour,  soon  came  on  board  to  see  us.  They 
had  broken  their  rudder-head  outside  the  Barrier  Eeef,  where 
they  too  were  hard  at  work  surveying,  and  had  come  into 
Townsville  for  repairs.  The  anchorage  proved  roily,  there 
being  no  protection  whatever,  and  I  had  rather  an  uncomfort- 
able night. 

Tuesday,  August  gtli. — At  daybreak  Tom  moved  the  yacht 
out  to  the  shelter  of  Magnetic  Island,  where  the  coal-hulks 
lie,  some  six  miles  off  Townsville.  There  we  kept  boxing 
about  all  the  morning,  under  the  mistaken  idea  that  it  was 
quite  smooth.  Meanwhile  some  supplies  were  taken  on  board  ; 
but  as  I  wTas  not  well  enough  to  undertake  the  long  expeditions 
which  had  been  planned,  and  the  rest  of  the  party  declared 
that  it  would  not  be  possible  to  go  without  me,  they  were 


A    BUSY  PLACE 


37i 


given  up.    After  landing  and  taking  a  walk 
through  Townsville,  the  shore- 
going    people 
pronounced  it 
to  be  quite  as 
clean  -  looking 
and    prosper- 
ous as  Bowen, 
but  with  more 
business    going 


on.     The  town,  which 
has     a     population     of 
12,000,    is    built    on    a 
tongue  of  land  between 
the  sea  and  Eoss  Creek. 
It  consists  of  one  main 
street  containing  banks, 
public  offices,  counting- 
houses,    and     well-sup- 
plied stores  and  shops.    The 
bustle  in  the  streets  and  the  flour- 
ishing and  prosperous  appearance 
everywhere  were  quite  cheering. 
Townsville  owes  its  prosperity  to 
its  railway,  which  is  already  opened 

to  a  distance  of  two  hundred  miles  into  the  interior,  and 
which  has  made  it  the  port  for  a  wide  area  of  pastoral  country 
and  for  several  promising  gold-fields. 

The  bay  of  Townsville  is  open,  and  the  shoal  water  extends 
some  two  miles  from  the  beach.  A  breakwater  is  in  course  of 
construction,  and  dredging  operations  are  being  prosecuted 
with  energy,  so  that  the  defects  of  the  port  will  in  course 
of  time  be  remedied.  We  started  with  the  same  strong  trade- 
wind  up  the  coast,  passing  through  some  pretty  picturesque 

x  x 


372  A    VISIT  FROM  NATIVES 

islands  and  roads,  hoping  to  anchor  at  Dungeness.  for  the 
night.  Finding  it  impossible  to  get  up  there  before  dark,  we 
anchored  in  Challenger  Bay,  under  shelter  of  Palm  Island, 
shortly  after  sunset.  Soon  after  we  had  dropped  anchor  ab- 
original blacks  were  reported  alongside,  and  on  going  on  deck 
I  saw  two  miserable-looking  objects  in  the  frailest  of  boats. 
Indeed  the  craft  looked  like  the  pictures  of  an  ancient  Bri- 
tish coracle,  and  was  so  light  and  unseaworthy  that  every 
wave  washed  into  it.  They  had  nothing  for  sale  except 
some  commonplace  and  evil- smelling  shells,  which  they  were 
anxious  to  exchange  for  tobacco  and  biscuits,  evidently  pre- 
ferring these  commodities  to  money.  We  bought  all  the  shells 
they  had,  and  they  were  so  well  satisfied  with  their  bargain 
that  they  returned  later  on  with  another  bucketful  of  con- 
chological  curiosities,  which  were  also  purchased.  They  looked 
most  harmless  individuals ;  but  having  been  warned  by  Cap- 
tain Bridge  never  to  trust  the  natives  here,  we  thought  it 
better  to  set  a  double  watch  for  the  night,  more  as  a  matter 
of  precaution  than  from  any  fear  of  actual  danger.  Though 
they  may  have  the  reputation  of  being  friendly,  and  may  be 
certified  as  such  in  books  of  sailing  directions,  and  on  the  Admi- 
ralty charts,  one  can  never  feel  sure  of  their  disposition.  A 
trifling  event  may  have  occurred  since  the  last  report  was 
made  which  would  alter  the  disposition  of  the  whole  tribe 
towards  Europeans.  Some  officers  may  have  landed  to  shoot, 
and  walked  over  the  crops  of  the  natives  without  apologising 
or  offering  them  remuneration,  not  knowing  that  they  had 
done  anything  wrong.  Drunken  sailors  may  have  landed,  and 
so  changed  the  friendly  attitude  of  the  inhabitants  to  deadly 
enmity  towards  the  next  arrivals.  I  honestly  believe  that  a 
great  many  of  the  reported  outrages  in  the  South  Sea  and 
other  savage  islands  are  due  more  to  a  temporary  misunder- 
standing between  blacks  and  whites  than  to  any  cold-blooded 
barbarity  or  love  of  bloodshed  on  the  part  of  the  natives. 


PALM  ISLAND 


373 


Wednesday,  August  loth. — Some  of  the  party  went  early 
ashore,  and  I  need  scarcely  say  they  were  not  molested  in 
the  slightest  degree,  and  only  found  a  most  harmless  black 
camp  of  about  twenty  individuals,  with  gins  nursing  their 
babies  and  men  walking  about.  They  brought  off  a  good  col- 
lection of  pectens,  clams,  helmets,  conchs,  pearl-oysters,  and 
large  cowries,  but  the  specimens  were  not  very  perfect.  Also 


Queensland   Xatives 


a  quantity  of  greenery  in  the  shape  of  Pancrathims,  Logodium 
scandens,  climbing  Lycopodium,  and  a  curious  sort  of  fruit  off 
a  palm,  which  grows  in  large  cone-shaped  clusters.  They  call 
it  breadfruit  in  these  parts,  and  the  natives  eat  it ;  but  it 
certainly  does  not  look  either  inviting  or  eatable.  One  fruit 
weighed  twelve,  and  the  other  over  eleven,  pounds. 

Two  more  natives  came  alongside  this  morning.    The}*  had 


374  HINCHINBROOK  CHANNEL 

not  the  slightest  vestige  of  clothing ;  but  two  men,  whom  I 
saw  over  the  side  later  in  the  day,  both  sported  hats,  and  one 
of  them  had  on  besides  a  man-of-war  shirt ;  the  other  wore 
a  very  short  tunic  cut  low  in  the  neck  and  several  rows  of 
canary- coloured  glass  beads.  We  weighed  at  eleven,  and  pro- 
ceeded towards  Dungeness  under  sail.  I  was  carried  up  into 
the  deck-house  to  see  the  view,  which  was  provokingly  ob- 
scured by  mists  and  driving  rain.  We  found  some  difficulty  in 
making  our  way,  owing  to  the  new  buoys  not  having  yet  been 
entered  on  the  Admiralty  chart.  Fortunately,  the  officers 
of  the  '  Myrmidon '  had  warned  Tom  of  this  fact,  made  more 
dangerous  by  the  thick  mist  and  fog.  We  ultimately  arrived  at 
Dungeness  in  safety,  taking  everybody  by  surprise,  as  no  ship 
had  ever  been  known  to  go  through  the  southern  entrance  of 
Hmchinbrook  Channel  before  without  a  pilot.  The  pilot,  a 
nice  old  man,  had  been  looking  for  us  all  day  yesterday,  as 
well  as  all  last  night.  As  we  did  not  appear,  he  must  have 
gone  home,  thereby  losing  the  pleasure  of  conducting  us  into 
the  harbour,  but  giving  Tom  the  gratification  of  bringing  the 
vessel  in  through  the  channel  without  taking  a  pilot. 

Thursday,  August  nth. — When  I  awoke  at  eight  Tab  and 
Mr.  des  Graz  had  already  started  on  their  shooting  expedi- 
tion, and  at  noon  we  also  set  forth  on  an  excursion  up  the 
Herbert  River.  Tom  had  caused  a  comfortable  bed  to  be 
rigged  up  for  me  in  the  gig,  so  that  I  was  not  obliged  to  dress, 
but  simply  got  out  of  one  bed  into  another.  The  gig  was 
towed  by  the  steam-launch,  which  also  trailed  the  '  Flash ' 
behind  in  case  we  might  want  to  land  in  any  shallow  place 
or  get  aground  on  a  sand  or  mud  bank.  After  the  first 
little  fluster  of  moving  was  over  it  was  a  great  pleasure  to 
me  to  be  once  more  in  the  open  air  after  being  shut  up  for 
what  seems  so  long  a  time.  It  felt  deliciously  warm  too, 
the  temperature  being  /4°.  The  scenery  wras  beautiful- 
sandy  shores,  green  woods  with  high  precipitous  mountains 


DUNGENESS 


375 


in  the  background,  covered  with  shiny  slate-like  shale,  which 
when  moist  shows  up  like  a  mirror  through  the  mist.  The 
view  so  reminded  me  of  Scotland  that  I  felt  inclined  to  take 
up  my  glasses  to  look  for  deer  among  the  craggy  peaks  and 
corries.  We  passed  the  little  pilot  station  of  Dungeness,  and 
almost  directly  afterwards  the  hamlet  of  the  same  name.  It 


Cardwell  School-house 


bears  some  resemblance  to  its  English  namesake,  for  it  is 
situated  on  a  sandy  spit  of  land,  surrounded  by  mangrove 
swamps  instead  of  grass  marshes.  I  noticed,  too,  that  the 
people  have  the  fever-stricken  look  which  is  sometimes  seen 
about  Lydd  and  that  part  of  the  country.  There  are  only  fifty- 
six  inhabitants,  men,  women,  and  children.  Dull  as  the  sur- 
roundings seemed,  it  is  wonderful  how  bright  and  cheerful  the 


376  A  SUGAR  PLANTATION 

people  who  came  on  board  yesterday  seemed  to  be.  The  river, 
though  wider,  put  us  very  much  in  mind  of  the  Kuching,  in 
Borneo — the  same  tropical  vegetation  and  miles  of  unhealthy- 
looking  mangrove  swamps.  We  passed  several  tidy-looking 
little  settlements  on  the  banks,  some  picturesquely  built  of 
wood  thatched  with  sugar-cane  or  palm-leaf,  while  others 
were  constructed  of  corrugated  iron,  which  must  be  frightfully 
hot  in  summer.  The  white  people,  so  far  as  we  could  judge, 
as  we  passed  up  and  down  the  river,  were  suffering  from 
the  climate.  The  Kanakas  and  Chinamen  seemed  more  pros- 
perous ;  and  the  few  aboriginals  looked  quite  happy  in  their 
natural  surroundings. 

The  servants,  with  their  usual  ingenuity,  managed  to  both 
cook  and  serve  an  excellent  lunch,  in  the  boat,  with  only  the 
assistance  of  the  '  Darby  and  Joan '  stove.  About  half-past 
two  we  reached  the  wharf  of  the  Halifax  sugar-plantation,  where 
our  arrival  disturbed  a  large  party  of  aboriginals,  women  and 
children,  who  were  enjoying  their  afternoon  bath,  splashing, 
jumping  like  a  shoal  of  fish.  Our  party  (including  the  dogs) 
landed,  and  on  their  return  said  that  the  crop  of  sugar 
looked  very  healthy,  and  the  rolling  and  crushing  stock  of 
the  cane  was  in  excellent  order.  The  whole  district  is  well 
adapted  for  the  cultivation  of  sugar.  No  less  than  9,600  tons 
were  produced  in  1886.  The  growth  is  steadily  increasing, 
and  the  country  will  sooner  or  later  become  the  centre  of  a 
large  and  prosperous  trade. 

For  the  cultivation  of  sugar  on  the  Herbert  both  British 
and  coloured  labour  is  employed — British  workmen  in  the 
mills,  the  coloured  people  in  cutting  the  cane.  "Wages  for 
Englishmen  range  from  twenty-five  shillings  upwards  weekly. 
We  spoke  to  some  of  the  wives  of  the  workmen,  several  of  whom 
are  recent  arrivals  from  Lancashire.  Then-  dwellings  are  of 
the  simplest  description,  made  of  corrugated  iron  or  of  straw, 
and  scattered  at  haphazard  in  a  clearing  in  the  jungle  or  on 


ALLIGATORS  377 


the  banks  of  the  river.  These  pioneers  of  cultivation  have  to 
lead  a  hard  life  and  bear  many  privations — circumstances  in 
which  the  colonising  qualities  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  always 
come  to  the  front. 

There  was  an  hotel  and  a  store,  and,  as  is  usual  in  this 
sort  of  place,  enormous  piles  of  broken  bottles  and  empty 
cases  of  tinned  meats,  jams,  &c.  It  breaks  my  heart  to  see 
the  colonists,  particularly  the  children,  living  on  condensed 
milk,  tinned  meats,  and  canned  fruits  from  America,  when 
there  is  so  much  good  pasture  running  to  waste  all  round  the 
house.  In  the  orchards  the  trees  are  literally  broken  down 
from  the  weight  of  their  crop,  while  quantities  of  fruit  which 
the  boughs  cannot  support  are  given  to  the  pigs  and  cattle. 

We  had  to  wait  a  little  before  starting  on  our  homeward 
water-way,  for  the  tubes  of  the  '  Trap's '  boiler  began  to  leak, 
and  had  to  be  repaired.  This  delay  gave  us  an  opportunity 
of  observing  some  of  the  inhabitants,  who  came  to  the  pier  to 
see  us.  They  looked  smart  and  clean  and  well-to-do — quite 
different  from  those  we  had  noticed  as  we  ascended  the  river. 
We  stopped  to  take  one  or  two  photographs  of  tropical  scenery 
and  of  various  little  stations  on  the  way  down  the  river.  We 
also  paused  to  look  at  the  body  of  a  dead  alligator  which  had 
been  caught  in  a  snag.  He  was  between  five  and  seven  feet 
long,  and  a  second  rather  larger  one  lay  close  by.  From  time 
to  time  we  caught  sight  of  parties  of  blacks  hidden  amongst 
the  rank  vegetation  of  the  shores,  and  we  saw  some  beautiful 
birds,  particularly  a  brilliant  blue  kingfisher,  flashing  about 
like  a  jewel  in  the  sunlight.  There  was  another  pretty  little 
red-beaked  bird  ;  and  an  enormous  black  crane,  about  four 
feet  high,  with  white  tips  to  his  wings,  and  a  red  and  blue 
topknot,  stalked  about  among  the  lotus-lilies.  One  part  of 
the  river  banks  was  covered  by  a  dense  growth  of  pancra- 
tium lilies,  scenting  the  whole  air ;  while  elsewhere  a  tangled 
curtain  of  pink  and  violet  ipomrea  hung  down  from  tall  trees. 


578 


HINCHINBROOK  ISLAND 


I  may  mention  that  the  currents  in  the  river  are  very  strong, 
and  that  we  had  several  tropical  showers  in  the  course  of 
the  day.  Although  I  enjoyed  my  outing,  I  was  thankful  to 
get  on  board  again  and  lie  down  on  my  bed.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wardlaw  came  off  later  on,  and 
brought  me  some  orchids  and  a 
telegram  from  Mr.  Pennefather 
pressing  us  to  stay  till  to-morrow, 


so  as  to  allow  the  gentlemen  to  have  the  good  day's  shooting 
he  had  arranged  for  them ;  but  want  of  time  rendered  this 
pleasant  plan  impossible.  The  maids,  stewards,  and  some  of 
the  crew  had  gone  on  shore  on  Hmchinbrook  Island,  and 
brought  back  a  quantity  of  ferns,  orchids,  lilies,  and  shells, 
and  an  amusing  report  of  the  blacks'  camp  which  they  had 
seen  there.  The  children  were  so  delighted  with  the  descrip- 


IN  THE  DOLDRUMS  379 


tion  the  maids  gave  them  of  the  wonders  on  shore  that  they 
promptly  took  off  their  father  and  two  other  gentlemen  in  the 
steam-launch  to  search  for  curiosities,  hoping  to  be  fortunate 
enough  to  find  some  shells  as  beautiful  and  uncommon  as 
those  the  servants  had  brought  back  with  them. 

Friday,  August  \2tli. — An  hour  after  midnight  the  sports- 
men returned,  and  Mr.  Pennefather  came  to  breakfast.  He 
was  much  disappointed  that  the  party  could  not  stay  for 
another  day's  shooting,  and  talked  of  the  variety  of  game  to 
be  had — geese,  ducks,  widgeon,  teal,  coot,  plover,  quail,  swans, 
turkeys,  and  bitterns,  to  say  nothing  of  cockatoos,  parrots, 
wallabys,  kangaroos,  and  alligators.  Yesterday  the  engine- 
driver,  being  a  sportsman  himself,  kindly  stopped  the  train 
and  allowed  them  to  have  a  shot,  or  rather  several.  They 
succeeded  in  killing  one  poor  lady  wallaby  with  a  dear  little 
baby  in  her  pouch,  which  did  not  seem  very  young,  and  would 
therefore  have  been  easy  to  rear ;  but,  unfortunately,  they  did 
not  take  possession  of  it  and  bring  it  on  board  for  a  pet,  to  add 
to  the  little  flock  already  brought  up  by  hand.  Wallabys  are 
quite  easy  to  tame  when  caught  as  young  as  this  little  crea- 
ture, and  are  very  gentle  and  affectionate.  Arrived  at  the  fac- 
tory, the  shooting-party  had  lunch  with  Mr.  Pennefather,  and 
then  went  out  with  their  guns,  but  only  succeeded  in  bagging 
a  bandicoot,  two  ducks,  a  widgeon,  a  plover,  and  a  few  other 
birds,  making  altogether  a  somewhat  nondescript  bag. 

Precisely  at  9.30  we  started  under  steam  through  the 
Rockingham  Channel,  which  separates  Hinchmbrook,  an  island 
of  magnificent  mountains,  from  the  mainland.  We  are  now 
well  in  the  doldrums  of  the  Tropic  of  Capricorn,  and  the  de- 
licious fair  strong  trade-breezes  we  have  hitherto  enjoyed 
have  now  deserted  us,  or  rather  we  have  sailed  through  them. 
I  do  not  think  I  ever  saw  anything  finer  than  this  Rocking- 
ham Channel.  The  mountains  on  the  mainland  are  high, 
and  of  beautiful  shapes,  with  points  and  rounded  outlines, 

Y  Y 


380  CARDWELL 


covered  with  green  foliage,  whilst  on  the  inner  shore  of  the 
island  of  Hinchinbrook  there  is  a  dense  mass  of  tropical 
foliage  clothing  the  hills  up  to  their  highest  tops.  Where 
the  scrub  has  been  burnt,  little  patches  of  ferns  of  a  fresh 
light  green  colour  have  sprung  up,  and  the  leafy  mass  is 
broken  here  and  there  by  a  perpendicular  rock  or  a  white 
lace-like  cascade.  Every  bay  and  little  inlet  has  its  own 
peculiar  charm,  and  occasionally  a  sharp  spit  of  rock  is  thrust 
out  into  the  sea.  The  water  to-day  is  as  placid  as  it  can 
possibly  be,  and  reflects  on  its  surface  as  in  a  mirror  all  the 
beauties  of  the  scenery.  About  twelve  o'clock  we  reached 
Cardwell,  a  collection  of  little  tin  houses,  looking  from  the  ship 
as  if  they  stood  amid  widely  separated  fields  and  orchards. 
All  the  party  but  the  Doctor  and  myself  went  on  shore  to  see 
the  place.  The  people  were  all  very  kind,  and  our  party  were 
entertained  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Walsh,  the  principal  Govern- 
ment official ;  and  afterwards  the  chairman  of  the  Local 
Board,  on  behalf  of  the  inhabitants,  read  and  presented  a 
neatly  worded  address  to  Tom,  who  made  a  suitable  reply. 
The  party  then  returned  on  board,  laden  with  orchids,  cocoa- 
nuts,  and  everything  the  township  produces.  The  few  settlers 
were  most  hospitable,  and  expressed  great  pleasure  at  seeing 
us.  Whilst  Torn  and  the  others  were  taking  their  ramble  at 
Cardwell,  Mr.  W^alsh  came  off  to  pay  me  a  little  visit ;  but 
directly  the  shore  party  returned  on  board,  at  2.30,  we  re- 
sumed our  voyage  under  steam  towards  Mourillyan.  The 
channel  was  still  lovely,  with  islands  on  one  side  and  the  high 
mountains  of  the  mainland  on  the  other.  I  do  not  know  when 
we  have  had  such  a  charming  sail,  and  there  was  a  certain 
appropriateness  in  the  surroundings  on  this  i2th  of  August. 
The  general  contour  of  the  hills,  the  purple  colouring  of  the 
mountains,  the  Norfolk  pines  and  other  trees  on  some  distant 
heights  (when  you  were  not  near  enough  to  see  how  tropical  was 
the  foliage)  reminded  me  vividly  of  Scotland.  What  a  pleasure 


MOURILLYAN  381 


lovely  scenery  is  !  and  what  a  delight  to  be  able  to  travel  and 
see  it !  I  do  not  think  I  have  ever  forgotten  or  shall  forget 
a  single  really  beautiful  view  I  have  ever  seen  and  admired. 
Those  scenes  are  all  clear  and  distinct,  put  away  in  little 
pigeon-holes  of  memory.  If  my  brain  were  only  a  photo- 
graphic camera,  I  could  print  them  off  as  clearly  on  paper 
to-day  as  in  the  long  bygone  years  when  I  first  saw  them. 
All  the  incidents  and  circumstances  are  still  fresh  in  my 
recollection. 

For  the  last  few  days  the  scenery  has  been  an  especial 
pleasure  to  me,  laid  up  as  I  am  in  the  deck-house,  where  a 
comfortable  bed  has  been  arranged  for  me,  so  high  that  I  can 
look  out  of  the  window  and  have  my  eyes  delighted  and  my 
nerves  soothed.  I  am  very  thankful  that  I  can  thus  enjoy 
the  lovely  coast,  though  I  should  much  prefer  being  able  to  take 
a  more  active  part  in  the  sight-seeing,  orchid-  and  shell-collect- 
ing, and  general  scrambling  which  ensues  every  day  when  the 
rest  of  the  party  go  for  their  pleasant  walks  on  shore  along 
sandy  beaches  shaded  by  graceful  palms,  with  tree  ferns 
growing  almost  to  the  water's  edge.  It  is  fortunate,  perhaps, 
that  this  constant  malarial  fever  has  made  me  feel  too  weak  to 
care  much  about  anything,  so  that  I  am  not  tempted  to  long 
to  do  imprudent  things.  I  was  indeed  sorry  when  the  shades 
of  evening  began  to  fall  and  prevented  my  seeing  anything 
beyond  the  mere  outlines  of  the  coast. 

The  distance  to  Mourillyan  is  only  forty  miles,  and  the 
entrance  to  the  harbour  is  extremely  fine,  though  it  was  so 
dark  that  we  could  hardly  distinguish  anything.  Soon  after 
we  entered  the  harbour  and  dropped  anchor,  Mr.  Leviiige,  the 
manager  of  three  large  sugar-estates  in  the  neighbourhood, 
came  on  board,  full  of  plans  of  pleasure  for  the  morrow. 
Unfortunately  the  programme  which  had  been  arranged  was 
rather  more  than  I  could  undertake.  I  may  be  able  to  manage 
the  eight  miles  in  a  steam-tram  through  the  jungle,  to  see  the 


382 


AN  EXPEDITION 


sugar-plantation,  crush- 
ing-mills, and  lunch  with 
the  manager  *and  hos- 
pitable proprietor  of  the 
plantation ;  but  I  fear  I 
shall  not  have  strength 
or  time  to  go  on  to  the 
Gundy  Plantation,  some 
miles  off,  up  a  branch  of 
the  Johnstone  Kiver,  and 
see  the  scenery  there, 
which  is  said  to  be  very 
fine.  The  original  idea 
wras  to  go  on  in  boats  to 
Geraldton,  close  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Johnstone 
River,  where  the  yacht 
or  a  steam-launch  was 
to  meet  us  and  take  us 
back  to  Mourillyan  Har- 
bour, about  eight  miles 
off.  We  left  it  till  the 
morning  to  decide  what 
we  should  do,  and  went 
to  bed  in  good  time  so 
as  to  be  ready  for  an 
early  start  if  I  felt  strong 
enough  to  attempt  it. 

Saturday,  August  13. 
-Woke  just  at  day- 
break. When  I  looked 
through  the  porthole  I 
found  that  this  harbour 
of  Mourillyan  where  we 


THROUGH  THE  JUNGLE  383 


were  lying  was  one  of  the  most  picturesque  I  had  ever  seen. 
It  is  entirely  land-locked,  except  for  the  narrow  passage 
through  which  we  entered  last  night.  Both  vegetation  and 
landscape  looked  thoroughly  tropical,  and  two  or  three  bunga- 
lows were  perched  amid  the  dense  foliage  on  the  steep  banks 
of  the  rising  hillsides. 

We  were  ready  before  our  kind  hosts,  and  it  was  quite 
eleven  o'clock  before  we  landed  and  established  ourselves  in 
the  steam-tram,  ready  for  a  journey  to  the  Mourillyan  sugar- 
plantation.  My  long  deck-chair  having  been  placed  most 
comfortably  in  a  sugar-truck,  my  journey  was  luxuriously 
and  easily  performed,  though,  after  the  perfectly  quiet,  smooth 
movement  of  the  last  few  days,  I  rather  felt  the  occasional 
jolts  and  jars.  I  have  travelled  through  tropical  jungles  in 
all  parts  of  the  world,  and  though  the  scenery  to-day  was 
wanting  in  the  grandeur  of  the  virgin  forests  of  Brazil,  and 
of  the  tangled  masses  of  vegetation  of  Borneo  and  the  Straits 
Settlements,  it  had  much  special  beauty  of  its  own.  The 
variety  of  foliage  was  a  striking  contrast  to  the  monotonous 
verdure  often  seen  in  Australia.  Some  of  the  palms  and  ferns 
were  extremely  beautiful,  and  so  well  grown  that  each  might 
have  been  a  specimen  plant  in  a  greenhouse.  What  I 
call  the  umbrella  palm,  but  what  they  call  here  the  cab- 
bage palm — a  sort  of  Zamia  alsopJiila — grew  abundantly  in 
groups.  Wherever  there  was  a  clearing  we  could  see  high 
trees,  some  with  their  bare  white  stems  rising  to  nearly  a 
hundred  feet  before  they  branched  out,  while  others  were 
completely  covered,  and  almost  killed,  by  masses  of  creepers 
whose  leaves,  of  every  kind  and  shape — some  large  and 
broad  like  the  Aristolocliias ;  others  quite  finely  cut  like 
Logodiums ;  others  sharp,  pointed,  and  shiny  ;  others  again 
palmated — and  of  every  shade  of  green,  gave  a  fine  effect  to 
the  different  peeps  and  vistas  as  we  glided  along.  Presently 
the  clearings  became  more  numerous,  and  we  passed  a  deserted 


A    SUGAR  PLANTATION 


village,  surrounded  by  gardens,  where  some  Chinese  had 
settled  a  few  years  ago  and  tried  to  make  a  living  by  supply- 
ing ships  with  vegetables.  They  did  not  find  the  venture 
successful,  and  have  left  the  district.  We  passed  several  small 
tramways  running  at  right  angles  into  the  bush,  with  little 


mm. 


Zamoa  Tree 


huts  adjoining,  built  of  rushes  and  thatched  with  sugar-cane. 
In  these  the  men  lived  when  sent  down  to  cut  timber  for 
the  fences,  furnaces,  and  sleepers  for  the  tramway,  as  it  was 
pushed  further  and  further  up  through  the  jungle.  '  Sugar  is 
a  very  expensive  crop  to  start,  for  the  work  of  clearing  the 
jungle  is  most  laborious,  and  therefore  costly.  The  expense 


JAVANESE    WORKPEOPLE  385 


of  cutting  down  timber  for  the  first  rough  cropping  is  10?.  per 
acre.  The  complete  clearing  and  grubbing  of  roots  for  the 
purposes  of  ploughing  and  permanent  cultivation  is  not  less 
than  2ol.  an  acre.  The  cost  of  clearing  alone  is  thus  30?.  an 
acre.  The  machinery  of  the  mills,  of  Scotch  manufacture, 
cost  more  than  6o,oooZ.  Some  900  acres  have  been  brought 
under  cultivation.  The  total  capital  already  expended  may  be 
taken  at  200,000?.  The  yield  of  sugar  is  from  three  to  five 
tons  per  acre.  The  price  may  be  taken  at  20?.  per  ton.  The 
production  of  sugar  last  year  was  2,050  tons.' 

'  The  successful  results  of  labour  imported  from  Java  are 
a  special  feature  at  Mourillyan.  We  heard  an  excellent  cha- 
racter of  the  Javanese  workpeople.  They  are  sturdy,  and  most 
docile.  They  are  imported  for  a  term  of  three  years,  under 
strict  engagements  with  the  Dutch  Government.  An  advance 
of  two  to  three  pounds  is  given  to  each  workman  before  he 
leaves  home.  His  fare  costs  61.  to  Queensland.  His  wages 
are  30$.  a  month  and  found.  The  secret  of  success  has 
been  the  adoption  of  a  system  of  supervision  by  Javanese 
sarongs.  Javanese  are  employed  to  drive  locomotives,  and 
for  the  management  of  the  boilers  and  most  of  the  machinery 
in  the  mills.' 

The  proprietors  of  the  plantation  have  5,000  acres  cleared 
already,  and  will  clear  more  as  soon  as  they  can  raise  suffi- 
cient capital.  They  have  already  invested  250,000?.  in  the 
land,  20,000?.  in  the  tram,  and  40,000?.  in  the  mills,  indepen- 
dent of  the  money  they  will  require  for  all  sorts  of  contem- 
plated improvements  and  additions.  The  process  of  crushing 
is  just  the  same  as  we  saw  in  Trinidad.  The  carts  bring  in 
the  cane  from  the  field,  and  it  is  passed  through  a  series  of 
rollers  to  extract  the  juice,  which  is  pumped  up  to  a  higher 
floor,  where  it  is  received  into  vats,  and  then  by  different  pro- 
cesses converted  into  sugar  of  three  kinds — white,  medium 
white,  and  light  brown.  The  first-quality  sugar  is  made  white 


386  MOURILLYAN  HARBOUR 

by  being  subjected  to  a  process  of  sulphur  fumes,  which  pro- 
duce beautiful  glittering  crystals.  It  is  said  that  this  method 
of  treating  the  sugar  is  not  so  satisfactory  as  the  old  and 
rougher  process.  It  seems  to  bleach  the  crystallised  particles 
without  sufficiently  removing  the  impurities.  The  quality  of 
the  sugar  is,  however,  excellent,  and  it  commands  a  high  price 
in  England. 

From  the  mill  I  was  carried  through  a  clean  and  tidy- 
looking  coolie  village  to  a  comfortable  house  of  the  bungalow 
type,  like  those  in  Mourillyan  Harbour,  inhabited  by  Mr.  Nash, 
the  proprietor  of  one  of  the  plantations,  and  Mr.  Levinge,  who 
had  kindly  arranged  a  luncheon  for  us.  Australian  colonists 
are  the  most  hospitable  people  in  the  world.  Their  one  idea 
seems  to  be  to  endeavour  to  do  everything  they  can  for  you, 
to  give  you  the  best  of  everything  they  possess.  Nowhere,  in 
all  our  far-extending  travels,  have  we  received  more  true  hos- 
pitality. I  had  a  comfortable  sofa  provided  for  me,  whereon 
I  lay  during  lunch,  and  afterwards  I  rested  in  a  chair  in  the 
verandah  while  the  others  went  to  see  more  of  the  sugar 
plantation  and  mill. 

About  three  o'clock  we  started  back,  and  returned  much 
quicker  than  we  came  up,  for  which  I  was  very  thankful. 
Pleasant  as  the  day  had  been  I  was  getting  rather  worn  out. 
On  our  return  to  Mourillyan  our  hospitable  hosts  accompanied 
us  on  board,  and  made  an  inspection  of  the  '  Sunbeam.'  They 
could  not  stop  long,  as  our  Jersey  pilot  said  we  had  better  be 
off  before  dark,  the  entrance  to  the  harbour  being  very  narrow. 
It  is,  however,  so  well  buoyed  that  when  the  newr  chart  is 
published  there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  getting  in  or  out  at  any 
time  of  the  day  or  night,  with  or  without  a  pilot.  In  the  night 
there  are  two  leading  lights  which  show  you  the  direct  way  in, 
the  only  danger  being  at  spring  tides,  when  the  tide  sometimes 
runs  eight  or  nine  knots  an  hour.  The  harbour  looked  lovely 
as  we  steamed  away,  and  we  were  quite  sorry  to  leave  the  little 


UP    THE   COAST 


387 


haven  of  rest  where  we  had  spent  such  a  peaceful,  comfortable 
day  and  night. 

We  were  soon  outside  Mourillyan  and  past  the  picturesque 
mouth  of  the  Johnstone  River.  Judging  from  the  photographs, 
the  scenery  of  this  river  must  be  very  fine,  for  the  sun-pictures 
represent  several  high  waterfalls  pouring  volumes  of  water  over 


dark  and  perpendicular 
basaltic  rocks.  One  of 
the  falls  is  said  to  be  300 

feet  high,  and  there  are  several  cascades  with  a  fall  of  between 
100  and  250  feet.  The  light  breeze  from  the  S.E.  carried  us 
on  famously.  We  soon  saw  the  Seymour  Range ;  a  little  later 
we  found  ourselves  off  the  mouth  of  the  Mulgrave  River,  and 
by  midnight  had  passed  through  the  narrow  channel  which 
divides  the  Falkland  Islands  from  the  mainland  at  Cape 
Grafton.  We  ladies  retired  early  to  bed,  and  even  the  children 
acknowiedged  to  being  tired ;  but  the  gentlemen  played  whist 
on  deck  till  a  much  later  hour.  The  nights  are  perfect  now. 

z  z 


388  COLLISIONS  A  T  SEA 

The  breeze  is  rather  fresh  by  day  when  not  under  the  shelter 
of  a  protecting  coast ;  but  one  must  remember  that  if  the  wind 
be  fresh  it  is  wafting  us  speedily  on  our  way,  and  we  must  not 
grumble,  for  we  have  turned  the  corner  and  are  now  home- 
ward-bound. 

About  three  o'clock  this  morning  we  met  a  steamer  going 
down  the  coast,  and,  with  the  usual  fatuity  of  steamships,  she 
would  not  make  up  her  mind  which  way  to  go  until  she  was 
close  to  us,  and  then  ran  right  across  our  bows.  It  is  most 
extraordinary  why  steamships  will  not  get  out  of  the  way  of 
sailing-ships  at  night.  The  matter  is  entirely  in  their  own 
hands,  for  the  sailing-ship  is  comparatively  helpless.  It  is 
quite  impossible  for  the  officer  on  watch  to  tell  at  what  rate 
the  approaching  vessel  is  moving,  and  the  steamer  ought  to 
alter  her  helm  the  very  instant  a  sailing-ship  is  perceived. 
Our  pace  is  rather  rapid,  particularly  in  light  winds,  and  it 
is  probable  that  the  steamer  misjudged  her  distance  from  us. 
The  more  voyages  1  make  the  more  I  feel  that  the  melan- 
choly little  paragraphs  one  only  too  often  sees,  headed  '  Lost 
with  all  hands,'  or  '  Missing,'  are  nearly  always  the  result 
of  accidents  caused  by  a  bad  look-out  and  careless  steering. 
I  often  tell  Tom  it  is  his  duty  to  report  those  cases  which 
come  to  his  own  knowledge.  The  instances  have  been 
numerous  on  this  voyage  alone ;  but  he  is  too  kind-hearted 
to  like  to  complain,  which  I  consider  a  mistaken  view  of 
humanitarianism. 

Sunday,  August  i^tli. — I  did  not  wake  till  late,  and  then 
found  we  had  just  passed  Cairns  Harbour,  which  is  said  to 
be  a  wonderfully  rising  place.  The  soil  is  good  and  suitable 
for  sugar,  and  a  railway  is  being  rapidly  constructed  which 
will  open  up  the  interior  of  this  part  of  Northern  Queensland. 
The  scenery  is  lovely,  especially  up  the  Herberton  River,  where 
one  of  the  most  magnificent  waterfalls  in  Australia  is  to  be 
seen. 


A   PLEASANT  SAIL 


389 


We  had  service 
at  eleven,  but  I  was 
only  able  to  listen 
to  the  hymns  from 
my  cabin.  At  after- 
noon service  at  half- 
past  four  I  heard 
every  word  just  as 
plainly  from  my  bed 
on  deck  as  I  could 
have  done  had  I 
been  below  in  the 
saloon.  This  has 
been  one  of  the  most 
perfect  clays  at  sea  I 
can  remember,  and  I 
was  carried  up  early 
on  deck  to  admire 
the  beautiful  coast, 
with  the  Macalister 
Range  in  the  back- 
ground. At  noon 
to-day  we  were  in 
lat.  1 6°  37'  S.,  long. 
145°  47'  E.,  stealing 
quietly  along  under 
balloon  canvas.  At 
one  o'clock  we  passed 
the  entrance  to  Port 
Douglas,  another 
young  and  rising 
place.  Early  in  the 
afternoon  we  were 
abreast  of  the  light- 


390  CAPTAIN  COOK 


house  on  the  Low  Islands,  which  returned  our  signals  with 
creditable  promptitude,  and  after  sighting  Cape  Kimberly  we 
found  ourselves  abreast  of  the  Daintree  Eiver,  where,  I  am 
told,  there  is  some  beautiful  scenery.  A  little  later  Cape 
Tribulation  was  passed,  where  Captain  Cook  ran  his  vessel 
ashore  to  discover  the  amount  of  damage  sustained  after  she 
had  been  aground  on  a  coral  reef.  They  are  now  trying 
to  recover  her  guns,  which  are  so  overgrown  by  coral  that 
it  is  likely  to  prove  a  difficult  job.  Divers  have  been  down 
and  have  absolutely  seen  the  guns  ;  but  if  they  try  to  dis- 
lodge them  with  dynamite  the  result  may  be  the  same  as  at 
Springsure  with  the  large  opal — that  they  will  be  blown  to 
pieces.  It  is  interesting  to  once  more  read  Captain  Cook's 
voyages  on  the  scene  of  some  of  his  most  important  dis- 
coveries, and  to  think  that  many  of  these  peaks,  bays,  moun- 
tains, and  inlets  were  named  by  him  after  some  more  or  less 
memorable  incident.  Cape  Tribulation  lies  exactly  under  the 
Peter  Botte,  a  large  and  peculiarly  shaped  mountain.  The 
whole  coast  here  is  very  like  that  of  Cuba,  especially  the  shape 
of  its  mountains  and  the  indentations  of  its  coasts.  The  sun- 
set was  magnificent,  and  made  the  mountains  look  quite  vol- 
canic as  they  rose  in  the  sky  against  the  lurid  light,  produc- 
ing red,  yellow,  and  grey  tints  such  as  one  sees  at  Vesuvius, 
Etna,  or  Stromboli. 

This  afternoon,  as  we  were  looking  over  the  side,  Tom 
and  I  observed  a  quantity  of  a  brownish  substance  floating  on 
the  surface  of  the  water.  We  thought  it  might  be  either  the 
outpouring  of  a  neighbouring  volcano,  or  the  spawn  of  some 
fish,  sponge,  coral,  or  algae.  "We  drew  up  several  buckets  of 
this  discoloured  water,  and  on  closer  inspection  found  the 
floating  matter  to  be  a  small  sponge  which  exists  in  larger 
pieces  at  a  considerable  depth  below,  but  on  reaching  the 
surface  changes  to  a  sort  of  powder,  which  reunites  again  and 
forms  a  filmy  track  for  a  long  distance. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

EAST   COAST  (continued). 


Monday,  August  i$tli. — Last  night  was  an  anxious 
one  for  Tom,  who  was  up  and  down  a  good  deal,  and 
did  not  get  to  bed  until  5.45  A.M.,  having  hoisted  the 
pilot -flag  and  left  orders  for  the  yacht  to  jog  about 
until  the  pilot  came  on  board.     It  was  half-past  eight  o'clock 
before  we  were  securely  moored  in  the  harbour,  almost  along- 
side of  our  old  friend  the  little  '  Harrier.'     Originally  a  yacht, 
she  is  now  one  of  her  Majesty's  ships,  and  is  used  for  cruising 
from  one  island  to  another.     With  35  men  on  board,  and  guns 
and  gear  of  all  kinds,  she  is  not  by  any  means  the  smart  little 
craft  she  used  to  be  ;  but  she  is  in  thorough  working  order, 
and  as  good  a  sea-boat  as  ever. 


392  CO  OK  TOWN 


Cooktown,  in  spite  of  the  preponderance  of  iron  houses  and 
shops,  looks  rather  pretty  from  the  sea,  and  is  picturesquely- 
situated  in  an  amphitheatre  of  hills,  of  which  Mount  Cook  is 
the  highest.  Its  small  port  is  formed  by  the  mouth  of  the 
Endeavour  River.  There  are  abundant  indications  that  larger 
and  more  substantial  buildings  will  rapidly  be  substituted  for 
the  provisional  structures  of  which  Cooktown  at  present  con- 
sists. The  population  is  about  2,500.  The  Palmer  River 
gold-diggings,  and  some  recent  discoveries  of  tin,  which  have 
attracted  a  large  number  of  miners,  are  the  chief  sources  of 
prosperity.  A  railway  will  shortly  connect  Cooktown  with 
the  gold-mines.  A  section  of  thirty-two  miles  has  been  already 
opened.  It  was  a  delicious  day,  and  I  enjoyed  sitting  under  an 
awning  until  the  afternoon,  when  some  of  the  party  went  on 
shore  to  play  lawn-tennis,  whilst  the  Doctor,  Mimie  and  I 
went  for  a  little  drive,  which  did  me  good,  though  it  tired 
me  at  the  time. 

Tuesday,  August  i6tli. — Awoke  about  seven,  feeling  much 
refreshed,  and  went  early  on  deck.  Many  visitors  came  on 
board,  only  a  few  of  whom  I  was  able  to  see.  All  the  rest  of 
the  party  again  landed,  and  at  twelve  o'clock  Tom  and  I  went 
on  board  the  '  Harrier.'  I  was  carried  on  deck,  and  then  man- 
aged to  get  below  to  look  at  the  new  alterations.  Captain  Pike 
had  some  pretty  watercolour  drawings  and  a  good  collection 
of  curios,  picked  up  at  various  islands.  These  were  capitally 
arranged  in  the  cabin,  and  looked  very  nice.  He  kindly  gave 
Mabelle  and  me  some  beautiful  shells,  as  well  as  some  gorgonias 
growing  on  a  pearl-shell.  In  the  afternoon  wre  went  out  for  a 
drive.  On  leaving  the  town  we  followed  the  same  road  as 
yesterday,  after  which  we  came  to  a  fairly  good  bush-road  or 
track,  running  through  a  pretty  country,  with  some  fine  trees 
and  a  great  variety  of  foliage.  We  passed  one  or  two  nice 
stations,  with  comfortable,  deep-verandahed  houses,  and  tidy 
gardens  and  orchards.  Ultimately  we  plunged  into  the  regular 


A   SPECULATOR 


393 


bush,  where  the  sandflies  and  mosquitoes  began  to  trouble  the 
rest  of  the  party  ;  but  my  invaluable  eucalyptus  oil  saved  me. 
Nothing  could  exceed  the  care  our  driver  took  of  me ;  his 
chief  anxiety  was  that  I  should  not  suffer  a  single  jolt  beyond 
what  the  roughness  of  the  road  necessitated.  He  came  out 
here  when  he  was  twenty-one  years  old,  and  rushed  at  once 


Cooktown 


to  the  goldfields ;  found  i,ioo/.  in  three  days,  on  an  alluvial 
field  300  miles  inland  from  Sydney ;  lost  it  two  days  after, 
by  putting  it  into  a  speculative  mining  concern  which  failed 
the  day  after  he  parted  with  his  money.  He  then  became 
a  gentleman's  coachman  at  Sydney,  and  had  several  other 
minine;  and  reefing  adventures  on  some  fields  near  the  John- 


394  THE   STORY  OF  ELIZABETH    WATSON 

stone  Biver.  All  went  well  with  him  until  he  had  an  attack 
of  fever,  which  laid  him  up  for  eighteen  months,  and  not  only 
ahsorbed  all  his  own  little  savings  but  that  of  his  comrades, 
to  whose  kindness  he  was  indebted  for  the  positive  necessaries 
of  life.  Now  he  is  coachman  at  the  largest  hotel  here,  and 
as  soon  as  he  has  scraped  a  little  money  together,  intends 
going  off  to  the  Croydon.  diggings,  where  I  hope  he  will  be 
fortunate,  and  trust  he  will  invest  his  hard-earned  money  more 
satisfactorily.  Owing  to  our  late  departure  we  had  no  time  to 
stop,  as  we  had  intended,  to  see  the  tomb  erected  over  the 
remains  of  poor  Mrs.  Watson,  her  child,  and  Ah  Sam  the 
Chinaman,  who  are  buried  here.  The  story  of  their  death  is 
a  sad  one,  and  we  listened  with  interest  to  the  circumstances 
as  related  by  Mr.  Fitzgerald  ;  which  are  briefly  these. 

Elizabeth  Wilson,  who  came  originally  from  Eockhampton, 
was  the  wife  of  Mr.  Watson,  the  owner  of  some  small  schooners 
engaged  in  the  beche-de-mer  trade,  whose  head  establishment 
was  at  the  Lizard  Island.  Some  time  in  1881  she  persuaded 
her  husband  to  take  one  of  his  vessels  on  a  tour  of  inspection, 
leaving  her  with  a  child  of  two  years  old  and  a  couple  of  faith- 
ful Chinamen  in  charge  of  the  Lizard  Island.  Mr.  Watson  set 
forth  very  reluctantly,  only  yielding  to  his  wife's  assurances 
that  with  firearms  in  the  house,  which  she  well  knew  how  to 
manage,  she  would  be  in  no  danger.  Soon  after  her  husband's 
departure,  however,  the  natives  came  across  from  the  main- 
land in  great  force,  killed  one  of  the  Chinamen,  and  wounded 
the  other.  When  it  became  dark  the  brave  woman  hastened 
to  provision  one  of  the  square  iron  tanks  used  for  boiling 
down  the  beche-de-mer,  and  embarked  in  it  with  her  babe  and 
wounded  retainer.  Nothing  could  be  more  clumsy  than  such 
a  craft,  4  feet  long  by  3  feet  wide,  and  perhaps  i  \  feet  high. 
She  put  water-bottles  on  board,  and  with  only  a  shawl  for  sail 
and  an  oar  to  steer  with  set  forth  on  the  calm  sea,  towing, 
however,  a  little  dinghy  behind,  in  case  of  her  iron  vessel 


A    TRAGEDY 


proving  too  unmanageable.  The  trade-wind  carried  the  tank 
thirty  miles  out  to  sea  to  one  of  the  Hawick  group ;  but  she 
was  prevented  from  landing  there  by  the  threatening  aspect 
of  the  blacks  in  possession.  She  drifted  a  little  further  to  a 
neighbouring  island,  where  the  spring  tide  carried  the  tank 
up  so  far  inland  that  she  could  not  launch  it  again.  This 
was  the  more  terrible,  as  a  very  few  miles  further  would  have 
brought  her  to  the  lightship.  There  were  no  blacks  on  the 
island,  to  which  the  tank  had  been  carried.  Mrs.  Watson  had 
sufficient  provisions,  but  apparently  no  water.  They  all  must 
have  died  of  thirst  just  before  an  abundant  rainfall.  Three 
weeks  later,  when  their  bodies  were  discovered,  there  were  pools 
of  fresh  water  around  them.  In  the  meantime  Mr.  Watson 
called  at  the  lightship  and  recognised  his  own  dinghy,  which 
had  drifted  thither  a  few  days  before.  He  immediately  set 
out,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Fitzgerald,  and  soon  reached  the 
little  island,  where  he  found  his  wife's  body,  one  arm  still 
clasping  her  child,  and  the  other  hand  holding  a  loaded  re- 
volver. Her  diary  lay  close  by,  and  told  the  sad  story  almost 
up  to  the  last  moment.  The  dead  Chinaman  lay  near  the 
tank.  The  bodies  were  put  into  rude  shells  and  taken  to  Cook- 
town,  where  they  were  buried.  The  poor  woman's  diary  and 
the  tank  are  preserved  in  the  Museum  at  Brisbane. 

Thursday,  August  iStli. — We  gave  Cape  Sidmouth  a  wide 
berth  and  passed  Night  Island,  going  close  to  Cape  Direction 
and  Restoration  Island,  which  latter  is  exactly  opposite  the 
narrow7  opening  in  the  Barrier  Eeef  through  which  Bligh  found 
his  way  in  1780,  in  an  open  boat,  after  the  Mutiny  of  the 
'  Bounty.'  Bligh  gave  the  name  to  Restoration  Island  to  com- 
memorate his  escape  from  the  mutineers.  A  little  further  to 
the  north  took  us  abreast  of  Providential  Channel,  through 
which  Captain  Cook  entered  with  the  greatest  difficulty  in 
1770.  He  arrived  outside  the  Barrier  Reef,  rolling  heavily 
to  the  swell  with  no  wind,  and  finding  it  impossible  to  descry 


396 


A    CORAL   REEF 


a  single  opening.  Hope  seemed  at  an  end,  when,  providentially, 
Captain  Cook  espied  from  his  masthead  what  looked  like  deep 
water  between  two  rocks,  through  which  he  safely  steered  his 
vessel.  From  Eestoration  Island  to  Cape  Weymouth  we  were 
considerably  exposed  to  the  sea,  and  rolled  about  a  good  deal 
until  we  got  into  the  shelter  of  Weymouth  Bay.  Passing  Fair 
Cape,  we  reached  Piper  Island  at  about  eight  o'clock,  and 
anchored  for  the  night,  close  to  the  lightship,  alongside  which 
there  was  another  small  steamer.  The  last  fourteen  miles 
had  to  be  done  in  the  dark.  This  was  a  time  of  great  anxiety 
for  Tom,  for  the  passage  was  narrow,  being  only  about  half 
a  mile  wide  in  places,  and  the  current  was  strong.  It  blew 
hard  all  night,  and  we  longed  for  the  sheltered  anchorage  of 
last  evening. 

Friday,  August  igtli. — Early  this  morning  Tom  and  some 
of  the  gentlemen  went  on  board  the  '  Claremont '  lightship. 
After  breakfast  we  landed  on  the  reef.  It  is  a  bare  heap  of 
sand  and  coral,  save  on  its  highest  part,  where  a  fewT  tufts  of 

coarse  grass  are  growing. 
;.N  Here  we  found  a  native 

_  ytfJHIn.  °f  St.  John,  New  Bruns- 

wick, brought  up,  as 
he  told  us,  by  foreign 
parents,  engaged  in  the 
business  of  collecting 
beche-de-mer,  or  dried 
sea- slugs,  for  which  there 
is  a  large  demand  in 
China. 

This  white  man  had 
in  his  employ  thirty  na- 
tives. He  had  five  fine 

boats,  which  are  constantly  at  work  inside  the  Great  Barrier 
Reef.      The   money  embarked  in   this   enterprise   had  been 


Coral   on   Pearl    OvsLcr 


BECHE-DE-MER  397 


advanced  by  a  bank  at  Cooktown.  Beche-de-mer  commands 
a  high  price.  We  were  shown  the  accumulated  casks  full  of 
this  unattractive  edible,  representing  a  value  of  many  hun- 
dreds of  pounds.  Lee,  the  head  of  this  establishment,  was 
living  in  a  shelter  formed  of  tattered  canvas  and  battered 
sheets  of  corrugated  iron,  but  he  evidently  possessed  the  power 
of  command  and  organisation,  and  was  not  without  education. 
He  produced  the  Admiralty  charts  of  the  coast  and  Barrier 
Beef,  with  large  additions  to  the  delineation  of  the  reefs  from 
his  own  explorations. 

Beche-de-mer  is  of  various  qualities.  The  best  is  worth 
i2ol.  per  ton,  the  next  looh,  a  third  quality  90^.,  and  a  fourth 
from  8oL  to  as  low  as  30^.  per  ton.  The  beche-de-mer  is  a 
curious  kind  of  sea-slug,  rather  like  a  sea  cucumber.  Its 
scientific  name  is  Holothuria.  It  makes  excellent  soup,  which 
is  very  nourishing,  and  is  like  the  snail  soup  so  much  given  to 
invalids  in  the  south  of  France.  In  Cooktown  the  Europeans 
eat  it  largely,  while  in  China,  as  trepang,  it  is  a  much-prized 
and  high-priced  delicacy. 

We  had  a  long  and  pleasant  conversation  with  Lee, 
and  Tom  and  I  were  both  much  struck  with  him.  Tom  was 
anxious  to  purchase  for  me  a  pair  of  large  hawksbill  turtle 
shells  which  he  had  seen  earlier  in  the  morning  on  the  light- 
ship, but  Lee  absolutely  refused  to  part  with  them  at  any 
price.  He  said  a  man  had  done  him  a  good  turn  in  Cook- 
town,  and  he  had  promised  him  the  shells.  We  suggested 
that  it  was  possible,  as  the  man  was  a  resident  of  Cooktown, 
that  he  might  get  him  another  pair  and  let  us  have  these  ;  but 
Lee  was  quite  firm,  and  said,  '  No,  I  have  given  my  word,  and 
it  would  be  very  wrong  to  break  it  on  any  account  whatsoever.' 
His  charts  were  most  interesting,  and  his  own  discoveries  of 
new  reefs  and  shoals  were  intelligently  marked.  I  hope  that 
for  the  good  of  the  navigating  world  they  may  some  day  be 
incorporated  into  an  Admiralty  chart,  but  I  trust  not  without 

3  A 


398  AN  ENTERPRISING  SETTLER 

due  recognition  of  Lee's  work.  He  certainly  deserves  the 
greatest  credit  for  the  careful  and  painstaking  observations  he 
must  have  made  while  cruising  in  his  little  schooners  about 
the  Barrier  Eeef.  Many  a  shipwreck  may  possibly  be  pre- 
vented and  many  a  life  saved  by  his  laborious  and  at  pre- 
sent unrewarded  exertions.  Just  before  we  were  going  away 
it  seemed  to  suddenly  dawn  upon  Lee  that  Tom  was  Lord 
Brassey.  He  asked  the  question,  and  when  an  answer  in  the 
affirmative  was  given  shook  hands  most  warmly,  and  was 
delighted  when  he  was  told  that  I  was  Lady  Brassey  and  that 
the  children  were  my  own  dear  ones.  He  had  all  our  his- 
tory at  his  fingers'  ends,  and  was  extremely  pleased  to  see  the 
'  historical  Sunbeam '  and  '  her  spirited  owners,'  as  he  called 
us.  Later  on  in  the  morning  he  tried  to  come  on  board  the 
yacht  in  his  schooner,  but  unfortunately  missed  the  rope  and 
so  lost  the  opportunity  of  seeing  the  vessel.  I  was  interested 
to  hear  from  him  a  confirmation  of  our  supposition  that  the 
island  off  which  we  anchored  was  the  one  on  which  Eliza 
Watson's  body  was  found. 

We  landed  on  the  leeward  side  of  the  island,  and  on  going 
to  the  windward  shore  it  was  curious  to  notice  the  process  by 
which  these  islands  gradually  become  covered  with  vegetation. 
The  whole  shore  just  above  high- water  mark  was  covered  with 
little  seeds,  beans,  and  various  other  atoms  of  vegetation  which 
had  been  dropped  by  birds  or  cast  up  by  the  sea,  and  which 
in  process  of  time  will  cover  the  island  with  trees  and  shrubs. 
The  island  did  not  look  much  bigger  than  half  a  dozen  times 
the  size  of  the  yacht.  At  low  spring  tides  the  most  beautiful 
corals  and  shells  are  found. 

The  blacks  we  saw  on  shore  were  a  good-looking  set  of 
men,  the  finest  in  stature  we  have  yet  seen.  Lee  says  he  has 
to  be  most  careful  and  always  '  sleep  with  one  eye  open,'  as  they 
are  treacherous.  They  would  turn  round  on  him  at  any  moment 
if  they  saw  a  chance  and  did  not  know  he  was  well  armed. 


NEARLY  AGROUND  399 

All  the  inmates  of  the  lightship  came  on  board  the  yacht, 
with  which  they  were  much  delighted.  They  said  they  could 
not  have  imagined  anything  like  it  on  the  sea,  and  thought 
they  must  have  got  on  dry  land  without  knowing  it.  We 
parted  with  mutual  good  wishes,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  the 
visit  of  the  '  Sunbeam  '  will  be  a  pleasant  little  incident,  afford- 
ing much  material  for  conversation  for  weeks  to  come.  We 
did  not  forget  to  give  them  some  Ambulance  papers. 

We  weighed  at  11.30,  and  anchored  under  the  Piper 
Islands  an  hour  after  sunset.  Distance,  eighty-five  miles. 

Saturday,  August  2otJt. — All  hands  were  called  at  four, 
and  we  got  under  weigh  soon  after,  making  Home  Islands 
about  seven.  Thence  we  passed  through  Shelbourne  Bay, 
by  Hannibal  Islands,  and  so  off  Orford  Ness.  The  naviga- 
tion here  was  very  intricate,  and  necessitated  much  trouble 
and  attention  on  Tom's  part,  and  the  taking  of  endless  cross 
bearings  and  observations.  At  11.50  we  passed  the  s.s. 
'  Tannadice,'  and  exchanged  friendly  greetings.  All  navigators 
owe  the  commander  of  this  ship  gratitude  for  reporting  the 
reef  named  after  his  vessel.  It  lies  in  a  most  dangerous 
position,  and  would  doubtless  have  brought  many  a  good  ship 
to  grief  had  it  not  been  reported  and  charted.  Soon  after 
we  started  this  morning  we  very  nearly  got  on  another  reef. 
The  wind  blew  fresh  and  fair,  and  the  current  ran  strong. 
Tom  chanced  to  be  engaged  taking  some  observations,  and 
so  paid,  for  a  few  moments,  less  attention  than  usual  to  the 
pace  at  which  we  were  going  ;  and  in  this  hazardous  interval 
the  yacht  very  nearly  ran  on  a  coral  reef  that  was  only  just 
a- wash.1 

From  Fern  Island,  an  almost  straight  course  through  a 


1  The  temporary  failure  of  the  chart  lamp  was  the  real  cause  of  this  alarm. 
The  coast  sheets  for  Northern  Queensland  are  on  a  very  small  scale,  and  it 
requires  a  strong  light  and  young  eyes  to  read  their  figures  and  the  infinitesimally 
small  signs  denoting  rocks. 


4oo  PORT  ALBANY 


narrow  channel  hemmed  in  by  rocks,  reefs,  shoals,  and  islets, 
brought  us  to  the  entrance  to  the  Albany  Pass.  The  naviga- 
tion is  intricate,  but  the  scenery  quite  lovely ;  the  land  on 
either  side  of  the  Pass,  -whether  on  the  mainland  or  on  the 
islands,  being  densely  wooded.  At  Fly  Point  on  the  main- 
land our  attention  was  attracted  by  some  curious-looking 
projections  on  a  hillside,  which  resembled  an  enlarged  edi- 
tion of  Stonehenge,  in  red  sandstone.  On  looking  through  the 
glasses  we  discovered  that  these  projections  were  ant-hills  of 
an  extraordinary  peaked  shape,  some  of  them  being  many  feet 
in  height. 

The  entrance  to  Port  Albany  and  Somerset  is  narrow ; 
and  the  strong  tide  and  wind  combined  to  knock  up  an  un- 
pleasant popple.  At  Somerset  on  the  mainland,  and  imme- 
diately opposite  to  our  anchorage  at  Port  Albany,  a  pretty 
little  station  has  been  built,  with  a  flagstaff  in  front  of  the 
bungalow.  On  our  arrival  the  flag  which  was  hoisted  was 
dipped  a  great  many  times  and  a  large  bonfire  was  lighted,  in 
order  to  give  us,  I  suppose,  a  really  warm  welcome. 

Sunday,  August  2ist. — The  boat  went  ashore  early  this 
lovely  morning  to  the  large  house  we  had  seen  last  night. 
The  station  belongs  to  Mr.  Jardine,  a  relative  of  the  founders 
of  the  firm  of  Jardine,  Matheson,  &  Co.,  so  well  known  in 
China  as  well  as  along  this  coast.  The  station  is  for  cattle, 
and  they  are  gradually  increasing  its  boundaries  so  as  to  be 
able  to  supply  Thursday  Island  and  the  neighbourhood  with 
fresh  meat,  of  which  they  are  lamentably  in  need  at  present. 
About  twenty-five  years  ago  Mr.  Jardine  drove  a  mob  of  700 
cattle  from  Rockhampton  to  this  place.  It  took  him  and  his 
party  nearly  two  years  to  accomplish  the  journey,  and  they 
had  to  fight  the  blacks  on  their  way. 

The  men  who  went  ashore  in  the  boat  brought  off  some 
milk  and  new-laid  eggs.  There  is  excellent  water  here.  The 
supply  is  obtained  from  two  springs  and  a  well,  and  as  water 


SNAKES  401 

is  bad,  scarce,  and  dear  at  Thursday  Island,  many  ships  come 
here  for  it.  Last  Sunday  there  were  sixteen  schooners  in 
this  little  port.  They  are  all  away  now  at  the  reefs,  but  are 
expected  back  next  Sunday. 

We  had  Litany  at  eleven  o'clock.  In  the  afternoon  I 
landed  with  the  Doctor,  and  sat,  or  rather  lay  quietly,  on  the 
pleasant  sandy  shore  for  an  hour  or  two,  while  the  Doctor  and 
the  sailors  roamed  about  and  picked  up  many  curious  pieces 
of  coral  and  some  lumps  of  scoriae,  of  which  the  whole  island 
seems  to  be  formed.  There  is  very  little  soil  beneath  the 
volcanic  matter,  and  it  is  wonderful  how  trees  and  plants 
manage  to  grow  in  such  luxuriant  fashion.  Some  cocoa-nut 
trees  have  been  planted,  which  are  doing  exceedingly  well, 
and  I  rested  under  their  shade,  looking  up  at  the  sky  through 
the  long,  pale  green  leaves.  The  innumerable  flies,  ants,  and 
sandflies  were  troublesome.  But  what  can  be  expected  in  a 
land  where  the  ant-heaps  are  ten  feet  high  and  twenty-four  feet 
in  circumference  ?  While  on  his  rambles  with  one  of  our 
men  the  Doctor  saw  a  large  snake  four  or  five  feet  in  length, 
which  he  vainly  tried  to  kill ;  but  the  reptile  escaped  into  a 
crevice  in  the  rocks  amongst  the  brushwood. 

Tom,  Tab,  and  Mr.  Wright,  in  the  meantime,  went  over  to 
the  mainland  to  pay  a  visit  to  Mr.  Jardine.  They  found  the 
sea  rather  rough  in  the  narrow  crossing,  and  after  a  stiff 
clamber  up  the  hillside  arrived  at  the  house.  Mr.  Jardine 
was  away,  but  his  manager,  Mr.  Schramud,  gave  them  some 
interesting  information  about  the  pearl  fishery,  and  spoke  of 
the  trouble  of  establishing  their  station  in  old  days.  He  took 
them  round  the  paddocks  where  the  bullocks  are  kept,  and 
then  a  little  way  through  the  bush,  where  he  showed  them 
an  encampment  of  aborigines  which  was  much  better  con- 
structed than  usual.  The  centre  hut  was  large,  with  nicely 
built  walls  and  a  substantial  thatched  roof  of  coarse  dry 


4O2 


A   NATIVE  DRUM 


The  hut  was  divided  into  two  parts,  one  section  containing 
two  beds  slightly  raised  from  the  floor,  and  the  other  a  few 
rough  seats  and  a  table,  upon  which  stood  a  broken  lamp  and 
a  drum,  apparently  hollowed  out  from  a  piece  of  wood.  Mr. 
Schranmd  gave  the  drum  to  Tab,  saying  that  its  peculiarity 
consisted  in  the  fact  that,  though  the  natives  possessed  no 
adzes  or  chisels,  the  wood  was  completely  hollowed  out,  and 

yet  it  must  have  been  done 
with  knives  of  the  most  in- 
ferior description.  He  had 
often  tried,  unsuccessfully,  to 
'  catch  the  natives  at  work  ' 
as  he  expressed  it,  in  order  to 
watch  their  method  of  deal- 
ing with  such  hard  wood.  On 
leaving  the  encampment  the 
party  returned  to  the  beach 
and  came  across  in  the  cutter 
to  the  island,  landing  in  the 
nice  little  sheltered  cove  where 
the  Doctor  and  I  were  esta- 
blished. 

Shortly  afterwards  the 
Doctor  and  Mr.  Wright  started 
across  the  hills  to  meet  the 
others,  while  Tom,  Tab,  and 
I  returned,  or  rather  tried  to 

get  back,  to  the  yacht  in  the  gig  and  the  cutter,  but  the  tide 
had  fallen  considerably,  and  the  reef  over  which  we  had  floated 
so  gaily  on  landing,  was  now  showing  all  sorts  of  nasty  little 
jagged  heads  and  rounded  tops,  both  above  and  very  near  the 
surface  of  the  water.  It  was  not  without  many  bumps  and 
jars,  and  a  certain  amount  of  risk  of  finding  ourselves  firmly 
aground,  that  we  fairly  emerged  into  the  open  sea  ;  then  a 


ANT-HILLS  403 


long  pull,  a  strong  pull,  and  a  pull  all  together  against  the 
swiftly  running  current  brought  us  once  more  alongside  the 
good  ship  '  Sunbeam.' 

The  rest  of  the  party  had  still  greater  difficulty  in  getting 
off,  for  the  tide  was  falling  every  minute,  and  the  dinghy  had  to 
be  sent  off  to  pick  them  up  one  by  one  and  transfer  them  to  the 
gig.  They  seemed  to  have  enjoyed  their  walk  very  much,  and 
described  the  island  as  being  covered  with  scrub.  They  saw  a 
few  animals  which,  though  wild  now,  have  evidently  once  been 
domesticated,  and  actually  stumbled  upon  a  family  of  little  pigs. 
They  climbed  over  the  hill  at  the  back  of  the  landing-place  and 
descended  to  the  windward  shore,  where  they  found  a  stretch 
of  beautiful  firm  white  sand,  extending  for  some  distance  along 
the  coast,  indented  by  many  pretty  little  coves  and  bays,  in 
which  however  there  was  not  much  flotsam  and  jetsam  to  be 
collected.  Mr.  Wright  and  the  Doctor  had  also  been  to  the 
windward  beach,  but  by  a  different  route,  which  led  them 
through  a  valley  full  of  extraordinary  ant-hills.  From  their 
description  this  place  must  have  looked  like  a  veritable  city  of 
tombs,  something  like  the  view  of  Jerusalem  from  the  Mount 
of  Olives.  I  was  sorry  they  had  not  taken  a  camera  with 
them,  although  we  had  already  taken  photographs  of  isolated 
ant-hills.  The  Doctor  saw  another  snake  quite  as  large  as 
the  first,  but  it  also  escaped  before  he  could  get  within  strik- 
ing distance  of  it.  Perhaps  it  was  just  as  well  it  did  escape, 
as  we  heard  afterwards  that  they  are  venomous,  in  fact  deadly. 
There  is  no  cure  for  their  bite,  and  though  they  get  out  of 
your  way  if  they  can,  when  once  attacked,  or  if  you  chance 
to  stand  between  them  and  their  hole,  they  fly  at  you  most 
viciously,  and  their  bite  has  generally  fatal  results. 

We  had  evening  prayers  on  board  at  six,  and  after  a  quiet 
evening's  reading,  went  to  bed  rather  early. 

Monday,  August  22u<L — I  sent  ashore  this  morning,  by 
the  men  who  went  for  the  milk,  a  few  books  and  Ambulance 


404 


AMATEUR  SURGERY 


Hammer-head   Oyster 


papers  for  Mr.  Jardine,  in'  return  for  which  he  sent  me  several 
beautiful  pearl-shells,  some  of  which  had  curious  corals  grow- 
ing on  them.  Mr.  Schramud  paid  us  an  early  visit.  He 

was  much  interested 
in  the  Ambulance 
papers  I  had  sent 
him,  and  said  he  al- 
ways had  a  good  deal 
of  amateur  doctor- 
ing to  do,  both  for 
himself  and  others, 
when  out  in  the  bush. 
He  gave  me  a  vivid 

description  of  how  on  one  occasion  his  horse,  usually  a  quiet 
animal,  first  threw  him  against  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  breaking 
his  leg  in  two  places,  and  then,  instead  of  standing  still  for 
him  to  remount,  bolted  off  to  the  station,  seven  miles  away. 
Mr.  Schramud  crawled  to  the  nearest  tree,  stripped  some 
bark  off  with  his  knife,  padded  it  as  well  as  he  could  with 
some  portion  of  his  garments,  and  with  two  straps  which  he 
fortunately  found  in  his  pocket  strapped  his  leg  up,  making 
what  he  described  as  an  excellent  splint  or  cradle.  He  then 
proceeded  to  drag  himself  on  his  hands  and  knees  through  the 
bush  towards  the  station,  a  terrible  journey,  for  he  had  not  a 
drop  of  water  or  food  of  any  kind  with  him.  Some  hours 
passed  before  the  people  at  the  station,  seeing  his  horse  come 
home  riderless  and  guessing  an  accident,  set  out  to  trace  the 
tracks  of  the  horse  through  the  bush  by  the  light  of  a  lantern, 
and  found  him  with  much  difficulty. 

We  had  great  trouble  in  getting  up  our  anchors  this  morn- 
ing, for  they  were  fouled  in  every  possible  way,  and  it  was 
nearly  eleven  before  we  started  and  were  fairly  steaming 
through  Albany  Pass  towards  Cape  Yorke,  on  our  way  to 
the  Thursday  Island  group.  Cape  Yorke  has  been  described 


THURSDA  Y  ISLAND  405 

as  the  seat  of  Government  in  these  parts,  but  is  a  melancholy 
looking  place,  and  can  never  have  been  of  any  importance. 
Tom  did  not  quite  like  taking  the  inner  and  shorter  channel  to 
Thursday  Island,  so  we  went  to  the  north  of  Wednesday  and 
Hammond  Islands,  and  arrived  at  the  back  of  Goode  Island, 
where  there  is  a  signal-station  and  lighthouse,  from  which 
they  signalled  a  kind  welcome  and  an  offer  of  a  pilot,  which 
was  declined  with  thanks.  We  then  rounded  the  island  and 
proceeded  to  Normanby  Sound  close  to  Friday  Island,  and, 
after  a  tremendous  tussle  with  the  tide,  finally  reached  Thurs- 
day Island  and  anchored  in  Normanby  Sound  just  off  Port 
Kennedy,  the  name  given  to  the  capital  of  the  island,  after 
the  late  Governor  of  Queensland. 

Thursday  Island  is  one  of  an  extensive  and  intricate 
group.  The  chief  building  material  used  in  the  settlement 
is  corrugated  iron,  embellished  by  verandahs  supported  on 
wooden  posts  and  nattily  painted,  making  the  little  dwellings 
look  both  pretty  and  comfortable.  The  Eesidency  is  a  larger 
bungalow  on  the  top  of  a  little  hill,  and  half  a  dozen  fairly 
good  houses  cluster  round  it.  Then  comes  a  row  of  stores 
along  the  sea-face,  and  a  few  more  houses  stand  at  the  back. 
A  soft  sandy  track  runs  in  front  of  the  stores,  but  there  are 
no  roads,  and  consequently  no  vehicles,  and  no  draught  beasts. 
There  is  no  communication,  except  from  the  visits  of  occa- 
sional steamers,  nor  are  any  provisions  obtainable,  except 
canned  meat  and  fruits.  The  vegetables  are  grown  by  the 
invaluable  Chinese,  on  some  of  the  islands  opposite.  Even 
the  water,  of  which  the  supply  is  scanty,  is  condensed.  The 
only  servants  available  are  people  of  colour.  The  ladies  have 
to  do  everything  for  themselves,  and  children  of  eleven  and 
twelve  years  are  frequently  trained  by  the  force  of  circum- 
stances to  become  as  good  cooks  and  housemaids  as  many  a 
well-paid  servant  at  home.  A  gentleman  living  here  said  to 
me  the  other  day,  '  How  little  do  our  sisters  in  England  know 

SB 


406 


A   HARD  LIFE 


the  way  we  live  in  some  of  the  colonies !  I  am  very  glad 
you  have  come  out,  Lady  Brassey,  for  you  will  be  able  to 
describe,  as  we  cannot  in  letters,  the  really  hard,  rough  life 
we  lead  here.'  For  those  who  are  well  and  strong,  and 
can  enjoy  roughing  it,  constantly  knocking  about  in  a  small 
schooner  from  island  to  island,  with  often  nothing  to  eat 
except  cocoa-nuts  and  yams,  the  life  is  not  intolerable ; 
but  for  those  who  are  delicate,  and  not  able  to  bear  without 
suffering  these  conditions,  it  is  indeed  a  very  hard  life.  The 
women  who  bravely  face  these  hardships  deserve  all  our  ad- 
miration and  sympathy.  In  spite  of  the  great  difficulties,  they 


Claremont  Island  Lightship 


ESCAPED   CONVICTS  407 

manage  to  maintain  a  high  standard  of  education  and  re- 
finement. Truly  their  lives  read  a  lesson  to  us  all,  and 
teach  us  how  much  there  is  to  be  thankful  for,  and  how 
little  real  cause  we  have  to  grumble  at  many  things  about 
which  we  make  a  fuss. 

Mr.  Milman,  the  Resident,  and  Mr.  Symes,  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Customs,  called  upon  us  soon  after  our  arrival,  and 
took  the  rest  of  the  party  on  shore  to  lawn-tennis,  which  must 
be  a  great  resource  here,  for  there  is  no  sport  of  any  kind. 
Mr.  Milman  has  made  a  good  tennis-court,  and  anybody  who 
likes  can  play  there  every  afternoon.  The  society  on  Thurs- 
day Island  consists  of  two  resident  ladies,  supplemented  by 
occasional  visitors,  and  six  gentlemen.  Besides  this  handful 
of  English,  Mr.  Hall  lives  on  Prince  of  Wales'  Island,  and 
Captain  and  Mrs.  Stevens  on  Goode  Island. 

Mr.  Milman  was  anxious  to  take  us  to  Murray  and  Darnley 
Islands,  in  his  little  steamer  the  '  Albatross,'  but  she  is  at 
present  looking  for  escaped  convicts  from  New  Caledonia,  and 
it  seems  doubtful  when  she  will  return.  The  story  about 
these  escaped  convicts  is  rather  interesting.  A  boat's  crew 
landed  here  the  other  day,  with  four  men,  who  stated  they 
were  shipwrecked  mariners.  They  were  all  examined  sepa- 
rately, and  told  such  inconsistent  stories  (even  differing  as  to 
whether  their  ship  had  one,  two,  or  three  masts),  that  suspicion 
was  aroused.  Some  were  Italians,  but  one  appeared  to  be  a 
Frenchman,  though  he  pretended  not  to  understand  a  word  of 
the  language.  They  are  undoubtedly  escaped  convicts  from 
New  Caledonia.  Two  own  to/ having  had  another  man  with 
them,  and  say  that  when  they  landed  he  disappeared.  The 
others  will  not  acknowledge  that  the  party  was  ever  more  than 
four  in  number,  but  the  blacks  have  since  reported  finding  a 
body  on  the  beach  twelve  miles  from  where  these  men  landed, 
near  Somerset.  There  are  still  five  men  wandering  about, 
who  were  hospitably  entertained  and  furnished  with  food  and 


408 


A   NEW  CALEDONIA   TRAGEDY 


clothes  by  Mr.  Jardine,  at  Somerset,  before  he  knew  who 
they  were,  and  three  others  were  compelled  to  go  on  board 

the  '  Claremont '  lightship, 
T-  through  want  of  food,  and 

were  promptly  shipped  off 
to  gaol  hi  Brisbane.  The 
'  Albatross  '  was  the  little 
steamer  we  saw  lying 
alongside  the  lightship  at 
Piper  Island,  on  the  iQth 
inst.  She  was  then  on 
her  way  to  search  all  the 
reefs  and  islands  for  the 
five  missing  men.  I  hope 
it  will  not  be  long  before 
they  are  brought  in,  for, 
independent  of  any  other 
crimes  they  have  com- 
mitted, they  must  almost 
certainly  have  been  guilty 
of  a  most  brutal  murder, 
and  have  killed  their  own 

comrade.  It  is  wonderful  how  so  many  of  these  men  escape. 
It  is  difficult  to  understand  how  they  can  procure  boats,  pro- 
visions, and  sufficient  water  for  the  voyage  of  over  2,500  miles, 
that  being  about  the  distance  from  New  Caledonia  to  Rock- 
hampton  or  Cooktown.  The  run  between  New  Caledonia  and 
Australia  is  dead  to  leeward  before  the  trade-winds. 


The  last  Mill  in  Australia 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

PEINCE  OF  WALES'  ISLAND. 

Tuesday,  August  2$rd. — I  had  a  better  night,  and  awoke 
feeling  much  refreshed.  Most  of  the  party  went  early  ashore 
to  see  what  this  uninteresting  town  is  like.  Tom  spent  a  busy 
morning  with  Mr.  Milman,  going  into  statistics,  fortification 
questions,  and  so  forth.  In  the  afternoon  we  steamed  across 
to  the  pearl-shell  station  on  Prince  of  Wales'  Island,  managed 
by  Mr.  Hall.  He  has  a  nice  bungalow  there,  and  seems  very 
busy  and  happy  in  his  occupation,  contriving  to  keep  good 
friends  with  all  the  '  boys,'  as  the  coloured  labourers  from 
Manilla,  China,  the  South  Sea  Islands,  and  other  places  are 
called.  These  '  boys  '  are  now  busily  occupied  in  unloading 
the  shells  from  the  boats  and  cleaning  and  preparing  them  for 
the  market,  which  latter  process  we  had  come  to  see  to-day. 
First  we  went  to  a  small  shed  where  about  half  a  dozen 
'  boys  '  were  employed,  some  in  chopping  and  scraping  the 
shells  in  order  to  reduce  their  weight,  whilst  others  were  wash- 
ing and  cleaning  them  with  brushes  made  from  the  outside  of 


410  DIVERS 

the  cocoa-nut  husk,  which,  when  split  into  strips,  is  excellent 
for  the  purpose,  as  it  scrapes  and  polishes  the  shells  without 
scratching  them.  The  boxes  stood  ready  outside  for  packing, 
•each  holding  about  two  cwt.  of  shells,  valued  at  1 1 1.  per  cwt. 
The  number  of  shells  varies  according  to  their  size,  from  sixty 
to  sixty- five  fitting  into  each  box.  On  a  table  in  the  middle  of 
the  shed  the  shells  were  being  quickly  packed  and  nailed  up, 
ready  for  exportation.  They  are  just  now  higher  in  price,  on 
account  of  the  disaster  on  the  north-west  coast  of  Western 
Australia,  which  has  temporarily  crippled  that  rival  station. 
From  the  cleaning  and  packing  shed  we  went  to  another, 
where  the  diving  apparatus  is  kept.  This  was  sent  out  from 
England,  and  is  exactly  the  same  as  that  in  use  everywhere, 
being  made  to  fit  tightly  round  the  ankles,  wrists,  and  neck, 
with  an  immense  superfluity  of  space  in  the  middle  to  hold  a 
storage  of  air.  Besides  this  heavy  dress,  divers  wear  a  belt 
with  a  large  knife  stuck  into  it,  to  cut  themselves  free  from 
any  obstacle  their  ropes  may  get  foul  of,  and  they  also  have  a 
hook,  to  which  their  air-pipe  is  attached.  In  addition  to  an 
enormous  pair  of  leaden  boots,  two  heavy  pieces  of  lead  are 
.suspended  over  their  shoulders,  one  piece  lying  on  their  chest 
and  the  other  on  their  back.  They  descend  with  great  ra- 
pidity, and  can  walk,  icith  the  current,  on  the  bottom  easily 
enough  ;  but  woe  betide  them  if  the  tender  is  not  careful,  for  if 
their  air-line  catches  in  anything  it  is  absolutely  impossible 
for  them  to  make  any  headway  against  the  tide.  Unless  the 
men  above  are  quick  and  clever  enough  to  repair  the  mistake 
promptly,  they  are  lost. 

Mr.  Hall  had  kindly  prepared  tea  for  us  at  his  house,  but 
I  wished  to  return  on  board,  and  so  deferred  my  visit  until  a 
future  occasion.  On  returning  to  our  anchorage  we  had  quite 
a  business  to  stem  the  tide,  and  took  a  long  time  to  reach  our 
destination.  The  others  arrived  in  time  to  go  on  shore  and 
have  a  game  of  lawn-tennis,  an  amusement  which  they  all 


OPALS  411 

much  enjoy,  and  which  does  them  a  great  deal  of  good  in  the 
intervals  of  their  voyages.  Mr.  Milman  dined  with  us  and 
told  me  a  great  many  interesting  things  about  his  island,  and 
afterwards  the  gentlemen  had  some  good  games  of  whist.  I 
have  at  last  heard  the  real  story  of  the  opals,  for  Mr.  Milman's 
overseer  was  the  first  to  bring  in  a  piece  of  opal  off  the  Blackall 
station  on  the  Listowel  Downs,  in  1869.  The  beautiful  frag- 
ment stood  on  the  mantelpiece  for  several  years  before  it  was 
thought  of  any  value,  but  at  the  time  of  the  great  mining  fever 
attention  was  attracted  to  the  specimen,  and  it  was  sent  to  a 
mineralogist,  who  pronounced  it  to  be  a  fine  and  valuable  opal. 
The  story  struck  me  as  being  very  similar  to  that  told  of  the 
first  diamond  found  in  South  Africa ;  but  doubtless  there  is  a 
strong  family  likeness  in  the  early  history  of  all  gem-bearing 
districts. 

Wednesday,  August  2^th. — At  ten  o'clock  this  morning 
Mr.  Milman  came  on  board,  and  we  proceeded  down  the 
Sound  to  Goode  Island,  where  we  anchored  about  half  a 
mile  from  the  shore.  Tom,  Tab,  Mabelle,  and  Mr.  Milman 
landed  at  once,  and  walked  up  to  the  lighthouse  to  take  a 
bird's-eye  view  of  this  extensive  archipelago  and  to  discuss 
the  best  method  of  defence,  about  which  Mr.  Milman  was 
anxious  to  know  Tom's  opinion.  Later  on  I  landed  with  the 
rest  of  the  party,  and  we  went  to  see  Captain  and  Mrs. 
Stevens,  the  former  of  whom  is  the  manager  of  the  pearl- 
fishing  station  here.  I  then  returned  with  Mrs.  Stevens  and 
her  children  to  lunch  on  board  the  yacht.  Whilst  I  was  still 
lying  down  to  rest  I  heard  a  bustle  on  deck  as  if  the  dinghy 
were  being  lowered,  and  as  I  wanted  to  send  a  message  on 
shore  1  called  to  them  to  stop.  In  reply  they  told  me  that 
'  Sir  Eoger '  was  swimming  off  to  the  yacht,  and  that  not  a 
moment  must  be  lost  in  trying  to  save  him.  It  did  not  tend 
to  calm  my  fears  when  Mrs.  Stevens  told  me  that  the  bay 
was  perfectly  full  of  sharks,  and  that  she  herself  had  lost  a 


412  A   PLUCKY  DOG 


fine  dog  not  a  month  ago  under  similar  circumstances.  Poor 
old  '  Sir  Eoger '  swam  bravely  out,  keeping  his  head  well 
above  the  wrater ;  but  what  with  the  fear  of  the  strong  current 
dashing  him  against  the  sharp  coral  reefs,  and  the  dread  of 
seeing  him  dragged  under  by  the  snags  of  a  ferocious  shark,  I 
spent  a  bad  quarter  of  an  hour.  At  last  I  saw  him  pulled 
safely  into  the  boat.  I  have  been  so  ill  lately,  and  necessarily 
left  so  much  alone  when  the  others  were  on  shore,  that  my 
dog  has  become  more  than  ever  a  companion  to  me,  and  never 
leaves  my  chair  or  bed  for  an  instant  if  he  can  possibly  help 
it.  He  had  been  fairly  driven  away  this  morning  to  accom- 
pany Tom  on  his  long  walk  to  the  lighthouse,  for  I  knew  the 
outing  would  do  him  good.  Halfway  up  the  hill  he  refused 
to  follow  any  further,  and  bolted  back,  in  a  straight  line,  to 
the  beach,  and  had  actually  swum  more  than  halfway  to  the 
yacht  before  he  was  picked  up.  I  should  hardly  have  thought 
a  dog  could  identify  the  vessel  at  so  great  a  distance. 

Those  of  the  party  who  had  been  left  on  shore  came  off  to 
a  late  lunch,  and  shortly  afterwards  we  got  up  our  anchor  and 
steamed  back  towards  Thursday  Island.  This  was  again  a 
work  of  great  difficulty,  for  the  tide  ran  eight  or  nine  knots  an 
hour,  and  a  stiff  gale  was  blowing  against  us.  Once  or  twice, 
in  the  narrows,  we  positively  stood  still  for  five  or  ten  minutes 
at  a  time,  and  the  chief  engineer  was  considerably  chaffed 
about  his  beloved  engines  not  moving  the  vessel  ahead  at  all. 
We  reached  our  anchorage  safely  at  half- past  four,  and  soon 
afterwards  many  people  came  off  to  the  yacht.  I  was  too 
tired  to  see  them,  but  I  am  told  they  appeared  greatly  in- 
terested in  their  inspection.  Some  of  our  own  party  went 
ashore  in  the  afternoon  to  lawn-tennis,  and  Mr.  Milman  came 
back  with  them  to  dinner. 

Thursday,  Aiignst  2$th. — We  were  to  have  been  off,  first 
at  daybreak,  and  then  at  9  A.M.  When  Mr.  Milman  and  Mrs. 
Hunt,  the  wife  of  the  missionary,  whom  we  were  going  to 


AMONG    THE  ISLANDS 


413 


convey  to  Darnley  Island,  appeared  on  board,  it  was  blowing 
a  strong  gale  of  wind  nearly  dead  in  our  teeth,  and  the  voyage 
did  not  offer  a  very  cheerful  prospect.  As  we  had  made  all 
arrangements,  we  thought  it  better  to  proceed.  At  half-past 
six  we  started,  and,  passing  Ninepin  Bock  and  Saddle  Island, 
soon  found  ourselves  in  a  channel  full  of  reefs,  rocks,  islands, 
islets,  and  dangers  seen  and  unseen,  which  made  the  navi- 
gation an  anxious  task  for  Tom.  He  was  ably  assisted  by 
Mr.  Milman.  It  was  a  most  unpleasant  morning,  and,  keep- 


Darnley  Island — the   Shore 


ing  quietly  down  in  my  berth,  I  think  I  was  better  off  than 
some  of  those  on  deck.  After  passing  Ninepin  and  Saddle 
Islands,  and  the  three  island-sisters,  Poll,  Bet,  and  Sue,  wre 
made  Cocoa-nut  Island,  one  of  the  few  high  islands  we  have 
seen  to-day.  During  the  afternoon  the  navigation  continued 
to  be  intricate,  but  shortly  after  sunset  we  made  York  Islands, 
under  the  lee  of  the  larger  of  which  we  anchored  for  the  night 
in  tolerably  sheltered  water.  The  York  Islands  are  two  in 
number,  connected  with  each  other  at  low  water  by  a  sandy 
spit.  A  semicircular  reef  four  miles  long  and  nearly  two  miles 


414  DARNLEY  ISLAND 

broad  extends  along  the  south  side  of  the  islands,  the  larger 
of  which  is  one  and  a  half  mile  long,  and  lies  towards  the 
western  end  of  the  reef,  while  the  other  is  on  its  north-eastern 
extremity.  There  are  only  two  white  men  living  on  York 
Islands  ;  one  is  an  English  gentlemati,  and  the  other  bears 
the  name  of  Yankee  Ned.  He  is  the  proud  possessor  of  a 
telescope  which,  he  declares,  belonged  either  to  Captain  Cook 
or  Admiral  La  Perouse.  it  bears  marks  of  great  antiquity, 
but  there  is  no  name  or  descriptive  mark  to  show  that  it  ever 
really  was  used  by  such  distinguished  navigators.  These  two 
men  have  a  very  large  beche-de-mer  station  here,  which  they 
manage  with  the  aid  of  some  natives,  and  make  over  i,oool. 
a  year  out  of  it. 

Friday,  August  26th. — The  wind  was  blowing  stronger 
than  ever  to-day  at  daylight.  We  got  under  weigh  at  six  as 
prearranged,  but  were  no  sooner  out  of  the  shelter  of  the 
island  than  Tom  came  to  ask  if  it  would  not  be  better,  on  my 
account,  to  turn  back,  for  we  should  have  fifty  miles  or  more 
beating  dead  in  the  wind's  eye  to  Murray  Island,  besides 
which  the  weather  was  so  thick  that  we  should  have  some 
difficulty  in  seeing  the  unsurveyed  coral  reefs  through  which 
we  must  pass.  The  only  objection  to  this  course  was  that  we 
had  promised  to  convey  Mrs.  Hunt  to  her  new  mission  sta- 
tion at  Murray  Island.  "VYe  finally  decided  to  proceed  as  far 
as  Darnley  Island,  which  we  should  necessarily  pass  on  the 
way  to  Murray  Island ;  so,  passing  Campbell,  Stevens,  and 
Nepean  Islands,  at  which  innumerable  cross-bearings  were 
taken,  we  anchored  off  Darnley  Island  precisely  at  half-past 
ten.  It  is  very  pretty  as  seen  from  the  sea,  with  large  groves 
of  cocoa-nut  trees  growing  right  down  to  the  shore.  On  the 
higher  ground  the  cleared  slopes  of  grass  give  it  at  a  dis- 
tance something  of  the  look  of  an  English  park.  At  half-past 
eleven  we  all  landed,  being  only  too  glad  to  have  dry  land 
once  more  beneath  our  feet,  after  the  shaking  and  tossing 


KING  JACK  415 

about  of  the  last  twenty- four  hours.  All  our  anxieties  as  to 
Mrs.  Hunt  were  relieved  by  seeing  her  husband's  schooner, 
the  '  Mary,'  riding  quietly  at  anchor  in  the  bay.  The  diffi- 
culties of  landing  were  great,  for  the  tide  was  low  and  the 
poor  gig  kept  bumping  against  the  coral-reefs  and  rocks 
to  such  an  extent  that  I  was  afraid  she  would  have  a  hole 
knocked  in  her  bottom.  However,  some  of  the  natives  came 
out  to  help  us,  and,  wading  waist-deep  in  the  water,  guided 
us  into  a  small  channel,  and  from  thence  carried  us  one  by 
one  ashore.  I  was  borne  in  my  chair  straight  to  the  house 
of  the  chief,  who  is  called  King  Jack,  and  who,  with  his 
wife,  \vas  anxious  to  welcome  and  shake  hands  with  us  all. 
The  flag  flying  before  his  trim  little  cottage — red  with  a 
yellow  cross — did  not  satisfy  King  Jack  at  all,  so  we  promised 
him  a  blue  Jack  for  use  on  future  festive  occasions. 

At  the  back  of  the  village  a  grove  of  cocoa-nuts  waving 
in  the  strong  sea-breeze  put  me  in  mind  of  a  South  Sea 
island,  such  as  we  so  often  landed  on  in  going  round  the  world 
in  1870.  Even  the  dress  of  the  natives  was  just  the  same, 
consisting  of  the  original  long  George  II.  sack,  brought  out  by 
the  first  missionaries,  with  its  original  shape  somewhat  lost  and 
altered  by  the  lapse  of  long  years  and  the  variety  of  hands 
through  which  the  pattern  has  passed.  We  rested  in  the  back 
garden  for  some  time.  The  chief's  men  climbed  the  trees  and 
brought  us  down  fresh  cocoa-nuts,  giving  us  the  milk  and  the 
nice  creamy  substance  which  lines  the  shell  when  the  nuts 
are  quite  young.  This  is  most  delicious,  and  is  a  dainty  one 
never  has  a  chance  of  tasting  in  England,  for  it  is  quite  dif- 
ferent to  the  dried- up  and  aged  cocoa-nuts  to  be  procured  from 
Covent  Garden.  We  took  some  photographs  of  the  groups  of 
natives  and  of  the  curious  native  boats,  hollowed  out  of  a 
single  trunk,  which  were  lying  pulled  up  on  the  shore  before 
us.  The  larger  canoes  are  made  from  timber  grown  in  New 
Guinea,  which  must  be  much  larger  than  any  trees  we  saw 

3  c 


416 


KANAKAS 


growing  on  the  island.  After  a  short  delay  I  was  carried  by 
some  native  policemen  through  a  little  village  consisting  of  a 
few  circular  and  oblong  houses  made  of  plaited  grass  and  thatch, 
all  of  which  had  been  so  familiar  to  one's  eyes  in  the  South 
Seas.  It  was  quite  like  old  times  to  see  these  dwellings  again, 
and  some  of  them  were  actually  occupied  by  genuine  South 

Sea  Islanders — Kana- 
kas. The  men  of  these 
islands  are  very  similar 
in  appearance  to  that 
race,  though  I  think 
the  type  here  is  finer. 


At  the  end  of  the  village  stood  the  missionary's  house, 
which  was  a  superior  abode  to  the  others.  It  has  been  built 
and  is  kept  for  the  use  of  white  missionaries  when  they  come 
over  from  the  other  islands.  The  native  teachers  generally 
live  in  a  little  grass  hut  at  the  side,  and  content  themselves 
with  gazing  at  the  '  mansion  ' — a  small  dwelling,  consisting  of 
only  one  main  room  and  two  side-rooms  off  it,  with  deep 
verandahs  all  round.  The  native  teacher  is  a  well-educated 


A N  OPEN-AIR   COURT  417 

Kanaka.  His  wife  is  of  the  same  race,  and  is  pleasant  and 
agreeable.  She  seemed  to  keep  her  house,  hut,  and  children 
very  tidy.  Our  path  led  up  from  here  through  banana  and 
cocoa-nut  groves,  with  an  undergrowth  of  sweet  potatoes,  to 
the  top  of  a  little  hill  about  1 50  feet  high.  Close  to  the  rather 
dilapidated  native  church  we  found  a  beautiful  sward  of  grass 
shaded  by  cocoa-nut  trees,  where  we  established  ourselves  to 
rest  and  look  at  the  view.  After  a  time  the  others  joined  us, 
and  we  took  some  photographs  before  lunch,  and  then  the 
party  went  off  in  different  directions — some  to  the  windward 
beach  to  see  what  shells  could  be  collected  ;  but  they  were  not 
very  successful  in  their  quest,  the  violence  of  the  waves  having 
either  killed  or  broken  most  of  the  specimens  found.  Others 
went  clambering  up  to  the  top  of  the  high  hills ;  while  Mr. 
Milman  sat  in  my  carrying-chair  and  held  a  sort  of  open-air 
court.  The  natives  formed  a  picturesque  group  on  the  grass 
around  him.  He  found  out  all  the  news  of  the  place  since  he 
had  last  been  here,  and  inquired  into  the  administration  of 
justice  in  a  sort  of  pigeon-English  somewhat  difficult  to  under- 
stand. 

There  was  only  one  crime  to  report.  A  poor  woman 
had  been  guilty  of  what  they  called  '  telling  tales  ' — namely, 
saying  that  the  laws  of  Murray  Island  were  good,  but  that  at 
Darnley  Island  they  were  '  very  bad.'  For  this  the  old  chief, 
King  Jack,  promptly  fined  her  200  cocoa-nuts,  which,  by  the 
way,  we  bought  for  io-s.,  knowing  what  a  welcome  addition 
they  will  prove  to  our  own  and  the  crew's  diet,  for  fresh  vege- 
tables are  difficult  to  procure.  Mr.  Milman  has  taken  the 
precaution  of  planting  these  islands  with  cocoa-nuts,  and  he 
allows  the  people  to  keep  a  certain  number,  so  that  there  is  a 
definite  and  just  way  of  punishing  them  if  they  offend  against 
the  law,  by  fining  them  so  many  cocoa-nuts.  The  money 
paid  for  the  cocoa-nuts  goes  into  the  national  exchequer  ; 
and  although  the  amount  realised  is  not  large,  as  may  be 


4i8  A   PEACEFUL  SCENE 


imagined,  it  contributes  to  the  cost  of  repairs  or  improve- 
ments. 

During  the  afternoon  '  Sir  Eoger '  performed  some  of  his 
tricks  for  the  amusement  of  the   assembled  natives.     Their 
delight  was  intense  and  unbounded.     Though  he  may  have 
had  a  more  crowded,  he  never  had  a  more  enthusiastic,  audi- 
ence.    The  performance  was  repeated  several  times,  but  the 
natives  never  seemed  to  weary  of  it.     I  thoroughly  enjoyed 
the  trip  to  the  island  to-day,  and  found  it  delicious  to  lie 
lazily  under  the  shade  of  the  cocoa-nut  trees  and  listen  to  just 
as  much  or  as  little  as  I  liked  of  what  was  going  on  round 
me.     The  rustle  of  the  wind  through  the  long  leaves  of  the 
cocoa-nut  trees  is  far  more  calm   and   peaceful   than  even 
the  murmur  of  the    '  immemorial  elms ;  '   and  the  glimpses 
of  the  sea,  dotted  by  small  islands  and  coral  reefs,  on  which 
the  waves  broke  in  beautiful  creamy  foam,  were  most  lovely. 
About  four  o'clock  we  went  down  again  to  the  village,  passing 
through  tracts  of  cultivated  ground  bearing  crops  of  sweet 
potatoes.     On  our  way  we  paused  to  admire  the  church  bell — 
an  ancient  dinner-bell,  which  hung  by  a  piece  of  string  from 
the  longest  and  scraggiest  arm  of  a  very  old  and  leafless  tree. 
All  the  rest  of  the  party  were  assembled  on  the  beach,  and  a 
brisk  trade  was  being  done  in  corals,  shells,  and  cocoa-nuts, 
paid  for  in  tobacco,  which  the  islanders  much  prefer  to  money. 
The  teacher's  wife  was  made  happy  by  the  gift  of  a  reel  of 
white  cotton  and  a  packet  of  needles,  which  will  enable  her  to 
carry  out  her  dressmaking  operations  and  repairs  with  much 
greater  ease.    Her  eyes  quite  glistened  as  she  took  them.    Mr. 
Savage  told  me  that  the  two  Eegina  birds-of-paradise  tails 
which  I  bought  to-day  were  obtained  from  a  native  of  New 
Guinea  who  lives  on  the  island  of  Peram,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Fly  River.     From  this  man's  account,  the  birds  must  abound 
there ;  but  I  cannot  help  regretting  that  the  poor  creatures 
should  be  sacrificed  merely  to  line  the  cloaks  of  rich  ladies. 


THE  MISSION-SCHOONER  419 

While  we  were  up  on  the  hill  the  crew  had  been  engaged 
in  procuring  water  to  replenish  our  fast-failing  stock.  They 
had  had  great  labour  in  bringing  off  the  water,  for  the  \vell  is 
half  a  mile  from  the  beach,  and  the  sea  was  very  rough.  We 
only  got  a  ton  after  all,  when  we  should  have  liked  a  dozen  or 
fourteen  tons  !  Soon  after  our  return  on  board  a  number  of 
boats  followed  us,  laden  with  baskets  of  sweet  potatoes,  yams, 
pumpkins,  cocoa-nuts,  shells,  coral,  &c.  So  great  was  the 
supply  that  the  deck  of  the  ship  soon  became  covered  with 
native  produce,  the  owners  of  which,  like  all  true  savages,  con- 
sidered it  a  matter  of  etiquette  and  dignity  not  to  express  the 
least  surprise  or  astonishment  at  anything  they  saw,  although 
somewhat  taken  aback  by  the  pictures  and  large  looking- 
glasses.  They  were  very  pleasant  and  obedient,  doing  exactly 
what  they  were  told  without  touching  anything. 

Though  feeling  much  the  better  for  my  outing,  I  became 
tired,  and  was  glad  to  lie  down  and  rest  in  the  deck-house. 
The  little  mission  schooner,  the  '  Mary,'  with  a  dove  and  olive- 
branch  on  her  flag  as  a  message  of  peace,  was  tossing  and 
rolling  about  in  the  most  unpleasant  manner,  exposing  her 
keel  at  almost  every  wave,  first  to  windward  and  then  to  lee- 
wrard.  Her  captain  and  crew,  a  fine,  determined-looking  set 
of  Kanaka  men,  did  not  seem  to  mind  the  sea  at  all.  I  pity 
poor  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hunt,  who  will  have  to  make  their  voyage 
to  Murray  Island  to-morrow  in  the  teeth  of  this  heavy  wind. 
Mrs.  Hunt  remained  on  shore,  but  Mr.  Hunt  and  Mr.  Savage 
came  on  board  to  dinner  ;  and  from  Mr.  Savage  I  heard  a  good 
deal  of  his  work  among  the  natives.  The  station  here  is  com- 
paratively small,  but  at  Murray  Island  a  training-school  for 
native  teachers  has  been  established,  that  island  being  some- 
what larger  than  this,  surrounded  by  live  coral  reefs,  and  con- 
taining about  400  inhabitants.  Their  principal  field  of  mission 
operations  among  the  natives  appears  to  be  in  the  Fly  Eiver 
in  New  Guinea,  which  is  a  most  unhealthy  spot.  Their  work 


420 


MISSIONARIES 


/" . • 

xly 


X-N 


is  now  beginning  to  be  at- 
tended with  a  large  measure 
of  success.  At  first  no  attempt 
wras  made  to  teach  the  Papuans 
English.  The  missionaries 
were  the  only  people  who  could 
communicate  with  the  natives. 
The  ignorance  of  English 
proved  a  great  drawback  to  all 
trade,  and  it  has  certainly  re- 
tarded for  years  to  come  the 
opening  up  of  the  country. 
Not  only  is  the  climate  bad,  but 
the  natives  of  New  Guinea  are 
treacherous,  and  not  to  be  de- 
pended on  for  a  moment. 

Mr.  Savage  has  been  out 
here  for  two  years,  thirteen 
months  of  which  time  he  has 
lived  entirely  by  himself.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hunt  are  now  going 
to  inhabit  Murray  Island,  with 
only  one  European  carpenter 
as  their  companion,  while  Mr. 
Savage  will  be  stationed  prin- 
cipally at  the  Fly  Eiver.  The 
mission  receives  all  its  supplies 
from  England  via  Thursday 
Island,  from  which  place  they 
are  fetched  in  the  little  schooner, 
built  by  the  carpenter  Bruce, 
who  was  formerly  a  yacht- 
builder.  The  life  of  these  good 
people  appears  to  be  one  of 


A   NARROW  SHAVE  421 

much  self-abnegation.  I  hope  with  all  my  heart  that  the 
mission  may  succeed,  and  that  the  devoted  missionaries  will 
be  rewarded  for  their  self-denying  exertions. 

Saturday,  August  2jtli. — A  grey  morning,  with  the  wind 
blowing  stronger  than  ever.  Navigation  in  these  seas  is  by 
no  means  easy.  During  the  night  we  had  dragged  our  anchor 
a  little,  enough  to  get  unpleasantly  near  the  shore  ;  and  just 
as  we  weighed,  the  sails  did  not  fill  so  quickly  as  they  ought 
to  have  done,  which  caused  the  yacht  to  pay  off  with  her  head 
towards  the  shore  instead  of  off  shore.  There  was  barely  a 
ship's  length  between  us  and  the  reef.  It  was  with  great  dif- 
ficulty, and  only  by  promptly  dropping  the  anchor,  that  we 
prevented  ourselves  from  running  straight  on  to  shore.  On 
first  starting  we  thought  we  should  only  get  to  Bet  Island,  one 
of  the  three  sisters.  These  islets  swarm  with  turtle,  which  lay 
their  eggs  on  the  sandy  shores  all  the  year  round.  We  were 
looking  forward  to  turtle  soup,  turtle  eggs,  and  all  sorts  of 
delicacies,  to  make  a  pleasant  change  in  the  monotony  of 
our  daily  fare.  The  wind,  however,  blew  so  fresh  that,  though 
close-reefed,  we  sailed  from  ten  to  twelve  knots  an  hour,  which 
of  course  caused  a  considerable  amount  of  motion. 

At  a  little  before  noon  to-day  we  were  off  Cocoa-nut  Island. 
Later  we  passed  in  succession  the  Bet,  Sue,  and  Poll  Islands, 
and  the  Ninepin  Eock,  a  curious- shaped  little  islet,  though  any- 
thing less  like  a  ninepin  I  cannot  imagine.  In  the  afternoon, 
by  dint  of  hard  driving,  we  were  able  to  reach  a  good  an- 
chorage in  Flinders  Channel,  between  Horn  and  Wednesday 
Island.  As  an  instance  of  the  rapidity  of  our  sailing  speed, 
I  may  mention  that  seven  measured  miles  between  the  two 
islands  was  done  in  rather  less  than  half  an  hour ;  which, 
considering  we  were  close-hauled,  was  not  bad  work.  We  had 
a  fairly  quiet  night,  though  it  was  blowing  a  gale,  and  of 
course  the  ship  tumbled  and  rocked  about  a  good  deal. 

Sunday,  August   2&tlt. — As    the    tide   was   running   very 


422  A    BREEZY  SPOT 


strong,  it  was  decided  not  to  start  until  eleven  o'clock.  We 
therefore  had  prayers  before  starting,  and  sailed  slowly  across 
to  our  old  anchorage,  which  we  reached  about  midday. 

In  the  afternoon  I  was  carried  ashore  to  see  Mrs.  Milman, 
who  appears  to  be  a  great  invalid.  She  has  two  nice  little 
girls,  who  look  after  the  house  and  save  their  mother  a  great 
deal  of  trouble.  There  was  another  little  girl  there,  a  daughter 
of  Canon  Taylor,  who  had  come  up  from  Cooktown  on  a  visit. 

The  Eesidency  is  a  pleasant  house,  open  to  every  breath  of 
wind  that  blows  ;  of  which,  according  to  our  experience  of  these 
parts,  there  is  plenty.  The  inhabitants  tell  us  that  this  is 
the  normal  condition  of  the  weather  here  during  nine  months 
of  the  twelve.  No  doubt  these  breezes  are  health- giving,  but 
the  perpetual  blowing  of  the  wind  must  be  fatiguing.  It 
roars  and  whistles  and  shakes  the  house  like  an  incessant 
hurricane.  The  three  months  during  which  there  is  no  wind 
is  at  the  period  of  the  north-east  monsoon,  and  then  the  rain 
descends  in  torrents.  Life  during  this  time  of  the  year  at 
Thursday  Island  is  described  as  being  dreary  indeed. 

We  returned  on  board  at  half-past  five,  and  everybody  but 
myself  landed  again  later,  and  went  to  church  at  half-past 
seven  at  the  Court  House.  Mr.  Milman  read  prayers  and  a 
sermon,  and  Tom  read  the  lessons. 

Monday,  August  2gtli.— A  very  windy  morning.  Some  pearl- 
merchants  came  on  board,  bringing  fine  specimens  of  pearls, 
which  seem  quite  as  costly  here  as  in  London.  I  bought 
some  shells,  more  as  specimens  of  queer  freaks  of  nature 
than  for  any  intrinsic  beauty  or  value  they  possessed.  In  the 
afternoon  wre  landed  again  on  Thursday  Island,  and  Tom  and 
I  explored  the  little  town,  round  which  I  was  carried  in  a 
comfortable  chair.  The  place  is  larger  than  I  expected,  and 
the  stores  seemed  well  furnished  with  dry  goods  of  all  kinds, 
besides  tinned  meats,  vegetables,  and  fruit ;  but  there  are  no 
fresh  provisions.  A  few  goslings,  very  like  our  wild  geese,  but 


ANT   HILLS     QUEENSLAND.     AUSTRALIA 


THURSDA  Y  ISLAND 


423 


not  so  big  as  a  good- sized  duck,  were  running  about,  for  which 
the  owners  asked  30$.  apiece !  There  were  also  some  chickens 
to  be  bought  for  los.  each.  Some  of  the  houses  are  really 
not  unsightly  when  seen  from  a  distance,  but  when  you  ap- 
proach them  the  adjacent  ground  is  found  to  be  strewn  with 
straw,  paper,  old  tins,  broken  bottles,  and  rubbish  of  every 
description.  I  should  like  to  have  all  the  rubbish  taken  out 
to  sea  and  sunk,  and  then  I  would  plant  more  trees  and 
shrubs.  At  present  some  miserable- 
looking  cocoa-  nuts,  and  a 

few    hibiscus-  ^^^  *Sy*^^  bushes,  with 

their  bright  /  X  red  blos- 


In   the   Torres    Straits 


soms,  comprise  everything  in  the  way  of  vegetation.  On  our 
way  from  the  town  to  the  Kesidency  we  passed  Mr.  Symes's 
house.  His  mother  very  kindly  came  out  to  welcome  us,  and 
asked  us  to  go  into  their  comfortable  bungalow  and  have 
some  tea,  which  we  were  most  thankful  for.  I  was  so  tired. 
Mrs.  Symes  had  a  married  daughter  and  two  nice  little  grand- 
children living  with  her,  and  we  had  a  pleasant  chat.  She 

8  D 


424  A   FIELD  FOR  AMBULANCE    WORK 


gave  me  what  she  says  is  an  infallible  cure  for  bronchitis, 
and  I  only  hope  it  may  prove  so.  I  spoke  to  Mrs.  Synies 
and  her  daughter,  to  whom  I  had  previously  sent  papers, 
about  the  Ambulance ;  and  they  appeared  to  be  quite  keen 
about  it,  and  promised  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  aid  any 
classes  that  might  be  estabh'shed  here.  Continuing  our  walk 
we  went  to  the  excellent  lawn-tennis  ground  just  below  Mr. 
Milman's  house.  We  could  only  make  a  short  stay,  for  the 
sun  had  set  and  it  was  rapidly  getting  dark.  The  sea  was 
rough  going  off,  and  I  felt  rather  exhausted  by  the  tune  I 
arrived  on  board.  Mr.  Hall  and  Dr.  Salter  came  to  dinner, 
and  with  the  latter  I  had  a  long  talk  about  the  Ambulance. 
Dr.  Salter  is  quite  willing  to  give  the  lectures,  but  there  would 
be  great  difficulty  in  bringing  people  together  for  the  classes, 
for  the  tides  are  strong  and  shifty,  and  so  uncertain  that  one 
can  never  know  till  the  morning  what  they  are  going  to  be. 
The  Doctor  says  the  only  chance  of  inducing  people  to  come 
will  be  to  find  out  approximately  the  most  convenient  day  and 
hour  and  then  hoist  the  signal  on  the  flagstaff,  so  that  the 
inhabitants  of  the  neighbouring  islands  may  see  it  and  attend 
if  they  choose.  Several  of  the  masters  and  managers  of  the 
pearl-shelling  stations  have  promised  to  come  themselves,  and 
then  to  try  and  pass  on  the  knowledge  they  may  acquire  to 
their  Malay,  Manilla,  and  other  '  boys '  who  go  out  pearl-fish- 
ing and  after  beche-de-nier.  The  instructions  will  be  useful  to 
these  people,  for  accidents  often  happen,  principally  from  their 
own  carelessness.  The  divers  are  sometimes  hoisted  up  to  the 
surface  asphyxiated  from  want  of  air,  and  requiring  almost 
precisely  similar  treatment  to  the  apparently  drowned.  Only 
last  week  they  had  a  man  on  board  one  of  the  schooners  very 
nearly  dead,  but  still  able  to  speak  and  move.  Instead  of 
attempting  to  relieve  him  they  brought  him  here,  a  distance 
of  fifteen  miles ;  and  by  the  tune  he  arrived,  of  course  the 
little  spark  of  life  he  had  possessed  was  quite  extinguished. 


THE   LAST  PAGE 


425 


If  only  a  knowledge  such  as  that  conveyed  by  the  instructions 
given  by  the  St.  John  Ambulance  Association  can  be  spread 
here,  particularly  among  the  people  employed  at  the  pearl- 
fishing  stations,  it  will  be  most  valuable.  There  are  a  great 
many  men  engaged  in  the  pearl  trade  in  the  Torres  Straits, 
New  Guinea,  and  the  numerous  islands  in  the  vicinity.  It  is, 
of  course,  impossible  to  establish  a  centre  here  ;  but  I  hope 
before  I  leave  to  set  a  class  on  foot,  with  Mr.  Hall  for  the 
secretary,  as  he  is  most  enthusiastic  on  the  subject.  Tom  and 
I  will,  as  usual  in  such  cases,  become  life  members,  so  as  to 
give  the  movement  a  start. 


Church    on   Darnley  Island 


APPENDIX. 


PART   I. 

VOYAGE    FROM   DARNLEY   ISLAND    TO    PORT    DARWIN, 
MAURITIUS,   CAPE   OF  GOOD  HOPE,  AND  ENGLAND. 

(By  LOKD  BBASSEY.) 

THE  pen  having  fallen  from  her  hand,  the  task  which  a  brave 
yet  gentle  spirit  was  struggling  so  hard  to  complete  must  be  accom- 
plished by  one  who  does  not  possess  her  gifts.  For  obvious  reasons, 
the  description  of  the  remainder  of  the  voyage  will  be  compressed 
within  the  closest  limits. 

The  '  Sunbeam'  sailed  from  Thursday  Island  on  September  ist. 
For  three  days  the  winds  were  favourable,  from  the  eastward.  The 
next  two  days  being  calm,  the  voyage  was  pursued  under  steam. 

On  September  5th,  in  the  evening,  the  '  Sunbeam  '  was  navi- 
gated, not  without  difficulty,  through  the  intricate  channels  of 
Clarence  Strait.  On  the  6th,  at  an  early  hour  the  anchor  was 
dropped  off  the  settlement  of  Palmerston.  Our  arrival  at  Port 
Darwin  took  place  under  such  circumstances  as  render  it  impossible 
to  offer  any  description  from  personal  observation. 

Palmerston,  the  name  given  to  the  settlement  at  Port  Darwin, 
is  beautifully  situated  on  wooded  headlands,  jutting  out  into  the 
harbour,  in  whose  ample  waters  it  is  no  figure  of  speech  to  say 
the  navies  of  Europe  could  be  anchored.  The  buildings  have 
been  erected  with  considerable  taste.  A  fine  esplanade  has  been 
laid  out  along  the  sea  front.  The  electric  wire  connects  Palmerston 
with  all  the  great  colonies  of  Australia.  In  constructing  the  over- 
land telegraph  from  South  Australia,  a  great  middle  section  of  the 


428  APPENDIX 


continent  was  discovered,  capable  of  producing  pasture  for  tens  of 
millions  of  sheep  and  millions  of  cattle  and  horses.  The  first  sec- 
tion from  the  north,  of  what  will  eventually  be  the  Trans- Australian 
Railway,  has  been  commenced,  and  is  being  carried  out  with  energy 
by  Messrs.  Miller,  the  well-known  Melbourne  contractors  for  public 
works. 

The  total  area  of  the  northern  territory  of  South  Australia  is 
523,620  square  miles.  Within  this  vast  expanse  are  stony  wastes 
and  waterless  tracts,  vast  rolling  downs,  wide  grassy  plains,  rich 
alluvial  flats,  large  navigable  rivers,  and  metalliferous  areas,  excep- 
tionally rich  in  tin,  coal,  copper,  and  silver.  Thus  far  mining  has 
been  more  successful  than  agriculture.  The  Chinese  have  alone  been 
able  to  accomplish  anything  in  cultivation.  They  have  gathered 
harvests  of  rice  and  sugar-cane  from  the  limited  areas  which  they 
have  taken  in  hand.  On  the  banks  of  the  rivers  coffee  could  be 
grown  in  many  places. 

The  climate  is  tropical,  and  malaria,  with  its  fever  and  ague,  is 
prevalent.  The  mean  temperature  of  the  year  is  75  degrees,  and 
the  thermometer  has  never  been  seen  lower  than  68  degrees.  The 
atmosphere  is  dank,  steamy,  and  heavy  with  moisture  during  the 
wet  season,  and  parching  and  malarial  during  the  dry  season. 

From  Port  Darwin  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  thence  to 
Sierra  Leone,  the  voyage  lay  for  the  most  part  within  the  zone  of 
the  South-east  Trades.  Rodriguez  Island  was  sighted  on  Septem- 
ber 26th,  and  Mauritius  was  reached  on  September  29th.  It  is  a 
painful  task  to  attempt  to  describe  scenes  which  would  have  been 
painted  so  much  more  effectively  by  another.  To  give  the  daily 
life,  which,  needless  to  say,  was  very  sad,  I  will  not  attempt. 

Mauritius  is  one  of  the  few  ports  in  which  sailing  ships  still 
hold  the  field  against  steamers.  It  was  filled  with  a  noble  fleet. 
As  a  mark  of  sympathy,  which  touched  us  deeply,  their  flags  were 
hoisted  at  half-mast  as  soon  as  our  sad  intelligence  became  known. 

Viewed  from  the  anchorage  of  Port  Louis,  the  island  of  Mauri- 
tins  presents  a  scene  of  much  beauty.  A  chain  of  peaks  and  craters 
of  picturesque  and  fantastic  forms  runs  through  the  island  from  end 
to  end.  The  needle-shaped  Peter  Botte,  2,784  feet,  and  the  Pouce, 
2,707  feet,  are  conspicuous  summits.  All  the  mountains  are  of 
volcanic  formation.  Their  barren  precipices  are  blue  and  purple, 
and  their  vegetation,  watered  by  frequent  and  abundant  showers, 
is  of  the  richest  green.  The  landscape  displayed  admirable  effects 
of  colour,  varying  with  every  change  from  rain  to  sunshine. 

The    Botanical   Gardens   and  the   Observatory  are    the   most 


APPENDIX 


429 


interesting  objects  which  Port  Louis  offers  to  the  passing 
traveller.  The  gardens  are  lovely.  The  lakes,  surrounded  by 
palm  trees  and  a  most  rich  and  abundant  tropical  vegetation,  are  a 
charming  feature.  The  fine  and  rare  specimens  in  the  gardens  in- 
cluded the  Traveller's  tree,  abounding  in  water,  the  Kuffia  palm 
from  Madagascar,  the  lettuce-headed  palm,  the  talipot  palm,  the 
Latania  aurea  from  Rodriguez,  and  another  variety  of  latania  from 
Round  Island. 

The  Observatory,  under  the  supervision  of  Dr.  Meldrum,  is 
chiefly  devoted  to  meteorological  and  astronomical  investigations. 
In  addition  to  these  subjects,  observations  of  the  solar  spots  are 
taken  daily,  and  transmitted  monthly  to  the  Solar  Physics  Com- 
mittee in  London.  The  transit  of  the  moon  has  been  observed 
with  much  success.  Sea  observations  from  the  log-books  of  vessels 
touching  at  Mauritius  are  carefully  recorded.  The  tracks  and  posi- 
tions at  noon  of  299  tropical  cyclones,  which  swept  over  the  Indian 
Ocean  south  of  the  equator  from  1856  to  1886,  have  been  laid  down 
on  charts,  and  are  ready  for  publication.  The  in-curving  theory  of 


430  APPENDIX 


cyclones,  as  worked  out  by  Dr.  Meldrurn,  is  now  generally  adopted, 
and  it  would  appear  that  the  rules  given  for  the  guidance  of  ships 
in  the  Southern  Indian  Ocean  have  been  the  means  of  saving  much 
life  and  property. 

On  the  second  day  of  our  short  stay  we  paid  a  quiet  visit  to  the 
Acting  Governor.  The  recent  political  convulsions  in  Mauritius,  in 
connection  with  Sir  John  Pope  Hennessy,  had  by  no  means  sub- 
sided. During  his  leave  of  absence  the  Governor  was  being  repre- 
sented with  admirable  tact  and  judgment  by  Mr.  Fleming,  who 
had  already  succeeded  in  establishing  amicable  relations  with  both 
sides.  Considerable  jealousies  exist  between  the  English  and  French 
residents  in  Mauritius.  They  have  been  unfortunately  aroused  to 
an  unprecedented  degree  of  violence  by  the  proceedings  of  Sir  John 
Pope  Hennessy.  The  mass  of  the  population  of  Mauritius  are  of 
mixed  race,  descendants  of  the  coolies  employed  on  the  plantations. 
French— or  rather  patois — speaking  Creoles  come  next  in  point  of 
numbers.  The  Chinese  are  the  universal  shopkeepers. 

Later  in  the  day  we  ascended  the  Pouce.  It  commands  a  view 
over  the  harbour  of  Port  Louis  and  the  interior  of  the  island.  The 
broad  and  shallow  valleys,  green  with  sugar-cane,  reminded  us 
much  of  our  own  South  Downs.  From  the  Pouce  we  drove  to  the 
residence  of  a  relative,  who  is  the  owner  of  extensive  sugar-cane 
plantations.  The  staple  industry  of  Mauritius  is  the  cultivation  of 
sugar.  More  than  100,000  tons  are  annually  exported.  India  and 
Australia  are  the  chief  markets.  The  bounty  on  the  production  of 
sugar  in  France  and  Germany  has  driven  the  sugar  of  Mauritius 
altogether  out  of  Europe.  Mauritius  received  a  great  blow  from  the 
opening  of  the  Suez  Canal,  but  it  still  possesses  abundant  resources. 
The  wealth  of  the  island  may  in  some  degree  be  measured  by  its 
public  revenue,  which  amounts  to  no  less  than  700,000^.  a  year. 

Mauritius  produces  scarcely  anything  required  for  its  own  con- 
sumption. It  imports  rice  from  India,  grain  from  Australia,  oxen 
from  Madagascar,  and  sheep  from  the  Cape. 

Our  last  morning  at  Port  Louis  was  devoted  to  the  defences  and 
the  docks.  Progress  is  being  made  with  the  improvement  of  exist- 
ing defences  and  the  construction  of  new  forts.  The  works  are  well 
advanced,  and  the  guns  are  promised  shortly  from  home.  Mauri- 
tius possesses  three  graving-docks.  The  Albion  Dock  could  be 
readily  enlarged  to  receive  a  ship  of  war.  It  would  be  a  wise  policy 
on  the  part  of  the  Government  to  assist  in  the  work. 

The  passage  from  Port  Louis  to  Algoa  Bay  occupied  eleven  days. 
To  the  southward  of  the  Trades,  off  the  coast  of  Natal,  a  short  but 


APPENDIX  431 

severe  gale  from  the  south-west  was  encountered.  The  gale  was 
followed  by  a  fresh  breeze  from  the  east,  which  carried  the  '  Sun- 
beam '  rapidly  to  the  westward.  In  three  days  a  distance  of  797 
miles  was  covered,  with  winds  from  S.E.  to  N.E. 

The  '  Sunbeam  '  reached  Port  Elizabeth  on  October  12.  The 
anchorage  is  protected  from  all  winds  except  those  from  the  south- 
east. Port  Elizabeth  from  the  sea  has  the  aspect  of  a  small 
Brighton.  On  landing  it  presents  many  cheerful  indications  of 
prosperity  in  its  pier,  railway  station,  municipal  buildings,  streets 
and  shops,  and  last,  but  not  least  in  the  estimation  of  the  traveller, 
its  excellently  appointed  and  hospitable  club.  The  residential 
quarter  is  happily  situated  on  elevated  ground,  swept  by  refreshing 
breezes  from  the  ocean.  A  large  space  is  covered  with  good  houses 
and  well-kept  lawns.  The  public  gardens  are  a  great  feat  of  horti- 
culture. The  arid  and  sterile  soil  has  been  converted  by  liberal 
irrigation  into  a  green  oasis,  containing  groves  of  palms  and  a  varied 
tropical  vegetation.  Needless  to  say  the  work  is  the  achievement 
of  a  Scotch  gardener. 

The  prosperity  of  this  active  commercial  centre  is  due  to  the 
trade  carried  on  with  Kimberley,  of  which  it  is  the  port.  The  value 
of  the  diamonds  produced  at  Kimberley  was  estimated  for  1883 
at  2,359,000^.  ;  1884,  2,562,000^. ;  1885,  2,228,000^. ;  and  1886, 
3,261,000^  These  amounts  will  be  exceeded  in  later  returns. 
As  yet,  the  price  per  carat  shows  no  tendency  to  decline.  The 
work  of  mining  for  diamonds  gives  employment  to  a  large  amount 
of  well-paid  labour.  Some  2,000  white  employes  are  engaged  at 
an  average  wage  of  5^.  95.  per  week.  Twelve  thousand  coloured 
men  are  working  under  their  direction,  their  earnings  exceeding 
\l.  per  week. 

Port  Elizabeth  is  the  chief  entrepot  for  ostrich  feathers.  The 
value  of  this  article  of  export  for  1886  was  over  half  a  million 
sterling.  The  process  of  selling  the  feathers  by  auction  is  one  of 
the  most  singular  business  transactions  at  which  it  has  been  my 
lot  to  assist.  One  of  the  buyers  in  attendance,  on  the  occasion 
of  our  visit,  represents  a  London  firm,  and  is  said  to  be  making  an 
income  of  over  i.oooZ.  per  year.  A  spirited  effort  is  being  made 
to  establish  an  entrepot  for  the  Cape  wines  at  Port  Elizabeth.  We 
visited  the  extensive  cellars  under  the  public  market,  where  a 
company  has  opened  a  business,  which  it  is  intended  to  conduct  in 
accordance  with  the  most  approved  methods  of  treatment  in  the 
wine-growing  districts  of  Europe. 

A  day  was  spent  at  Port  Elizabeth,  and  two  days  of  rapid  sailing 

3  E 


432 


APPENDIX 


before  an  easterly  wind  brought  the  '  Sunbeam '  into  Table  Bay  on 
the  morning  of  October  15,  just  in  time  to  gain  the  anchorage  before 
one  of  the  hard  gales  from  the  south-east,  which  are  not  unfrequently 
experienced  at  the  Cape,  set  in.  Between  Port  Darwin  and  the 
Cape  the  distance  covered  was  1,047  knots  under  steam,  and  5,622 
knots  under  sail.  The  average  speed  under  steam  and  sail  was 
exactly  eight  knots.  In  the  fortnight,  October  13  to  27,  3,073  knots, 
giving  an  average  speed  of  nine  knots  an  hour,  were  covered  under 
sail  alone,  with  winds  of  moderate  strength.  Balloon  canvas  was 
freely  used. 

Table  Mountain  is  admirably  described  by  Hiibner  as  a  mighty 
buttress  confronting  the  restless  billows  of  the  Southern  Ocean. 
It  was  covered,  on  the  morning  of  our  arrival,  with  the  grace- 
ful wreaths  of  mist  which  have  so  often  excited  the  admiration  of 
travellers.  A  strong  south-east  gale  was  blowing  on  the  occasion. 
Table  Mountain  presents  to  the  dwellers  in  Cape  Town  a  scene 
of  beauty  which  changes  from  hour  to  hour.  Every  veering  of  the 


Off  the   Cape 


APPENDIX  433 


wind  brings  some  new  yet  ever  effective  adjustment  of  a  mantle  of 
vapour,  seldom  cast  aside,  which  is  sometimes  silver,  sometimes 
purple,  and  from  time  to  time  subdued  to  a  sombre  tone  by  an 
approaching  fall  of  rain. 

In  former  years  many  and  disastrous  were  the  losses  of  life  and 
property  in  Table  Bay.  Gales  from  the  N.W.  and  the  NN.E.  are 
frequent  in  the  winter,  and  blow  occasionally  with  resistless  fury. 
In  the  old  sailing  days  ships  caught  at  anchor  in  the  bay  by  one  of 
these  terrible  storms  were  doomed  to  destruction.  By  the  enter- 
prise of  the  Colonial  Government,  and  the  skilful  engineering  of  Sir 
John  Coode,  a  wide  area  of  sheltered  anchorage  is  now  afforded. 
The  breakwater  has  been  extended  to  a  length  of  560  yards,  and  a 
further  extension  is  far  advanced,  which  will  give  a  total  length  of 
breakwater  of  1,500  yards. 

A  wet  dock  has  been  formed,  capable  of  receiving  the  largest 
steamers  in  the  ocean  mail  service,  and  broad  enough  for  an  iron- 
clad. The  principal  dimensions  are  :  length,  540  feet;  breadth,  68 
feet ;  depth,  26  feet.  An  outer  harbour,  44  acres  in  extent,  will  be 
gradually  formed  under  the  protection  of  the  breakwater.  When 
these  works  are  completed,  Cape  Town  will  afford  advantages  to 
shipping  such  as  are  scarcely  exceeded  in  any  port  of  Great 
Britain. 

Cape  Town  contains  not  a  few  buildings  of  which  the  inhabitants 
of  an  older  capital  might  justly  be  proud.  The  House  of  Assembly 
is  a  noble  structure.  The  admirably  kept  and  beautifully  situated 
Observatory,  the  banks,  the  railway  station,  and  the  docks  are  all 
excellent.  The  Botanical  Gardens,  and  the  shady  avenue  dividing 
them  from  Government  House,  would  be  an  adornment  to  the  finest 
capital  in  Europe. 

Considerable  as  are  the  attractions  of  Cape  Town,  they  are  far 
exceeded  by  the  charm  of  its  picturesque  suburbs,  extending  for  some 
miles  along  the  foot  of  Table  Mountain  on  its  eastern  side.  The 
country  is  richly  wooded,  chiefly  with  our  own  dear  English  trees, 
and  abounds  with  pleasant  buildings,  surrounded  with  gardens 
bright  with  the  flowers  of  the  summer  of  our  Northern  latitudes. 
The  scene  recalls  the  most  favoured  part  of  Surrey.  The  canton- 
ments of  the  troops  at  Wynberg,  on  a  well- wooded  plateau,  have  all 
the  lovely  features  of  an  English  park. 

We  made  an  excursion  with  Sir  Gordon  Sprigg  and  his  kind 
family  to  Constantia,  where  the  Government  have  purchased  an 
old  Dutch  manor-house,  and  are  cultivating  the  vine  under  the 
superintendence  of  Baron  Von  Babo,  with  the  view  of  producing 


434  APPENDIX 

wines  on  the  most  approved  European  principles.  Our  host  has 
made  one  of  those  interesting  and  honourable  careers  for  which 
colonial  life  offers  so  many  opportunities  to  those  who  know  how  to 
use  them.  He  began  life  in  the  gallery  of  the  House  of  Commons, 
as  a  reporter  of  debates,  in  the  days  of  Cobden.  As  Premier  of  a 
Colonial  Parliament,  he  has  had  an  opportunity  of  applying  the 
maxims  of  political  wisdom  gathered  from  a  close  observation  of 
our  own  Parliamentary  proceedings. 

Another  excursion  was  made  to  Stellenbosch,  a  characteristic 
example  of  the  old  Dutch  towns  of  the  Cape  Colony.  We  were 
under  the  guidance  of  Sir  Gordon  Sprigg,  Mr.  Hofmeyr,  and  Mr. 
Tudhope,  the  Colonial  Secretary.  The  journey  from  Cape  Town 
occupied  an  hour  by  railway.  Stellenbosch  is  in  many  ways  a  perfect 
reproduction  of  a  country  town  in  Holland.  If  we  miss  the  canals, 
we  have  the  domestic  architecture,  the  fine  avenues  running  through 
the  principal  streets,  and  the  Dutch  characteristics  of  the  people. 
These  features  give  to  this  distant  settlement  in  South  Africa,  not 
one  of  whose  inhabitants  probably  has  ever  visited  Holland,  a 
markedly  national  aspect. 

On  our  arrival  at  Stellenbosch  we  were  driven,  under  the 
guidance  of  the  Mayor,  to  the  University,  where  a  mixed  staff  of  pro- 
fessors, English  and  Dutch,  are  doing  excellent  work  in  education. 
We  were  received  by  a  guard  of  honour,  furnished  by  the  students' 
Volunteer  Corps.  Having  inspected  the  University  buildings,  we 
drove  out  to  an  old  Dutch  farm,  under  a  burning  sun,  and  through 
a  country  in  which  the  foliage  of  the  temperate  and  the  tropical 
zones  was  closely  intermingled. 

The  farm  we  visited  comprises  an  extensive  range  of  buildings, 
with  an  excellent  dwelling-house,  roomy  stables,  and  the  stores, 
filled  with  butts  of  wine,  which  are  characteristic  of  the  district. 
The  buildings  form  a  large  quadrangle,  surrounding  a  plot  of  grass 
shaded  by  noble  trees.  The  situation  of  the  farm  is  very  striking. 
It  stands  in  a  deep  valley,  green,  fertile,  and  well  watered,  but 
completely  hemmed  in  by  mountains  of  volcanic  formation  some 
4,000  feet  in  height,  beautiful  in  form,  but  entirely  devoid  of  vege- 
tation. Want  of  rain  and  the  phylloxera  are  constant  anxieties  at 
the  Cape.  We  observed  that  the  field  labourers  were  invariably 
men  of  colour.  Their  earnings  do  not  exceed  one  shilling  per  clay. 

Cape  politics  have  been  a  fertile  source  of  trouble  and  anxiety 
to  the  British  Government  at  home.  With  the  necessarily  im- 
perfect knowledge  of  local  circumstances,  it  is  impossible,  from 
London,  to  deal  in  a  satisfactory  manner  with  the  relations  between 


APPENDIX 


the  Government  of  a  distant  colony  and  neighbours  so  little  known 
as  the  Boers,  and  savages  so- rude  as  the  Kaffirs  and  Zulus.  Our 
errors  of  the  past  will  not  be  repeated,  if  only  we  resolve  firmly  not 
to  fetter  the  discretion  of  the  local  Governments,  which,  in  pursu- 
ance of  a  wise  policy,  we  have  called  into  existence. 

The  visit  of  President  Kruger,  of  the  Transvaal,  to  President 
Brand,  of  the  Free  State,  was  a  prominent  topic  at  the  time  of  our 
visit.  It  had  led  to  the  delivery  of  a  speech  by  Mr.  Kruger,  in 
which  he  had  declared  the  determination  of  the  Boers  to  preserve 
their  complete  independence.  In  the  Cape  Colony  people  are 
more  interested  in  the  establishment  of  railway  communication 


St.   Helena 


436  APPENDIX 


with  the  new  gold-fields  within  the  borders  of  the  Transvaal  than 
in  the  question  of  political  union.  As  yet  a  certain  reluctance  is 
manifested  by  the  Boers  to  establish  railway  communication  with 
the  Cape.  An  English  company  has  made  a  railway  from  Delagoa 
Bay  to  the  Transvaal  frontier,  and  the  line  will  shortly  be  extended 
to  Pretoria.  In  the  meanwhile  the  people  of  the  Cape  Colony  are 
desirous  of  extending  their  system  of  railways,  already  1,483  miles 
in  length,  into  the  interior.  Considerable  discoveries  of  gold  have 
recently  been  made  within  the  limits  of  the  Transvaal,  but  close  to 
the  border,  and  all  the  workers  at  the  mines  are  Englishmen  from 
the  Cape  Colony.  There  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  permission  to 
establish  railway  communication  with  this  newly  discovered  gold- 
mining  district  will  be  ultimately  granted. 

Among  the  Boers  of  the  Transvaal  a  large  number  are  friendly 
to  the  English.  Once  connected  with  the  Cape  by  railway,  and  by 
a  Customs  union,  which  has  been  much  under  discussion,  the  Cape 
Colony  and  the  Transvaal  will  be  for  all  practical  purposes  of  trade 
united.  A  divided  administration  of  government  in  a  country  of 
such  wide  extent  is  an  unmixed  advantage. 

It  was  particularly  gratifying  to  hear  from  Mr.  Hofmeyr,  the 
head  of  the  Dutch  party  in  the  Cape  Parliament,  and  a  most  able 
representative  of  the  Colony  in  the  late  Colonial  Conference,  how 
entirely  satisfied  his  people  are  to  live  under  British  rule  as  now 
conducted.  The  Dutch  colonists  at  the  Cape  have  no  personal 
relations  with  Holland.  They  look  back  upon  their  former  connec- 
tion as  an  interesting  historical  association  ;  but  the  protection 
which  England  affords  against  the  occupation  of  the  Cape  by  some 
other  foreign  power  is  a  practical  boon,  and  one  greatly  valued. 
There  is  a  party  at  the  Cape  which  regards  with  disfavour  the 
dependence  of  the  present  Premier,  Sir  Gordon  Sprigg,  on  the 
Dutch  vote,  or,  as  it  is  called,  the  Africander  Bond.  From  another 
point  of  view  we  may  hail  with  satisfaction  the  success  which  an 
Englishman  has  achieved  in  winning  the  confidence  of  the  Dutch. 
While  conducting  the  government  to  their  satisfaction,  he  is 
thoroughly  loyal  to  his  own  nationality.  Baron  Hiibner  speaks  in 
discouraging  tones  of  our  position  at  the  Cape.  A  much  more 
cheerful  impression  was  conveyed  by  the  present  able  Governor, 
Sir  Hercules  Robinson,  and  by  other  eminent  men  whom  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  consulting. 

Judging  from  such  indications  as  came  under  our  personal 
notice,  the  native  races,  so  far  from  being  "a  source  of  weakness,  are 
a  great  strength  to  the  colony.  The  Indians  in  North  America, 


APPENDIX 


437 


St.   -Helena 


the  Maoris  in  New  Zealand,  the  aborigines  of  Australia,  have  dis- 
appeared or  dwindled  away  before  the  white  man.  The  Zulus  and 
Kaffirs  have  proved  themselves  capable  of  adopting  and  promoting 
civilisation.  They  show  in  numerous  instances  a  high  appreciation 
of  the  blessings  of  education.  They  are  ready  to  labour  on  the 
farms,  on  the  railways,  and  in  the  mines.  They  are  content  to 
live  under  the  rule  of  a  superior  race. 

Material  prosperity  has  been  greatly  advanced  by  the  discoveries 
of  gold,  the  opening  up  of  gold-fields,  and  still  more  by  the  large 
amount  of  wealth  which  has  been  derived  from  the  exportation  of 
diamonds. 

The  '  Sunbeam  '  left  Cape  Town  on  October  24th.  St.  Helena 
was  reached  on  November  3rd.  Like  all  the  islands  of  the  Atlantic, 
it  is  of  volcanic  formation.  It  presents  to  the  ocean  on  every  side 
a  coast-line  of  precipices,  sharp  peaks,  and  gloomy  chasms.  The 
contorted  shapes  of  rock  and  mountain  give  a  powerful  impression 
of  the  tremendous  forces  of  nature  in  a  period  of  volcanic  activity. 
The  landing-place  for  St.  Helena  is  under  the  lee  of  the  island,  at 
Jamestown,  a  small  town  depending  entirely  on  shipping. 


438  APPENDIX 

Above  Jamestown  for  some  2,000  feet  the  country  is  inexpres- 
sibly sterile.  At  a  higher  level  the  soil  is  watered  by  the  frequent 
showers  brought  up  from  the  ocean  by  the  South-east  Trades,  and 
is  covered  with  a  rich  carpet  of  grass.  In  every  sheltered  dell  the 
growth  of  timber  is  abundant  and  varied,  combining  the  trees  ot 
the  tropics  with  those  of  our  cold  English  latitudes.  The  water- 
courses are  innumerable.  The  bed  of  every  stream  is  filled,  and 
every  bank  is  covered  with  lovely  masses  of  arum-lilies.  The 
scenery  of  the  island  is  most  beautiful.  The  Acting  Governor 
occupies  a  fine  country  house  surrounded  by  a  noble  park.  It  is 
sad  to  visit  Longwood,  and  to  reflect  on  the  intolerable  weariness 
of  such  a  place  of  confinement  to  the  victor  in  many  battles,  and 
the  former  arbiter  of  the  destinies  of  Central  Europe. 

A  personal  visit  to  St.  Helena  is  necessary  to  appreciate  the 
facilities  for  the  defence  of  the  island.  The  landing-places  are 
few,  and  they  are  commanded  by  works  of  considerable  strength. 
New  works  are  in  progress  which  will  give  an  extended  range  of 
fire  to  seaward.  The  guns  are  not  yet  to  hand.  The  expenditure 
recently  authorised,  amounting  to  some  io,oooL,  appears  fully  justi- 
fied in  view  of  the  importance  of  St.  Helena  as  a  coaling  station  for 
the  Cape  route  to  the  East.  As  a  sanatorium  it  might  be  of  great 
value  to  the  ships  of  the  African  Squadron. 

The  '  Sunbeam  '  touched  at  Ascension  on  November  yth.  This 
barren  and  inhospitable  volcanic  island  has  presented  a  singularly 
unpromising  field  of  labour  to  the  naval  detachment  which  for 
many  years  has  been  maintained  there.  Solid  and  capacious 
stores,  extensive  ranges  of  buildings,  miles  of  roads,  the  tanks,  the 
hospitals  on  the  seashore  and  on  the  mountain,  the  farm  on  the 
peak — a  green  oasis  crowning  a  heap  of  cinders — attest  the  zeal  of 
a  succession  of  officers  and  men.  To  the  naval  reformer  they  give 
occasion  for  reflections  on  the  considerable  cost  which  has  been 
thrown  upon  the  country  in  the  creation  of  an  establishment  which 
has  become  practically  useless  through  the  universal  use  of  steam 
and  the  suppression  of  the  slave  trade.  In  the  present  circum- 
stances St.  Helena  offers  unquestionably  superior  advantages  for  all 
naval  purposes.  As  a  coaling  station  it  is  in  a  better  position,  being 
approximately  equidistant  between  the  Cape  and  Sierra  Leone,  and 
less  exposed  to  rollers,  which  frequently  interrupt  the  coaling  of 
ships  at  Ascension.  It  is  repugnant  to  abandon  to  utter  ruin  an 
establishment  created  with  much  labour  and  expense.  To  this 
alternative,  however,  we  must  come,  unless  we  are  prepared  to  put 
Ascension  in  a  -state  of  defence.  The  value  of  the  naval  stores  is 


not  less  than  50,000^.,  .and 
the  ample  stock  of  coal  would 
offer  an  irresistible  temptation  to 
an   enemy's  cruiser.      Three  or 
four  long-range,  armour-piercing 
guns,   with   a   few    machine- 
guns,  would  give  security 
against  a  coup  de  main. 
We  should  look  to  the 
fleet   to   prevent    an 
attack  in 
force. 


Ascension     Green   Mountain—  Noddy  Rookery 


3F 


440  APPEXDIX 

Sierra  Leone  was  reached  on  November  i4tb.  In  this  section 
of  the  voyage  the  distance  under  canvas  was  3,327  knots,  the 
average  speed  7-7  knots,  and  the  distance  under  steam  289  knots, 
with  an  average  speed  of  7  knots.  The  South-east  Trades  were 
light,  and  balloon  canvas  again  proved  extremely  serviceable. 

Sierra  Leone  is  an  important  coaling  station,  half-way  between 
England  and  the  Cape.  The  harbour  is  large  and  safe  for  ships  of 
heavy  tonnage.  The  works  of  defence  are  in  active  progress.  The 
cost  is  estimated  at  22,ooo/.  for  works  and  15,000^.  for  armaments. 
It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  armament  is  almost  entirely  composed 
of  muzzle-loading  rifled  guns.  In  addition  to  the  works  now  in 
hand,  a  battery  is  thought  desirable  to  prevent  an  attack  with  long- 
range  guns  from  seaward.  Having  admitted  Sierra  Leone  into  the 
list  of  our  coaling  stations  of  the  first  class,  its  defence  should  be 
made  complete  against  a  powerful  cruiser. 

The  British  settlements  on  the  West  Coast  of  Africa  date  from 
1672,  when  the  British  African  Company  was  first  formed.  The 
British  protectorate  is  estimated  to  extend  over  3,000  square  miles. 
Freetown,  the  capital,  is  built  on  a  peninsula  about  eighteen  miles 
long. 

The  town  is  backed  by  mountains  of  considerable  elevation, 
richly  wooded,  and  beautiful  in  outline.  The  streets  are  laid  out 
with  regularity  on  ground  sloping  rapidly  to  the  river.  The  houses 
are  of  wood,  and  the  roadways  are  unpaved.  The  population  is 
37,000.  The  throng  at  the  landing-place  has  a  decided  family  re- 
semblance to  any  similar  assemblage  of  the  negro  race  in  the  West 
Indies.  The  general  aspect  is  cheerful  and  free  from  care.  The 
washerwomen,  in  Manchester  print  gowns  of  gorgeous  colour,  are 
conspicuous  and  grotesque  personages. 

At  Sierra  Leone  the  Church  of  England  is  strongly  supported 
by  the  Church  Missionary  Society.  It  has  a  large  body  of  adhe- 
rents, and  is  the  see  of  a  Bishop.  It  has  a  college,  affiliated  to  the 
Durham  University,  which  has  turned  out  coloured  students  of  dis- 
tinguished ability.  My  friend  Mr.  Blyden,  author  of  '  Christianity, 
Islam,  and  the  Negro  Race,'  is  a  distinguished  leader  of  the  higher 
culture  among  the  negro  race. 

The  capabilities  of  the  coloured  races  are  nowhere  seen  to  greater 
advantage  than  at  Sierra  Leone.  They  supply  the  official  staff  of 
the  Government.  A  coloured  barrister  of  marked  ability  is  the 
leader  of  the  Bar,  and  makes  a  professional  income  of  3,oooZ.  a 
year. 

The  day  seems  drawing  near  when  it  will  be  no  longer  necessary 


APPENDIX 


441 


to  send  Englishmen 
to  administer  the  go- 
vernment in    a   climate 
so  often  fatal  to  the  health 
of  the  European.      The  trade 
of  Sierra  Leone,  in  common  with 
that  of  the  Gold  Coast  gener- 
ally, consists  mainly  in  the 
exportation  of  the  palm 
kernel,  from  which  an 
'  oil  much  used  in  the 
manufacture        of 
soap  and  candles 
is        extracted. 
Marseilles  and 
Hamburg  are 
the     chief 


Sierra  Leone 


442  APPENDIX 


centres  of  this  business.  The  imports  are  mainly  Manchester  goods 
and  spirits.  The  trade  has  fallen  off  in  recent  years  owing  to  the 
constant  warfare  among  the  tribes  bordering  on  the  colony. 

The  greatest  excitement  prevailed  in  Sierra  Leone  at  the  time 
of  our  visit.  An  expedition  was  being  sent  to  punish  a  neighbour- 
ing tribe  for  frequent  deeds  of  violence  to  British  subjects.  It 
achieved  a  rapid  success.  The  forces  engaged  consisted  of  the  men 
of  the  West  India  regiment  and  some  seamen  of  the  ships.  Sir 
Francis  de  Winton  was  in  command,  supported  by  Major  Piggott 
and  Captain  Brown.  Sierra  Leone  is  the  headquarters  of  the 
West  India  regiment  stationed  on  the  West  Coast  of  Africa.  Their 
number  is  400.  The  barracks  are  a  large  and  airy  range  of 
buildings,  in  a  commanding  situation  on  the  heights  above  the 
town. 

We  breakfasted  with  the  Acting  Governor.  An  old  fort  has 
been  adapted  as  the  official  residence.  Its  thick  walls,  originally 
built  as  a  defence  against  the  bullets  of  an  enemy,  give  some  pro- 
tection from  the  heat  of  the  African  sun.  The  wide  ramparts  afford 
a  shady  walk,  commanding  lovely  views  of  the  town  and  harbour 
beneath,  and  the  noble  amphitheatre  of  mountains  above.  Sierra 
Leone  would  be  delightful  but  for  its  climate  and  the  fevers  which 
it  brings. 

The  '  Sunbeam  '  left  Sierra  Leone  at  sunset  on  November  i5th 
under  steam.  The  North-east  Trades  were  picked  up  in  latitude 
1 1°  N.  A  call  of  a  few  hours  was  made  at  Porto  Praya  on  Novem- 
ber i gth.  The  French  frigate  of  instruction  for  cadets,  the  '  Iphi- 
genie,'  a  heavily  rigged  ship  of  4,000  tons  displacement,  had 
anchored  on  the  previous  day.  Porto  Praya  wears  the  air  of  decay 
so  commonly  observable  in  foreign  settlements  under  the  Portu- 
guese flag.  The  country  is  fertile,  but  progress  is  checked  by  the 
great  weight  of  taxation,  the  public  income  being  misapplied  in 
keeping  the  unemployed  in  unprofitable  idleness.  We  noticed  a 
considerable  number  of  able-bodied  men  hoeing  weeds  in  the  public 
square. 

We  found  three  kind  Englishmen  leading  a  life  of  exile,  in 
charge  of  the  station  of  the  West  African  Telegraph  Company. 
St.  Vincent,  the  only  island  of  the  Cape  de  Verdes  which  has  any 
trade,  is  a  coaling  station  much  used  by  steamers  on  the  South 
American  route. 

On  the  day  after  leaving  Porto  Praya  the  '  Sunbeam '  lay  be- 
calmed under  the  lee  of  St.  Antonio.  The  anchorage  used  by  us  in 
1876  was  in  view,  as  was  also  the  house  and  plantation  of  which  a 


APPENDIX 


443 


Barque   hove -to 


drawing  is  given  in  my  dear  wife's  '  Voyage  in  the  Sunbeam.'  There 
were  many  sad  reminiscences  as  the  former  track  of  the  '  Sunbeam  ' 
was  crossed.  On  November  29th,  without  warning  from  the  baro- 
meter, a  strong  gale  commenced  from  the  east,  and  lasted  without 
intermission  for  four  days.  Under  low  canvas  and  close-hauled, 
the  '  Sunbeam  '  gallantly  struggled  forward,  making  130  knots,  on 
November  29th,  and  on  the  three  following  days  112,  57,  and  92 
knots  respectively.  While  hove-to  in  this  gale  the  canvas  was 
severely  punished.  All  the  lower  sails  were  more  or  less  damaged, 
and  sail  was  reduced  to  storm  trysails.  Two  large  barques  were 
passed  lying-to  under  lower  main  topsails  and  mizen  storm  stay- 
sails. At  dawn  on  December  2nd  Fayal  was  sighted. 

The  gale  was  blowing  dead  on  shore  at  Horta,  and  it  was  pre- 
ferable to  run  for  shelter  under  the  lee  of  the  island.  As  we  closed 
the  land,  grand  effects  were  produced  by  the  clouds  and  mist  driv- 
ing before  the  gale  down  the  green  slopes  of  the  mountains  to  the 
dark  cliffs  of  lava  and  basalt,  on  which  the  mighty  surges  of  the 


444 


APPENDIX 


Atlantic  were  breaking  into  foam.  Late  in  the  afternoon  of  De- 
cember 2nd  the  '  Sunbeam '  gained  tbe  northern  entrance  to  the 
channel  which  divides  Fayal  and  Pico.  An  attempt  was  made 
to  reach  Horta,  but  it  was  found  that  a  heavy  sea  was  running 
into  the  anchorage.  It  was  a  pitchy  night,  and  we  determined  to 
wait  outside  till  daylight,  standing  across  to  Pico  under  steam  for 
shelter  from  the  wind  and  sea. 

At  dawn  on  the  3rd  the  moon  was  still  shining  on  the  northern 
face  of  the  noble  mountain,  towering  in  solitary  grandeur  to  a 
height  of  7,800  feet.  The  snowy  peak  stood  up  from  its  mantle 
of  clouds,  and  took  the  rosy  hues  of  the  morning.  An  hour's 
steaming  carried  us  into  the  anchorage  at  Fayal,  where  we  re- 
mained through  the  day  of  December  3rd.  The  passage  from 
Sierra  Leone  to  Fayal  had  been  accomplished,  with  adverse  winds 
during  a  considerable  part  of  the  voyage,  in  16^  days,  2,005  knots 
being  covered  under  sail  at  an  average  speed  of  6-3  knots,  and  460 
miles  under  steam  at  an  average  speed  of  6  knots. 

We  found  several  sailing  vessels  at  anchor  in  the  roadstead  of 
Horta.  One  British  vessel  had  come  in  for  provisions,  another  to 
repair  a  damaged  rudder.  A  barque  hailing  from  Boston  was  one 
of  a  line  which  carries  on  a  regular  service  under  canvas  between 
the  Azores  and  America.  They  depend  chiefly  on  passengers,  who 
make  the  cruise  for  the  sake  of  health.  The  Norwegian  flag  was 


APPENDIX 


445 


represented  by  one  most  crazy  wooden  ship,  70  years  old,  and  by 
another  of  nearly  equal  antiquity,  and  in  a  like  condition  of  un- 
seaworthiness. The  captains  of  both  the  Norwegians  were  hoping 
that  the  surveyors  might  condemn  them  as  unfit  for  further  service. 

Fayal  offers  especially  favourable  opportunities  for  the  obse- 
quies of  an  unseaworthy  ship  insured  beyond  her  value.  The 
danger  to  life  from  the  attempt  to  navigate  in  vessels  no  longer 
fit  to  contend  with  storm  and  tempest  can  only  be  removed 
by  compelling  the  owners  to  bear  some  share  of  the  pecuniary 
risk. 

The  local  prosperity  depends  mainly  on  shipping.  Business  is 
on  the  decline.  The  opening  of  the  Suez  Canal,  the  introduction  of 
powerful  iron  and  steel  built  ocean  liners,  which  suffer  compara- 
tively little  from  the  effects  of  heavy  weather,  and,  as  the  people  of 
Fayal  allege,  the  legislation  promoted  by  Mr.  Plimsoll,  which  has 
withdrawn  their  best  customers,  the  weakly  and  unsound  vessels, 
from  active  service  at  sea,  have  combined  to  produce  a  marked 
diminution  in  the  number  of  ships  calling  at  the  port.  The 
whalers  under  the  United  States  flag  still  make  it  their  head- 
quarters in  the  summer  season.  During  the  present  year  nine  have 


446  APPENDIX 

been,  seen  at  the  anchorage  at  the  same  time.  Exciting  chases  in 
pursuit  of  the  sperm  whale  sometimes  take  place  in  the  channel 
between  Fayal  and  Pico.  Numerous  whale-boats  are  kept  on  the 
island,  and  are  instantly  launched  when  a  whale  is  seen  near  the 
shore.  A  breakwater  is  now  in  progress  at  Horta,  but  the  work  is 
proceeding  with  the  customary  fes tina  lente  method  of  the  Portu- 
guese. 

Having  taken  in  water  and  provisions,  the  voyage  was  resumed 
on  the  evening  of  December  3rd,  with  a  favourable  wind  from  the 
SS.E.  At  midnight  the  wind  shifted  suddenly  to  the  north-east, 
and  on  the  following  morning  the  '  Sunbeam '  bore  up,  before  a 
severe  gale,  for  shelter  under  the  lee  of  Terceira.  Late  in  the  day 
the  veil  of  lowering  clouds  was  drawn  aside,  and  the  sun  descend- 
ing to  the  west,  lighted  up  the  landscape  with  a  flood  of  golden 
light. 

Terceira  is  of  volcanic  formation.  Its  highest  ridges  attain  an 
elevation  of  4,000  feet.  The  crests  of  the  hills  are  clothed  with 
forests  of  pine  and  rich  pastures.  At  a  lower  level  the  indications 
of  laborious  cultivation  are  seen  in  range  upon  range  of  terraced 
gardens  and  vineyards.  The  island  is  densely  inhabited,  and  the 
numerous  white  houses  give  an  air  of  cheerfulness  and  prosperity 
to  the  scene,  which  recalls  the  more  familiar  charms  of  the  Bay 
of  Naples  and  the  Straits  of  Messina. 

On  December  5th,  the  gale  subsided  to  a  calm,  and  the  voyage 
homewards  was  commenced  under  steam.  In  a  few  hours  the 
engines  broke  down,  and  sail  was  made  to  a  light  breeze  from  the 
north-east.  On  the  succeeding  days  favourable  winds  were  experi- 
enced fron  the  westward.  On  the  nth  the  wind  shifted  to  the 
south-east,  accompanied  by  drizzling  rain  and  fog,  which  rendered 
observations  impossible,  and  which  continued  until  the  Seilly  Island 
lights  were  sighted  in  a  fortunate  lifting  of  the  haze,  on  the 
evening  of  the  i2th.  The  run  from  the  Seilly  Islands  to  Spithead 
was  made  at  the  rate  of  ui-  knots  an  hour,  before  a  south-westerly 
gale. 

The  total  distance  from  Fayal,  including  the  call  at  Terceira, 
was  1,440  miles,  of  which  sixty  only  were  under  steam.  The  average 
speed  was  7  knots.  The  '  Sunbeam '  entered  Portsmouth  Harbour 
at  noon  on  December  14. 


PAET   II. 

(A)   ABSTRACT  OF  LOG   OF  'SUNBEAM,'   PREPARED  BY 
THOMAS  ALLNUTT  BRASSEY. 

(B)    OUTLINE   OF  VOYAGE,  REPRINTED  FROM  '  THE   TIMES 
OF  DECEMBER    15  TV/,    1887. 


3  G 


448 


APPENDIX 


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ABSTRACT  OF  LOG   OF  l SUNBEAM' 


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ABSTRACT  OF  LOG   OF  < SUNBEAM*  461 


SUMMAEY. 

Steam  Suil 

Portsmouth  to  Bombay  .         .         .    •     .     3,040  miles  4,046  miles. 

Bombay  to  Macassar      ....     4,585     ,,  2,509     ,, 

Macassar  to  Adelaide      ....        601     ,,  3,256     „ 

Adelaide  to  Port  Darwin          .         .         .        976     ,,  3,285     ,, 

Port  Darwin  to  Cape  of  Good  Hope         .     1,047     »  5,622     ,, 

Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  Portsmouth          .        831     ,,  6,668     „ 


1 1, 080     „  25,386     „ 

Total  distance  under  steam  and  sail,  36,466  miles. 


(B)    THE   CRUISE   OF  THE   '  SUNBEAM: 
REPRINTED  FROM  THE  'TIMES'  OF  DECEMBER  15,  1887. 

THE  '  Sunbeam '  reached  Portsmouth  Harbour  on  Wednesday  after  her 
long  voyage  of  36,000  nautical  miles  among  the  British  Possessions  in  all 
parts  of  the  world.  We  are  enabled  to  give  the  following  short  account  of 
this  very  interesting  cruise. 

For  certain  duties  of  the  navy,  such  as  protection  of  the  revenue, 
supervision  of  fisheries,  the  police  of  the  Pacific,  instruction  in  pilotage, 
small  vessels  are  required  which  will  be  thoroughly  seaworthy,  capable 
under  sail  of  taking  full  advantage  of  the  winds,  and  in  calms  making  fair 
speed  i:nder  steam  with  a  low  consumption  of  fuel.  It  is  believed  that 
such  a  type  is  represented  in  the  '  Sunbeam,'  and  that  her  performances 
during  an  extended  cruise  recently  completed  may  be  of  interest  in  a  naval 
point  of  view. 

The  principal  dimensions  of  the  hull  and  spars  of  the  '  Sunbeam  '  are 
as  follows: — Length  between  perpendiculars,  137  ft. ;  beam,  27  ft.  6  in. ; 
depth  of  hold,  13  ft.  gin. ;  displacement  in  tons,  576;  sail  area  in  square 
yards,  9,200. 

In  fourteen  years  of  active  cruising  in  all  parts  of  the  world  the  sea- 
worthiness of  the  '  Sunbeam  '  has  been  thoroughly  tested.  Neither  when 
lying  to  nor  scudding  has  she  ever  shipped  a  green  sea.  She  can  be 
worked  with  a  complement  of  eighteen  seamen  and  three  stokers.  She 
can  carry  an  armament  of  machine  and  quick-firing  guns. 

The  consumption  of  fuel  may  be  taken  at  three  tons  in  twenty-four 
hours  for  a  speed  of  7|  knots ;  four  tons  for  eight  knots  ;  and  seven  tons 
for  nine  knots.  The  measured-mile  speed  was  10-27  knots.  Seventy  tons 
of  coal  can  be  carried. 


462  APPENDIX 

Under  sail  alone  in  the  most  favourable  circumstances  13  knots  is  an 
extreme  speed.  Three  hundred  knots  have  been  made  good  on  a  few 
occasions,  with  some  contributions  to  the  day's  run  from  current.  On  a 
passage  the  average  distance  made  good  is  1,000  miles  a  week,  of  which 
one-third  is  under  steam. 

The  recent  cruise  of  the  '  Sunbeam  '  included  India,  the  Eastern 
Archipelago,  and  Australia.  The  outward  voyage  was  by  the  Suez  Canal 
and  the  return  voyage  by  the  Cape.  On  leaving  Portsmouth  calls  were 
made  at  Cowes  and  Southampton,  the  departure  being  finally  taken  from 
Plymouth  on  the  igth  of  November,  Gibraltar  was  reached  on  the  26th  of 
November,  Algiers  on  the  1st  of  December,  Malta  5th,  Port  Said  loth, 
Assab  Bay  igth,  Aden  2ist  of  December,  and  Bombay  3rd  of  January. 
From  England  fine  weather  was  experienced  as  far  as  Algiers.  Thence  to 
Port  Said  the  winds  were  strong  from  the  westward,  with  an  interval  of 
calm  lasting  nearly  two  days.  In  the  northern  portion  of  the  Eed  Sea 
fresh  northerly  winds  prevailed.  On  leaving  Aden  the  north-east  mon- 
soon blew  with  such  force  that  it  was  decided  to  make  a  stretch  to  the 
eastward  under  sail.  As  the  distance  from  the  Arabian  coast  increased 
the  monsoon  gradually  abated,  and  a  course  was  laid  under  steam  direct 
to  Bombay.  On  nearing  the  coast  of  India  the  monsoon  became  more 
northerly,  and  the  '  Sunbeam  '  fetched  Bombay  under  sail.  Having  given 
a  general  description  of  the  weather,  the  records  of  the  log-book  may  be 
summarised  as  follows  : — Distance  under  sail,  4,046  knots  ;  distance  under 
steam,  2,830  knots  ;  the  average  speed  in  each  case  being  within  a  fraction 
of  seven  knots. 

On  the  first  section  of  the  voyage  the  average  speed  of  1,000  miles  a 
week  was  maintained  with  remarkable  uniformity.  Bombay  was  reached 
on  the  precise  day  which  had  been  estimated  before  leaving  England. 

After  a  few  days  at  Bombay  the  '  Sunbeam  '  proceeded  to  Kurrachee, 
and  remained  in  its  salubrious  climate  from  the  loth  of  January  to  the 
7th  of  February.  Lord  Brassey  and  his  family  in  the  interval  made  an 
extended  journey  in  North-Western  India.  The  return  passage  from 
Kurrachee  to  Bombay,  favoured  by  a  brisk  north-east  monsoon,  was  made 
entirely  under  sail  in  less  than  forty-eight  hours,  the  distance  covered  on 
the  gth  of  February  being  268  miles.  The  Queen's  Jubilee  was  celebrated 
during  the  second  visit  of  the  '  Sunbeam  '  to  Bombay. 

The  voyage  was  resumed  on  the  22nd  of  February.  Touching  at 
Jinjeera  and  Goa,  Colombo  was  reached  on  the  5th  of  March.  The  entire 
distance  from  Kurrachee  to  Cape  Comorin,  including  both  entering  and 
leaving  port,  had  been  accomplished  under  sail.  The  monsoon  was  not 
felt  on  the  Malabar  coast.  From  Bombay  to  Cape  Comorin  the  passage 
was  made  with  the  daily  sea  breezes,  blowing  fresh  in  the  afternoon, 
followed  by  calm  prolonged  through  the  night  and  the  first  part  of  the 
day.  Calling  at  Trincomalee  en  route,  the  '  Sunbeam  '  next  proceeded  to 
Burmah.  March  is  a  busy  season  in  the  rice  trade,  and  a  noble  fleet  of 
sailing  ships  was  assembled  at  Rangoon. 


THE   CRUISE   OF   THE  'SUNBEAM'  463 

After  leaving  Eangoon  the  '  Sunbeam '  proceeded  to  Borneo,  touching 
at  Moulrnein  and  Singapore.  The  Sarawak  river  was  reached  on  the  3rd 
of  April.  Following  the  northern  and  eastern  coast  of  Borneo,  Labuan, 
Brunei,  Kudat  Bay,  Sandakan,  and  Darvel  Bay  were  successively  visited. 
Macassar  was  reached  on  the  1 9th  of  April.  In  the  section  of  the  voyage 
extending  from  Bombay  to  Kurrachee,  and  thence  by  the  route  which  has 
been  described,  the  total  distances  covered  were  4,695  knots  under  steam 
at  an  average  speed  of  8*3  knots,  and  2,509  knots  under  sail  at  an  average 
speed  of  5*1  knots. 

The  '  Sunbeam '  left  Macassar  on  the  evening  of  the  2oth  of  April 
The  Indian  Ocean  was  entered  from  the  Alias  Straits,  which  divides  the 
islands  of  Lombok  and  Sumbawa,  on  the  24th.  A  heavy  swell  was  en- 
countered from  the  east,  caused,  as  it  was  afterwards  learned,  by  a  cyclone 
which  did  great  damage  to  the  fleet  engaged  in  the  pearl-fishery  on  the 
north-west  coast  of  Australia.  The  South-east  Trades  were  picked  up  on 
the  25th,  and  blew  steadily  until  the  3rd  of  May.  On  the  5th  of  May  a 
gale,  with  furious  squalls,  was  experienced  from  the  south-west.  It  was 
followed  by  a  calm,  and  afterwards  by  westerly  winds.  Albany  was 
reached  on  the  8th  of  May.  The  '  Sunbeam  '  again  put  to  sea  on  the  1 7th 
of  May.  A  week  was  occupied  on  the  passage  to  Adelaide.  In  the  great 
Australian  Bight  north-east  winds  were  encountered,  gradually  shifting 
to  the  west,  and  blowing  a  gale  during  the  last  two  days  before  reaching 
port.  On  the  day  before  the  arrival  at  Adelaide  the  distance  of  265  knots 
was  made  good ;  sail  having  been  much  reduced  for  several  hours  to  avoid 
running  down  on  Kangaroo  Island  in  thick  weather  at  night.  Between 
Macassar  and  Adelaide  a  distance  of  3,256  knots  was  covered  under  sail 
at  an  average  speed  of  6-3  knots.  The  distance  under  steam  was  601  knots 
and  the  average  speed  seven  knots. 

From  Adelaide  the  '  Sunbeam  '  made  a  smart  run  to  Melbourne,  en- 
countering a  heavy  gale  with  furious  squalls  off  Cape  Otway.  After  a  long 
stay  at  Melbourne  the  voyage  was  resumed  to  Sydney,  Newcastle,  and 
Brisbane. 

On  leaving  Brisbane  the  passage  was  taken  inside  the  Great  Barrier 
Eeef  without  the  assistance  of  a  pilot.  Fourteen  hundred  miles  of  this 
difficult  navigation  were  traversed  under  sail.  The  '  Sunbeam  '  touched 
at  all  the  ports  of  Northern  Queensland,  and  between  Cooktown  and  the 
Albany  Pass  anchored  in  the  three  intervening  nights  under  the  lee  of  the 
coral  reefs.  A  somewhat  prolonged  stay  at  Thursday  Island  was  broken 
by  a  visit  to  Darnley  Island  and  other  anchorages  in  the  Torres  Straits. 
Port  Darwin  was  reached  on  the  8th  of  September.  Between  Adelaide 
and  Port  Darwin  the  distance  under  sail  was  3,311  knots,  and  the  average 
speed  7*2  knots.  The  distance  under  steam  was  966  knots,  and  the 
average  speed  6*5  knots.  On  arrival  at  Port  Darwin  the  '  Sunbeam  '  had 
completed  successfully  the  circumnavigation  of  the  Australian  continent. 
Unhappily  the  cruise,  so  auspiciously  commenced,  ended  with  that  painful 
event  which  has  cast  a  dark  shadow  over  all  its  other  memories. 

3  i 


464  APPEXDIX 


From  Port  Darwin  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  thence  to  Sierra 
Leone,  the  voyage  lay  for  the  most  part  within  the  zone  of  the  South-east 
Trades.  Rodriguez  Island  was  sighted  on  the  26th  of  September,  and 
Mauritius  was  reached  two  days  later.  The  passage  from  Port  Louis  to 
Algoa  Bay  occupied  1 1  days.  To  the  southward  of  the  Trades,  off  the 
coast  of  Natal,  a  short  but  severe  gale  from  the  south-west  was  encountered. 
The  gale  was  followed  by  a  fresh  breeze  from  the  east,  which  carried  the 
'  Sunbeam '  rapidly  to  the  westward  from  off  Gordon  Bay,  her  landfall  on 
the  coast  of  Africa.  A  day  was  spent  at  Port  Elizabeth,  and  two  days  of 
rapid  sailing  before  an  easterly  wind  brought  the  yacht  into  Table  Bay  on 
the  morning  of  the  1 5th  of  October,  just  in  time  to  gain  the  anchorage 
before  one  of  the  hard  gales  from  the  south-east  set  in  which  are  not  in- 
frequently experienced  at  the  Cape.  The  construction  of  a  noble  break- 
water has  given  complete  security  to  the  anchorage  off  Cape  Town. 

Between  Port  Darwin  and  the  Cape  the  distance  covered  was  1,047 
knots  under  steam  and  5,622  knots  under  sail ;  the  average  speed  under 
steam  and  sail  was  exactly  eight  knots.  In  the  fortnight  from  September 
13  to  27,  3,073  knots,  giving  an  average  speed  of  nine  knots,  were  covered 
iinder  sail  alone,  with  winds  of  moderate  strength.  Balloon  canvas  was 
freely  used. 

The  '  Sunbeam  '  left  Cape  Town  on  the  24th  of  October.  She  touched  at 
St.  Helena  on  the  3rd  of  November,  Ascension  on  the  7th,  and  Sierra 
Leone  on  the  I4th.  In  this  section  of  the  voyage  the  distance  under 
canvas  was  3,327  knots,  the  average  speed  7-7  knots ;  and  the  distance 
under  steam  289  knots,  with  an  average  speed  of  seven  knots.  The 
South-east  Trades  were  light,  and  balloon  canvas  again  proved  extremely 
serviceable. 

The  '  Sunbeam  '  left  Sierra  Leone  at  sunset  on  the  1 5th  of  November, 
under  steam.  The  North-east  Trades  were  picked  up  in  latitude  1 1  deg.  N. 
A  call  of  a  few  hours  was  made  at  Porto  Praya  on  the  igth  of  November. 
On  the  following  day  the  northern  islands  of  the  Cape  Verde  group  were 
sighted.  During  the  2ist  and  22iid  of  November  a  great  number  of  sail- 
ing ships  were  passed,  outward  bound.  The  Trades  were  interrupted  by 
a  calm  on  the  24th  of  November  and  stopped  finally  on  the  27th.  On  the 
following  day,  without  warning  from  the  barometer,  a  strong  gale  com- 
menced from  the  east,  and  lasted  without  intermission  for  four  days. 
Under  low  canvas  and  close  hauled  the  '  Sunbeam  '  gallantly  struggled 
forward,  making  130  knots  on  the  29th  of  November,  and  on  the  three 
following  days  112,  57,  and  92  knots  respectively.  "While  hove-to  in  this 
gale  the  canvas  was  severely  punished.  All  the  lower  sails  were  more  or 
less  damaged,  and  sail  was  reduced  to  storm  trysails.  Two  large  barques 
were  passed  lying-to  under  lower  main  topsails  and  rnizzen  storm  staysails. 
At  dawn  on  the  2nd  of  December  Fayal  was  sighted. 

Shelter  was  obtained  for  24  hours  under  the  lee  of  the  island  of  Pico, 
and  on  the  following  day  the  '  Sunbeam  '  anchored  off  Horta,  the  port  of 
Faj-al.  The  passage  from  Sierra  Leone  to  Fayal  had  been  accomplished, 


THE  CRUISE   OF  THE   'SUNBEAM'  465 

with  adverse  winds  during  a  considerable  part  of  the  voyage,  in  i6i  days, 
2,005  knots  being  covered  under  sail  at  an  average  speed  of  6'3  knots,  and 
460  miles  under  steam  at  an  average  speed  of  six  knots.  Having  taken 
in  water  and  provisions,  the  voyage  was  resumed  on  the  evening  of  the 
3rd  of  December,  with  a  favourable  wind  from  the  south-south-east.  At 
midnight  the  wind  shifted  suddenly  to  the  north-east,  and  on  the  following 
morning  the  '  Sunbeam '  bore  up  before  a  severe  gale  for  shelter  under  the 
lee  of  Terceira. 

On  the  5th  of  December  the  gale  subsided  to  a  calm,  and  the  voyage 
homewards  was  commenced  under  steam.  In  a  few  hours  the  engines 
broke  down,  and  sail  was  made  to  a  light  breeze  from  the  north-east.  In 
the  succeeding  days  favourable  winds  were  experienced  from  the  west- 
ward. On  the  nth  the  wind  shifted  to  the  south-east,  accompanied  by 
drizzling  rain  and  fog,  rendering  observations  impossible,  which  continued 
until  the  Scilly  Island  lights  were  sighted  in  a  fortunate  lifting  of  the  haze 
on  the  evening  of  the  I2th.  The  run  from  the  Scilly  Islands  to  Spithead 
was  made  at  the  rate  of  n^  knots  before  a  south-westerly  gale.  The 
total  distance  from  Fayal,  including  the  call  at  Terceira,  was  1,440  miles, 
of  which  60  only  were  under  steam.  The  average  speed  was  seven  knots. 
The  '  Sunbeam '  entered  Portsmouth  Harbour  at  noon  on  the  I4th  of 
December.  The  total  distance  covered  during  the  voyage  was  36,709 
nautical  miles,  25,800  under  sail  and  10,909  under  steam.  The  runs 
under  sail  only  included  39  days  over  200  knots,  1 5  days  over  240,  seven 
days  over  260,  three  days  over  270.  The  best  day  was  282  knots.  The 
total  consumption  of  coal  was  330  tons.  Though  the  quality  taken  in 
abroad  was  in  many  instances  inferior,  an  average  distance  of  33  knots 
was  steamed  for  every  ton  of  coals  consumed. 

When  the  '  Sunbeam  '  reached  the  Cape  it  was  found  that  the  tubes  of 
the  boiler  had  been  seriously  injured  by  the  great  varieties  of  fuel  burnt 
during  the  voyage.  The  pressure  of  steam  was  considerably  reduced,  with 
a  corresponding  loss  of  speed.  On  leaving  Terceira  the  boiler  broke  down 
completely,  and  for  the  remainder  of  the  voyage  the  winds  were  the  only 
resource. 

The  crew,  consisting  of  24  men  in  various  ratings,  have  behaved  in  a 
highly  creditable  manner.  The  offences  when  in  port  have  been  few,  and 
at  sea  every  duty  has  been  carried  out  in  a  manner  worthy  of  British 
seamen.  Three  men  joined  at  King  George's  Sound.  They  had  been 
sentenced  to  a  short  term  of  imprisonment  for  insubordination  on  board 
a  yacht  returning  from  a  cruise  in  Australian  waters.  To  oblige  the 
Government  Resident,  Lord  Brassey  consented  to  receive  these  men  on 
board  on  trial.  Better  men  it  would  not  have  been  possible  to  obtain  had 
they  been  recruited  through  the  usual  agencies. 


466  APPENDIX 


PAST   III. 

SPEECHES  IN  AUSTRALIA,  TO  WHICH  SPECIAL  REFE- 
BENCE  IS  MADE  IN  THE  LAST  JOURNAL  OF  LADY 
BRASSEY.  REPRINTED  FROM  THE  AUSTRALIAN 
PRESS. 

ROYAL   GEOGRAPHICAL   SOCIETY   OF  AUSTRALASIA. 
ADELAIDE,  MAY  27TH,  1887. 

THE  annual  meeting  of  the  South  Australian  Branch  of  the  Royal 
Geographical  Society  of  Australasia  was  held  at  the  Society's  rooms, 
"Waymouth  Street,  on  Friday  afternoon,  May  27th.  Sir  Samuel 
Davenport  (Vice-President)  occupied  the  chair. 

The  ordinary  business  of  the  meeting  having  been  concluded,  and 
speeches  of  welcome  having  been  delivered  by  the  Chairman,  Lord  Brass  ey 
said :  '  You  have  spoken  of  the  voyages  that  have  been  taken  on  the 
"  Sunbeam  "  as  adventures  not  unworthy  of  those  old  Northmen  in  whose 
distant  fame  England  and  Australia  equally  share.  I  cannot  take  to  myself 
the  credit  of  being  an  adventurer  in  the  same  sense  in  which  our  northern 
forefathers  were  adventurers.  I  will  not  speak  of  the  morality  of  their 
proceedings,  but  simply  of  the  feats  of  navigation  in  which  they  engaged. 
Those  northern  forefathers  of  ours  were  not  provided  with  all  the  informa- 
tion which  geographers  and  explorers  have  given  to  the  navigators  of 
modern  days.  Consider  for  a  moment  the  hazards  and  the  difficulties 
encountered  by  Captain  Cook.  Going  about  as  I  do  with  all  the  facilities 
afforded  by  the  most  recent  discoveries  in  science,  and  still  finding  the  art 
of  navigation  not  made  so  very  easy,  I  confess  that  when  I  look  back  to  a 
great  man  like  Captain  Cook,  who  entered  these  seas  with  no  information, 
and  with  no  other  resource  but  his  general  seamanship  and  knowledge  of 
navigation,  my  admiration  of  his  achievements  grows  continually  stronger. 
I  particularly  rejoice  that  so  excellent  a  society  as  this  has  been  established 
in  Adelaide.  I  understand  it  is  a  society  collateral  with  others  which 
exist  in  the  other  colonies  of  Australia.  It  seems  to  me  that  you  are 
doing  a  most  valuable  work.  Exploration  must  precede  settlement.  It 
is  a  necessary  process,  by  which  alone  you  can  arrive  at  the  proper  settle- 


SPEECHES  IN  A  USTRALIA  467 

ment  and  development  of  this  country.  A  previous  speaker  expressed 
deep  satisfaction  that  the  control  of  this  fifth  continent  had  devolved  on 
the  Anglo-Saxon  race.  In  coming  to  these  colonies  I  touched  at  two 
seaports,  which,  by  the  contrast  they  present,  brought  forcibly  to  my  mind 
the  advantage  of  a  liberal  policy  in  dealing  with  commerce.  The  two 
ports  to  which  I  refer  are  Singapore  and  Macassar.  Singapore  dates  from 
some  fifty  or  sixty  years  ago  at  the  most,  but  it  has  grown  to  a  magnifi- 
cent emporium  of  trade  ;  and  how  has  it  reached  that  position  ?  By 
declaring  on  the  very  first  day  that  the  protecting  flag  of  England  was 
hoisted  that  equal  privileges  should  be  given  to  men  of  commerce  to  what- 
ever nationality  they  might  belong.  When  we  turn  to  Macassar  —a  place 
which  might  be  not  unfairly  compared  in  regard  to  facilities  of  position 
with  Singapore — we  find  the  Dutch  determined  to  close  it  to  the  enter- 
prise of  every  foreign  nationality.  The  result  of  this  selfish  spirit  is  that 
Macassar  presents  all  the  indications  of  languor  and  decay,  while  Singa- 
pore presents  all  the  indications  of  prosperity  and  wealth.  Before  I  sit 
down,  may  I  refer  to  some  portion  of  the  report,  in  which  reference  was 
made  to  recent  spheres  of  exploration  in  which  the  society  is  interested  ? 
You  refer  to  the  exploration  of  New  Guinea.  There  are  some  delicate 
questions  connected  with  New  Guinea,  on  which  I  certainly  shall  not 
now  touch,  but  I  may  say  that  what  I  have  seen  of  the  world  has  tended 
to  impress  on  my  mind  most  deeply  the  conviction  that  latitude  does  fix 
in  a  very  decisive  manner  a  limitation  upon  the  sphere  of  the  Anglo  - 
Saxon  race  for  direct  physical  labour.  I  feel  convinced  that  unless  you 
have  temperate  weather,  such  as  we  are  now  enjoying  in  Adelaide,  to 
make  up  for  the  hot  season,  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  cannot  undertake  out- 
door labour.  You  may  direct  and  administer  it ;  you  may  be  able  to  go 
through  figures  in  the  office ;  but,  to  go  out  into  the  field  to  dig  and  delve 
is  impossible.  Despite  this,  however,  the  tropical  countries  may  prove  of 
inestimable  benefit.  Although  they  may  not  be  suitable  for  the  employ- 
ment of  the  Anglo-Saxons  as  field  labourers,  it  does  not  follow  that  they 
are  not  to  be  of  great  benefit — even  a  direct  benefit — to  our  own  race  in 
regard  to  the  employment  of  labour.  If  we  can  succeed  in  developing 
these  tropical  regions  by  employing  the  labour  of  the  tropical  races,  the 
increasing  prosperity  will  serve  to  extend  the  markets  for  the  products  of 
Anglo-Saxon  labour  in  countries  adapted  to  our  race.  A  visit  to  Australia 
must  be  a  matter  of  deep  interest  to  every  patriotic  Englishman.  In  the 
old  country  we  are  becoming  more  and  more  sensible  that  it  is  the  highest 
statesmanship  to  keep  together  every  limb  of  the  British  Empire.  There 
is  an  increasing  affection  to  the  colonies  in  England,  and  an  increasing 
pride  in  their  advancement.  National  sentiment  and  enlightened  self- 
interest  will  bind  and  keep  us  together,  so  that  not  one  limb  of  the  great 
British  Empire  shall  be  severed.  I  have  said  more  than  strictly  belongs 
to  the  motion,  but  I  was  prompted  to  do  so  by  my  friend  in  the  chair.  I 
move  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  Chairman.' 


468  APPENDIX 

ADELAIDE   CHAMBER  OF   COMMERCE. 
ADELAIDE,  JUNE  IST,  1887. 

THE  hall  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  was  crowded  on  Wednesday  after- 
noon, it  having  been  announced  that  Lord  Brassey  would  deliver  an 
address.  The  audience  included  most  of  the  prominent  merchants  of  the 
city,  and  others  interested  in  commerce,  and  Dr.  Kennion,  the  Anglican 
Bishop  of  Adelaide.  Mr.  A.  W.  Meeks  presided,  and  said  that  a  special 
meeting  of  the  Chamber  had  been  called  to  hear  Lord  Brassey  give  an 
address  on  mercantile  affairs.  The  Committee  knew  the  great  interest  he 
(Lord  Brassey)  had  taken  in  all  matters  referring  to  maritime  and  mercan- 
tile affairs,  and  the  voyages  made  in  the  '  Sunbeam  '  had  made  Lady 
Brassey  well  known.  Lord  Brassey 's  father  was  well  known  in  connec- 
tion with  great  public  works. 

Lord  Brassey  said  :  '  Your  Chairman  did  not  give  me  any  information 
as  to  the  kind  of  subject  which  I  should  address  you  on,  but  I  presumed 
that  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  would  be  most  interested  in  the  labour 
question. 

'  The  polic}'  to  be  pursued  by  the  Government  of  this  colony  in  relation 
to  the  admission  of  Chinese  or  coolie  labour  into  the  Northern  Territory 
is,  I  understand,  among  the  pressing  subjects  of  the  hour.  Approaching 
the  subject  without  prejudice  or  bias,  it  does  not  seem  difficult  to  deter- 
mine the  principles  by  which  the  action  of  the  State  should  be  guided.  If 
we  have  faith  in  the  superior  qualities  of  our  own  people  we  shall  do  well, 
even  at  the  cost  of  considerable  delay  in  material  development,  to  reserve 
for  our  own  race  those  parts  of  the  country  in  which  they  can  succeed,  in 
which  they  can  not  only  labour,  but  preserve  and  perpetuate  from  genera- 
tion to  generation,  the  qualities  which  have  made  them  great.  While 
the  policy  seems  clear  in  relation  to  regions  adapted  to  the  physical 
qualities  of  our  own  race,  it  seems  not  less  clear  for  the  regions  beyond. 
To  refuse  the  aid  of  the  tropical  populations  for  opening  up  the  resources 
of  countries  where  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  cannot  perform  manual  labour, 
and  still  less  establish  a  permanent  settlement,  is  not  to  advance  but 
seriously  to  injure  the  true  interests  of  this  colony.  By  openingup  portions 
of  your  Northern  Territory  with  imported  labour,  a  new  outlet  will  be 
afforded  for  the  investment  of  your  capital,  and  a  new  market  created 
under  your  own  control  for  the  sale  of  your  manufactures. 

'  I  pass  to  another  subject  which  must  be  dealt  with,  not  by  legislation, 
but  by  mutual  good  feeling  and  by  common  sense.  Wherever  business  is 
carried  on  upon  a  large  scale,  difficulties  must  in  the  nature  of  things  be 
anticipated  in  the  relations  between  labour  and  capital.  Each  of  these 
elements  in  the  operations  of  industry  may  be  helpless  without  the  other, 
but  when  we  pass  from  the  stage  of  production  to  the  appropriation  of 
profits  the  conflict  of  interests  is  inevitable.  Strengthened  by  the  experi- 


SPEECHES  IN  AUSTRALIA  469 

ence  in  the  old  country,  I  would  earnestly  recommend  for  all  your  larger 
trades  voluntary  courts  of  arbitration  and  conciliation.  If  we  go  back  to 
that  dark  time  in  England  which  followed  the  close  of  the  long  struggle 
with  Napoleon,  the  hostility  of  classes  was  seen  in  all  employments, 
and  in  none  was  it  more  conspicuous  than  in  the  collieries.  A  happy 
change  has  passed  over  the  spirit  of  the  scene.  Nowhere  has  the  method 
of  arbitration  been  more  successful  than  in  Durham  and  Northumberland. 
A  scale  of  wages  for  miners  has  been  agreed  upon,  varying  with  the  price 
of  coal,  and  arbitrators  have  been  found  to  apply  the  scale  to  the  condi- 
tions of  the  time,  in  whose  justice  employers  and  employed  have  implicit 
confidence.  Among  these  valuable  men  Mr.  David  Dale  is  an  eminent 
example.  He  and  other  men  of  his  high  stamp  and  quality — men  such 
as  Rupert  Kettle,  Mundella,  and  Frederic  Harrison — occupy  a  truly 
noble  position  in  relation  to  labour  questions.  They  have  won  the  confi- 
dence of  the  masses,  not  by  truckling  to  prejudices,  not  by  disavowing  the 
sound  and  well-tried  rules  of  political  economy,  but  by  listening  and  by 
explaining  with  unwearied  patience,  by  showing  a  sincere  sympathy  with 
the  working  classes,  and  by  taking  a  deep  interest  in  their  welfare.  The 
mention  of  these  distinguished  names  leads  me  to  the  adjustment  of  diffi- 
culties by  Courts  of  Conciliation.  They  may  be  described  as  committees 
consisting  of  equal  numbers  of  employers  and  workmen,  appointed  to  meet 
at  frequent  intervals,  and  to  discuss  in  a  friendly  open  way,  and  on  terms 
of  perfect  equality,  all  the  questions  in  which  there  is  a  possibility  of 
conflict.  The  practicability  of  the  plan  has  been  proved  by  experience.  It 
is  impossible  to  exaggerate  its  good  effects.  By  frequent  and  friendly 
meetings  knowledge  is  acquired  on  both  sides  which  could  be  gained  in 
no  other  way,  and  suspicion  is  changed  to  sympathy.  I  hope  that  no  bad 
influences  of  false  pride  on  one  side,  or  of  unmerited  distrust  on  the  other, 
will  deter  the  employers  and  the  employed  of  South  Australia  from  rapidly 
bringing  into  operation  the  excellent  method  of  averting  disputes,  which 
Courts  of  Conciliation  both  in  England  and  on  the  Continent  of  Europe 
have  never  failed  to  provide. 

'  Free  trade  and  Protection  are  topics  which  wide-spread  depression  has 
thrust  into  prominence  of  late.  The  present  Government  in  England,  in 
deference  to  the  demands  of  Protectionists,  appointed  a  Royal  Commission. 
Its  members  were  the  representatives  of  conflicting  views,  and  after  an 
exhaustive  inquiry  they  separated  without  changing  the  opinions  with 
which  they  entered  upon  their  labours.  We  may  draw  the  inference  that 
the  subject  is  not  quite  so  simple  as  the  most  earnest  partisans  in  the 
controversy  would  wish  us  to  believe.  For  the  United  Kingdom  I  am  a 
convinced  Freetrader.  I  admit  that  the  old  country,  where  half  the 
population  subsists  on  imported  food,  which  must  be  paid  for  in  exported 
goods,  is  not  on  all  fours  with  a  colony  capable  of  producing  in  abundance 
all  the  necessaries  of  life  for  a  population  infinitely  more  numerous  than 
at  present  exists  within  its  borders.  But  while  the  conditions  are  different 
the  fact  remains  that  under  a  protective  system  customers  are  precluded 


470  APPENDIX 


from  buying  in  the  cheapest  market,  agriculture  is  heavily  charged  for 
the  benefit  of  a  less  important  interest,  and  labour  artificially  diverted 
from  those  spheres  of  industry  in  which  it  might  be  employed  to  the 
greatest  advantage.  Certain  it  is  that  cycles  of  commercial  depression 
would  not  be  averted,  but  rather  prolonged  and  aggravated,  by  a  policy  of 
protection.  Impressed  with  the  weight  of  evidence  on  this  point,  the 
recent  Royal  Commission  of  Trade  declined  to  recommend  Protection 
as  a  panacea  for  commercial  depression  in  the  United  Kingdom,  and  I 
hesitate  to  recommend  it  to  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  Adelaide. 
"While,  however,  I  would  deprecate  the  imposition  of  burdensome  import 
duties  for  the  purposes  of  Protection,  I  fully  recognise  that  moderate  im- 
port duties  are  necessary  as  a  means  of  raising  revenue.  The  first  duty 
of  every  Finance  Minister  is  to  obtain  an  income  for  the  State  by  the 
methods  which  are  the  least  irksome  to  the  taxpayers.  In  new  countries, 
not  exporters  of  manufactured  goods,  import  duties  are  universally  found 
to  be  the  least  irksome  form  of  taxation.  If  under  a  moderate  tariff  indus- 
tries are  established  earlier  than  would  be  possible  without  some  Protec- 
tion, the  incidental  advantage  is  secured  of  varied  ernplojTnent  for  the 
people.  "Where  all  depend  on  the  same  pursuit  or  the  same  industry,  an 
unfavourable  season  or  a  fall  in  price  may  cause  a  general  depression. 
There  is  less  risk  of  universal  melancholy  and  decline  when  the  public 
wealth  is  derived  from  various  and  independent  sources.  My  conclusion 
is  against  import  duties  on  a  high  scale,  levied,  as  in  the  United  States,  for 
the  purpose  of  exclusion.  I  recognise  the  necessity  in  certain  circum- 
stances for  the  imposition  of  import  duties  on  a  moderate  scale  for  the 
purposes  of  revenue. 

'  I  have  one  more  remark  to  offer  in  connection  with  the  labour  question. 
Among  the  many  gratifying  things  which  I  have  seen  in  your  colony, 
nothing  has  exceeded  your  system  of  education.  I  congratulate  your 
people,  and  I  honour  your  Government  for  their  efforts  in  the  cause.  It 
may  not,  however,  be  superfluous  to  refer  to  that  tendency  to  look  dis- 
paragingly on  manual  labour,  which  is  so  frequent  and  fatal  a  result  of 
the  very  perfection  of  educational  work.  Education  may  become  a  curse 
rather  than  a  boon  if  it  relaxes  that  physical  energy  which  in  all  com- 
munities, and  especially  in  a  new  country,  is  the  indispensable  condition 
of  progress.  It  has  been  truly  said  by  the  poet  Browning  :— 

The  honest  earnest  man  must  stand  and  work, 

The  woman  also— otherwise  she  drops 

At  once  below  the  dignity  of  man, 

Accepting  serfdom. 

I  count  that  Heaven  itself  is  only  work 

To  a  surer  issue. 

Society  must  take  to  itself  the  responsibility  for  the  preference  given  to 
clerical  over  mechanical  employments.  "We  have  not  done  our  duty  in 


SPEECHES  IN  AUSTRALIA  471 


giving  to  our  skilled  workmen  that  social  recognition  which  is  their  due. 
But  I  am  happy  to  say  that  in  the  old  country  we  are  decidedly  in  the 
way  of  amendment.  The  return  of  working  men  in  greater  numbers  to 
the  House  of  Commons  has  been  productive  of  much  good  in  a  social 
point  of  view. 

4  In  conclusion,  it  may  not  be  inappropriate  to  the  occasion  to  dwell 
for  a  few  moments  on  the  influences  of  honest  trade  in  raising  the  standard 
of  civilisation  and  elevating  the  character  of  men.  The  prosperity  of 
commerce  depends  on  intelligence,  on  industry,  but  above  all  on  character. 
Cleverness  may  sometimes  win  a  stroke.  There  have  been  financiers  in 
the  City  of  London  whose  career  might  have  been  painted  in  the  language 
applied  by  Earl  llussell  to  Mirabeau — "  His  mind  raised  him  to  the  skies  ; 
his  moral  character  chained  him  to  the  earth."  I  can  quote  no  instance 
in  which  men  of  this  stamp  have  achieved  an  enduring  success.  It  is  not 
the  men  whose  craft  and  cunning  people  fear,  but  the  men  in  whom  they 
trust  and  whom  they  love  who  in  the  end  succeed.  It  is  the  office  of 
commerce  to  give  to  the  world  perpetual  illustrations  of  the  homely  but 
ennobling  truth  that  honesty  is  the  best  policy.  Commerce  puts  before 
those  engaged  in  it  many  temptations.  The  good  man  of  business  must 
rise  superior  to  them  all,  and  thus  it  is  that  in  his  life  and  work  he  can  do 
so  much  to  communicate  advantages,  to  advance  material  welfare,  and  to 
raise  the  tone  of  morals.  Such,  and  not  less,  is  the  mission  of  the  merchant 
and  the  trader.  For  myself,  I  am  proud  to  know  that  I  am  the  son  of  a 
contractor  for  public  works,  whose  good  reputation  was  the  best  part  of 
the  heritage  which  descended  to  his  sons.' 

MELBOURNE,  JUNE  25x11,  1887. 

A  complimentary  dinner  was  tendered  to  Lord  Brassey,  K.C.B.,  the 
lion,  treasurer  of  the  Imperial  Federation  League,  by  the  members  of  the 
Victorian  branch  of  the  League,  at  the  Town  Hall  on  Saturday  evening. 
The  banquet  was  laid  in  the  council  chamber,  and  about  eighty  gentlemen 
sat  down  to  the  tables.  The  chair  was  occupied  by  Mr.  G.  D.  Carter, 
M.L.A.,  president  of  the  Victorian  branch.  On  his  right  were  the  guest 
of  the  evening,  the  Premier  (Mr.  Duncan  Gillies),  and  the  Postmaster- 
General  of  Queensland  (Mr.  M'Doiiald  Paterson),  and  on  his  left  the 
Mayor  of  Melbourne  (Councillor  Cain),  the  President  of  the  Legislative 
Council  (Sir  James  MacBain),  Mr.  Justice  Webb,  and  Mr.  Nicholas  Fitz- 
gerald,  M.L.C.  The  company  included  a  large  number  of  other  prominent 
citizens,  many  of  them  not  being  members  of  the  League.  In  giving  the 
toast  of  '  The  Queen,'  the  Chairman  said  that  they  could  not  better  have 
given  expression  to  their  loyalty  to  Her  Majesty  than  by  meeting  to  ad- 
vocate the  unity  of  the  empire  over  which  she  reigned.  The  assemblage 
of  representative  citizens  for  such  a  purpose  formed  a  most  appropriate 
conclusion  to  those  rejoicings  in  which  we  had  so  happily  shared  during 
the  week  of  Jubilee. 

3  K 


472  APPENDIX 


The  toast  was  received  with  enthusiasm,  and  a  verse  of  the  National 
Anthem  was  sung. 

The  Chairman  gave  the  toast  of '  His  Excellency  the  Governor.' 

The  toast  was  received  with  cheers. 

The  Chairman  next  proposed  the  toast  of  '  Imperial  Federation.' 
They  had  no  definite  views  at  present  on  the  subject  of  Imperial  Federation. 
The  point  to  which  they  had  got  was  this,  that  they  desired  to  see  the 
empire  united  as  one  inseparable  whole.  We  were  bound  together  by 
the  ties  of  kindred,  kith,  and  kin,  and  he  even  dared  to  hope  that  the 
view  expressed  by  Mr.  James  Anthony  Froude  when  he  was  here  would 
be  realised,  and  that  there  would  eventually  be  a  union  of  the  English- 
speaking  peoples  of  the  world  for  the  purpose  of  mutual  defence.  On 
behalf  of  the  Victorian  branch  of  the  Imperial  Federation  League,  and 
of  the  colony  generally,  he  offered  a  cordial  welcome  to  Lord  Brassey, 
and  trusted  that  he  would  carry  away  with  him  pleasant  recollections  of 
his  visit  to  Victoria. 

Lord  Brassey  said :  '  As  the  treasurer  of  the  Imperial  Federation 
League  established  in  London,  it  affords  me  the  greatest  gratification  to 
be  your  guest  this  evening.  Our  work  in  the  old  country  would  be  of 
little  value,  unless  it  were  approved  and  supported  by  public  opinion  in 
these  great  and  growing  colonies.  Speaking  on  behalf  of  the  Imperial 
Federation  League  in  London,  we  have  no  cut-and-dried  plans  which  we 
are  anxious  to  put  forward.  We  see  great  difficulties  in  arriving  at  any 
solution  of  the  question  of  federation  ;  but  with  their  growth  in  population, 
in  wealth,  and  in  resources,  we  anticipate  that  we  shall  see  more  and  more 
a  manly  resolve  on  the  part  of  the  colonies,  not  only  to  make  provision  for 
their  own  defence,  but  to  share  in  the  responsibility  of  the  defence  of  the 
united  empire.  With  your  increased  participation  in  the  burdens,  you 
must  necessarily  receive  an  increased  share  in  determining  the  policy  of 
the  empire,  and  thus  we  see  looming  in  the  not  far  distant  future  the 
necessity  for  further  consideration  of  the  problem  of  federation.  We  do 
not  desire,  we  should  deprecate,  a  hasty  solution.  We  believe  that  pro- 
bably the  wisest  course  will  be  to  deal  with  circumstances  as  they  arise. 
We  wish  to  pave  the  way  by  timely  and  temperate  discussion.  The  views 
of  the  founders  of  the  Imperial  Federation  League  were  well  put,  in  one 
of  his  latest  speeches,  by  a  grand  statesman  of  the  old  country,  Mr.  W.  E. 
Forster,  the  first  president  of  the  League,  who  said  : — "  The  idea  of  the  per- 
manent unity  of  the  realm,  the  duty  of  preserving  this  union,  the  blessings 
which  this  preservation  will  confer,  the  danger  and  loss  and  disaster  which 
will  follow  from  disunion,  are  thoughts  which  possess  the  minds  of  Eng- 
lishmen both  here  and  over  the  seas.  These  thoughts  are  expressing 
themselves  in  deeds  ;  let  this  expression  continue  ;  at  present  it  helps  our 
cause  far  more  effectually  than  any  possible  scheme."  I  am  not  one  of 
those  who  ever  doubted  the  loyalty  of  the  colonies  to  Old  England.  If 
any  Englishmen  were  in  doubt  as  to  the  feeling  of  the  colonies  towards 
the  mother  country,  the  events  of  the  past  week  in  this  noble  city  of 


SPEECHES  IN  AUSTRALIA  473 

Melbourne  wcrald  dispel  effectually  any  uncertainty.  On  Tuesday  last  we 
saw  your  militia  march  past  like  a  wall,  to  the  tune  of  "  The  Old  Folks  at 
Home."  That  may  be  a  somewhat  homely  melody,  but  it  conveyed  a 
touching  sentiment  to  the  spectator  from  the  old  country.  On  the  follow- 
ing day  a  ball  was  given  at  Government  House,  an  entertainment  the 
splendour  of  which  could  hardly  have  been  exceeded  in  any  capital  in 
Europe.  That  entertainment  owed  its  character  not  merely  to  the  grace- 
ful hospitality  of  the  host  and  hostess  on  the  occasion,  but  to  the  eager 
desire  of  those  who  were  present  to  seize  the  occasion  for  showing  their 
attachment  to  the  Queen,  in  whose  honour  and  in  whose  name  that  ball 
was  given.  On  the  following  day  in  your  Parliament  Buildings,  which,  by 
the  beauty  of  their  design  and  the  amplitude  of  their  proportions  express 
your  greatness  in  the  present  and  anticipate  your  growth  in  the  future,  a 
noble  hall  was  dedicated,  with  a  generous  spirit  of  loyalty,  to  the  name  of 
the  Queen.  On  the  evening  of  the  same  day  we  attended  a  concert  at 
which  thousands  of  your  citizens  were  present.  On  four  several  and  sepa- 
rate occasions  the  National  Anthem  was  sung,  and  on  each  occasion  with 
increasing  fervour.  On  the  following  day  30,000  children  were  brought 
together,  trained  to  utter  the  sentiments  of  their  parents  in  that  National 
Anthem  which  they  sang  so  well.  In  journeying  in  some  of  the  remoter 
parts  of  this  colony,  it  was  touching  to  hear  "  God  Save  the  Queen  "  sung  at 
every  opportunity  by  the  little  children,  who  are  thus  early  trained  in  the 
sentiment  of  loyalty.  If  we  pass  from  these  momentary  incidents  of  the 
week  to  circumstances  of  a  more  permanent  and  perhaps  more  serious 
character,  what  are  the  conclusions  which  an  intelligent  traveller  from  the 
old  country  may  draw,  with  reference  to  the  ties  which  bind  the  colonies 
to  the  mother  country  ?  If  he  looks  at  your  society  and  your  family  life, 
he  finds  the  same  manners,  the  same  habits,  the  same  ways  of  viewing 
circumstances  and  things.  Your  English  tastes  are  shown  in  the  houses 
which  you  build,  the  clothes  which  you  wear,  the  food  which  you  eat, 
and  in  the  goods  you  buy.  The  national  character  of  the  Anglo-Saxon 
race  is  shown  as  strongly  here  as  in  the  mother  country  in  your  spirited 
devotion  to  manly  sports  and  pastimes ;  and  when  we  think  of  the 
other  ties  that  bind  us — a  common  faith,  a  common  literature,  the  same 
dear  mother  tongue — what  other  conclusion  can  be  drawn  by  the  intel- 
ligent traveller  than  this — that  the  ties  which  bind  the  colonies  to  the 
mother  country  are  stronger  than  those  which  any  legislature  or  states- 
manship could  contrive,  and  that  they  are  inherent  in  the  innermost  life 
of  the  people.  Gentlemen,  you  may  call  the  union  which  binds  us  an 
empire,  you  may  call  it  a  federation,  you  may  call  it  an  offensive  and 
defensive  alliance  of  the  closest  kind — you  may  call  it  what  you  will — the 
name  is  of  subordinate  consequence  while  mutual  sympathy  and  sentiment 
retain  that  binding  force  which,  as  we  have  seen  in  this  Jubilee  week, 
you  are  all  so  generously  prepared  to  acknowledge  in  your  relations  with 
the  old  country.  Perhaps  I  may  say  a  few  words  on  this  occasion  with 
reference  to  the  mutual  advantages  which  are  afforded  by  our  remaining 


474  APPENDIX 

together  as  members  of  a  united  empire.     There  was  a  time  when  the 
connection  was  less  valued  than  it  is  at  present  by  some  of  the  eminent 
statesmen  of  the  old  country.     Since  the  days  of  which  I  speak  great 
changes  have  taken  place.     The  map  of  Europe  has  been  reconstructed 
on  the  principle  of  the  recognition  of  nationalities.     The   Germans  have 
made  themselves  into  a  nation ;  the  Italians  have  made  themselves  into 
a  nation.     Our  tight  little  island  is  small  indeed  in  area,  in  comparison 
with  the  great  territories  of  Continental  Europe.     It  is  small  in  area,  but 
if. we  and  the  children  descended  from  us — these  great  English-speaking 
nations  which  have  overspread  the  world — remain  united  together,  we  are 
the  first  of  the  nationalities  of  Europe.     I  think  there  are  some  indica- 
tions that  the  maintenance  of  the  unity  of  the  British  Empire  may  be 
less  difficult  than  might  perhaps  in  former  days  have  been  anticipated. 
Science  has  done  much  to  shorten  distances  ;  it  has  given  us  the  electric 
telegraph,  an  improved  and  improving  steamship,  and  railways.     As  the 
colonies  grow  in  importance,  it  must  necessarily  follow  that  the  Imperial 
policy   will   be    concentrated   more   and  more   upon  objects  which  are 
common  to  them  and  to  the  mother  country.     The  foreign  policy  will  be 
directed  to  the  maintenance  in  security  of  the  communications  between 
the  mother  country  and  the   colonies,  an  object   of  common  interest  to 
yourselves  and  to  ourselves.     Looking  forward  to  a  not  very  distant  time, 
it  is  evident  that  your  growth  in  population  and  power  will  give  you  the 
command  of  the  neighbouring  seas.     Your  relations  with  India  will  be- 
come closer  and  closer,  and  you  will  be  in  a  position  not  less  strong,  and 
your  interest  will  be  as  great  as  that  of  the  mother  country  in  preventing 
the  hoisting  of  any  flag  hostile  to  your  own  upon  the  ports  of  India.     All 
the  countries  of  the  British  Empire  will  hold  together,  because  it  will  be 
for  their  advantage.    Trade  follows  the  flag.    While  other  branches  of  our 
foreign  trade  have  been  languishing,  the  trade  with  the  colonies  has  re- 
mained flourishing  and  elastic.     We  lend  you  our  capital  on  much  easier 
terms  than  we  would  ask  if  you  were  under  a  foreign  flag.     We  hold  before 
you  in  external  relations  the  shield  of  a  great  empire.     The  advantages  of 
the  present  arrangement,  from  a  colonial  point  of  view,  were  happily  put  a 
short  time  ago  in  a  speech  by  Sir  John  Macdonald,  from  which  I  will  ask 
leave  to  quote  two  or  three  sentences.     Speaking  at   Montreal,  he   said : 
"  We  want  no  independence  in  this  country,  except  the  independence  that 
we  have  at  this  moment.     W7hat  country  in  the  world  is  more  independent 
than  we  are  ?     We  have  perfect  independence  ;  we  have  a  Sovereign  who 
allows  us  to  do  as  we  please.     Wre  have  an  Imperial  Government  that 
casts  on  ourselves  the  responsibilities  as  well  as  the  privileges  of  self- 
government.     We  may  govern  ourselves  as  we  please,  we  may  misgovern 
ourselves  as  we  please.     We  put  a  tax  on  the  industries  of  our  fellow- 
subjects  in  England,  Ireland,  and   Scotland.     If  we   are   attacked,  if  our 
shores  are  assailed,  the  mighty  powers  of  England  on  land  and  sea  are 
used  in  our  defence."     There  may  be  some  who  think  that  the  union  of 
the  empire  cannot  be  maintained,  because  it  is  difficult  to  reconcile  the 


SPEECHES   IN  AUSTRALIA  475 


impetuosity  of  youth  with  the  prudence  of  old  age.  They  think  that  in 
the  impetuosity  of  youth,  you  will  resent  the  prudence  with  which  the 
mother  country  holds  you  back.  Upon  a  wise  view  of  it,  we  find  in  the 
distinctive  qualities  and  defects  of  youth  and  age  the  elements  of  a 
felicitous  combination.  The  father  of  the  philosophy  of  history,  Thucy- 
dides,  has  attributed  to  Alcibiades  a  great  truth  :  "  Consider  that  youth 
and  age  have  no  power  i;nless  united  ;  but  that  the  lighter  and  the  more 
exact  and  the  middle  sort  of  judgment,  when  duly  attempered,  are  likely 
to  be  most  efficient."  I  hope  that  the  wise  policy  with  which  the  affairs 
of  the  British  Empire  may  be  conducted  will  illustrate  the  advantage  of 
the  mutual  and  combined  influence  of  the  young  colonies  and  the  old 
country.  I  feel  deeply  grateful  for  the  privilege  of  being  your  guest  on 
this  occasion,  and  for  the  presence  of  many  eminent  men  at  your  table. 
They  have  not  assembled  here  merely  to  pay  a  compliment  to  an  indivi- 
dual. They  have  come  to  express  their  deep  interest  in  the  Imperial 
Federation  League.  I  shall  go  back  deeply  touched  by  the  love  I  have 
seen  the  people  of  these  colonies  show  Old  England,  whose  greatest  pride  it 
is  to  have  been  the  mother  of  mighty  nations.  I  cannot  sit  down  without 
acknowledging  on  behalf  of  Lady  Brassey  the  kindness  which  you  have 
shown  in  the  mention  of  her  name.  I  shall  be  a  faithful  reporter  of  your 
proceedings  to  my  dear  wife.  She  will  greatly  appreciate  the  kind  recep- 
tion given  to  her  name.' 


SYDNEY,  JULY  QTH,   1887. 

A  COMPLIMENTARY  picnic  was  tendered  to  Lord  Brassey  on  Saturday  by 
the  public  works  contractors  of  New  South  Wales.  The  picnic  took  the 
form  of  a  trip  to  the  Hawkesbury  River,  and  about  150  gentlemen  attended. 
Amongst  those  present  were  the  Eight  Hon.  W.  B.  Dalley,  P.C.,  Sir  John 
Robertson,  Sir  John  Hay  (President  of  the  Legislative  Council),  Sir 
"William  Ogg,  Sir  Edward  Strickland,  Hon.  Julian  Salomons,  Q.C.,  M.L.C. 
(Vice-President  of  the  Executive),  Hon.  James  Inglis  (Minister  of  Public 
Instruction),  Hon.  F.  Abigail  (Minister  for  Mines),  Hon.  W.  Clarke 
(Minister  of  Jiistice),  Mr.  Eiley,  M.P.  (Mayor  of  Sydney),  and  others. 

The  party  left  Redfern  in  a  special  train  shortly  after  nine  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  and  arrived  at  Peat's  Ferry  about  noon.  At  the  ferry  they 
viewed  the  work  proceeding  there  in  connection  with  the  construction  of 
the  new  bridge,  and  then  went  on  board  Captain  Murray's  river-boat,  the 
'  General  Gordon,'  whose  course  was  so  shaped  as  to  allow  them  the  op- 
portunity of  seeing  some  of  the  most  picturesque  scenery  with  which  the 
Hawkesbury  abounds.  On  the  upper  deck  arrangements  had  been  made 
for  the  serving  of  a  cold  collation.  Mr.  J.  C.  Carey  presided. 

The  Right  Hon.  W.  B.  Dalley  proposed  the  health  of  '  Our  distinguished 
guest,  Lord  Brassey.'  In  the  course  of  his  speech  he  said  :  '  Our  hosts  on 


476  APPENDIX 


this  occasion  are  men  who  have  in  the  construction  of  the  great  public 
works  of  this  country  expended  about  14,000,000!.  of  the  public  funds 
during  the  last  ten  years.  Their  guest  is  the  son  of  a  man  who  had,  by 
similar  labours  to  those  of  their  hosts  on  a  gigantic  scale,  by  means  of  his 
vast  and  unparalleled  industrial  enterprise,  helped  largely  to  change  the 
face  of  the  world  ;  who  had  constructed  some  of  the  greatest  monuments 
of  our  later  civilisation  in  England  and  in  India  and  in  the  British 
colonies,  in  France  and  in  Germany,  in  Belgium  and  in  Italy,  in  Spain, 
Denmark,  and  Russia.  He  was  in  the  first  rank  of  those  benefactors 
of  humanity,  who  perform  prodigies  of  power  in  the  control  and  manage- 
ment of  their  own  private  affairs,  whose  labours  are  extended  over  the 
whole  world,  and  who  leave  on  every  shore  the  monuments  of  their  own 
genius  and  the  memorials  of  the  power  and  resources  of  their  country. 
For  the  greater  portion  of  his  eventful  life  he  was  doing  a  large  share  of 
the  peaceful  business  of  Europe,  and  nearly  everywhere  throughout  the 
empire,  in  the  erection  of  gigantic  public  works,  he  was  earning  and  dis- 
pensing tens  of  millions,  assembling  in  the  construction  of  such  great 
works  the  representatives  of  many  nationalities,  so  that  it  has  been  said 
that  the  curious  might  have  heard  eleven  different  languages  spoken  in 
the  execution  of  the  same  contract.  He  was  heightening  and  extending 
the  renown  of  Englishmen,  upholding  and  increasing  their  reputation  in 
the  eyes  of  foreigners,  and  teaching  lessons  of  greatness  and  of  justice  to 
the  labouring  millions  of  other  nations.  Here  also  in  this  colony  he  con- 
structed some  of  the  greatest  of  our  public  works.  To  the  son  of  such  a 
man,  visiting  our  colony,  it  seemed  right  and  fitting  that  our  own  public 
contractors  should  show  all  the  honour  which  they  could  bestow  upon  him. 
In  welcoming  Lord  Brassey  to  this  company  of  men  of  enterprise  and  of 
large  undertakings,  and  in  asking  him  to  meet  men  of  representative  cha- 
racter and  position  in  the  community,  you  make  your  compliment  dearer 
and  more  precious  because  you  are  influenced  by  profound  respect  for  the 
memory  of  his  parent.  Your  guest,  as  a  man  who  has  served  in  great 
offices,  and  gained  in  a  high  degree  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  those 
who  have  known  and  watched  his  career,  would  have  been  entitled  to  a 
hearty  welcome  at  the  hands  of  British  colonists  for  his  own  valuable  and 
unselfish  public  services  to  the  empire.  But  you  have  been  prompted  to 
honour,  not  only  his  personal  merits  and  his  individual  labours,  but  the 
great  industrial  name  which  he  bears — a  name  ennobled  by  the  labour 
and  enterprise  of  his  father — because  you  are  proud  to  associate  yourselves 
with  the  career  of  one  who  had  done,  as  you  are  in  your  smaller  way  en- 
deavouring to  do,  much  for  mankind.  I  give  you — a  company  of  public 
contractors — the  health  of  the  son  of  the  greatest  of  them  all,  the  son  of 
"  Thomas  Brassey."  '  (Cheers.) 

Lord  Brassey,  in  reply,  said  that  he  felt  great  difficulty  in  responding 
in  worthy  terms  to  the  far  too  kind  and  flattering  speech  which  had  been 
made  on  behalf  of  his  hosts.  But  it  needed  not  a  speech  to  express  from 
a  full  heart  his  grateful  appreciation  of  their  kindness.  He  did  not  forget 


SPEECHES  IN  AUSTRALIA  477 

his  origin.  He  was  proud  of  it — (hear,  hear) — and  he  could  assure  them — - 
that  if  he  had  been  spared  the  personal  anxieties  experienced  by  those 
employed  in  the  execution  of  public  works,  he  had  a  fellow-feeling  for 
those  who  were  engaged  in  that  most  valuable  sphere  of  enterprise.  The 
speech  in  which  his  name  had  been  introduced  to  them  referred — and  he 
was  glad  that  it  did  refer  so  largely  — to  the  career  of  his  dear  father.  He 
was  proud  to  know  that  the  opportunity  was  afforded  to  his  father  of  per- 
forming the  useful  office  of  a  pioneer  of  civilisation  throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  world.  His  father  entered  timidly  upon  that  career. 
He  (Lord  Brassey)  had  often  heard  him  describe  the  day  which  led  him 
to  the  execution  of  public  works.  At  the  time  when  the  Liverpool  and 
Manchester  Railway — our  first  railway — was  in  contemplation,  old  George 
Stephenson  came  to  see  his  father,  then  a  young  man,  brought  up  as  a 
surveyor  and  carrying  on  his  business  in  Birkenhead,  with  reference  to 
the  purchase  of  some  stone.  His  father  conducted  Mr.  Stephenson  to  the 
quarry.  The  impression  made  upon  Mr.  Stephenson  by  his  father  was 
most  favourable,  and  when  he  shook  hands  with  him  in  the  evening  he 
said,  '  Well,  young  man,  there  is  something  promising  about  you.  I  see 
a  great  field  for  railways.  It  would  be  well  for  you  to  follow  my  banner 
and  enter  upon  1his  new  sphere  of  enterprise.'  The  young  man  trembled 
at  the  idea,  but  he  took  the  advice,  tendered  for  a  portion  of  the  Liverpool 
railway,  and  during  the  construction  of  the  first  ten  miles  of  that  railway 
their  guest  was  born.  He  would  not  enter  into  the  details  of  his  father's 
career,  but  he  had  often  asked  himself  what  was  the  secret  of  his  success. 
He  hoped  he  was  not  exaggerating  his  father's  praise  when  he  said  that  he 
believed  his  success  was  mainly  due  to  his  high  and  honest  character  ; 
and  if  he  might  make  one  more  reference  to  his  father  he  would  say  this, 
that  the  motive  which  prompted  him  to  extend  his  enterprise  to  the  great 
limits  which  it  ultimately  reached  was  not  primarily  a  love  of  money— it 
was  the  spirit  of  enterprise,  and  the  ambition  to  be  a  constructor  of  great 
and  noble  works.  The  results  which  had  followed  from  his  labours  were 
patent  to  all  the  world.  They  had  done  much  to  promote  the  prosperity 
of  mankind.  He  (Lord  Brassey)  did  not  know  that  we  could  find  greater 
evidence  of  the  benefits  of  the  railway  system  than  here.  These  colonies 
could  not  expect  prosperity  without  railways.  The  inheritance  which 
devolved  upon  him  as  the  son  of  his  father  had  impressed  upon  him  a 
heavy  weight  of  responsibility  ;  and  he  did  most  devoutly  wish  to  turn  to 
good  account  the  opportunities  that  had  been  given  to  him.  With  this 
desire  he  had  paid  a  visit  to  the  shores  of  New  South  Wales.  Every 
traveller  who  came  from  the  old  country  and  made  friends  with  those 
living  here  was  another  link  between  the  old  country  and  the  new.  It 
rejoiced  his  heart  to  see  so  many  evidences  of  the  warm  feeling  of  affec- 
tion towards  the  old  country,  that  dear  mother  land  whose  pride  in  and 
attachment  to  the  colonies  was  growing  stronger  every  year.  We  had 
seen  great  events  happen  during  his  short  political  career.  We  had  seen 
Germanv  become  a  united  nation,  we  had  seen  Italj'  become  a  united 


478 


APPENDIX 


nation,  and  if  the  English-speaking  and  England-loving  people  intended  to 
maintain  their  influence  in  the  world,  they  must  keep  together  (cheers)pan 
united  empire  with  local  self-government  was  a  happy  solution  of  a  great 
political  problem.  It  had  been  rendered  possible  by  that  instinctive  feeling 
of  race  which  bound  us  all,  and  in  that  greatest  gift  in  the  science  of  politics 
— the  common  sense  which  was  so  eminently  characteristic  of  the  British 
race.  He  thanked  them  for  their  great  kindness  in  receiving  him  on  that 
occasion.  Neither  he  nor  his  would  ever  forget  that  kindness. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  speeches  cheers  were  given  for  Lord  and  Lady 
Brassey. 

The  '  General  Gordon  '  returned  to  Peat's  Ferry  late  in  the  afternoon, 
the  excursion  having  been  a  most  enjoyable  one,  and  the  party  reached 
itedfern  early  in  the  evening. 


Jnbey. 


ABERDEEN 

ABERDEEN,  Lord  and  Lady,  102 
Aborigines,   Australasian,   251,  252, 

401 

Acheen  Head,  140 
Achu  Mohammed,  166 
Adam,  Mr.,  32 
Adelaide,  264,  266,  269 
Adelaide  Chamber  of  Commerce,  468 
Aden,  3 
Africa,  British  settlements  on  West 

coast  of,  440 
Afsur  Jung,  50 

Aga  Sultan  Mahomed  Shah,  60 
Agra,  29,  30 

Agriculture  in  Ceylon,  100 
Ah  Sam,  the  faithful  Chinaman,  394 
Air-compressing  tubes  for  producing 

fire,  148 

Albany,  230,  231 
Albany  Pass,  400 
Albatrosses,  223 
Albion  Lode  Mine,  Ballarat,  282 
Albuquerque,  Affonso,  86,  87 
Alias  Strait,  216 
Alligators,  m,  159,  377 
Amateur  surgery,  144,  404 
Amber,  an  ancient  city  of  the  Kaj- 

poots,  26 
Ambong  Bay,  168 
Ainlterstia  nobilis,  102 
Amomum  repens,  94 
Amritsar,  21 
Ant-heaps,  401,  403 
Antique  coaches,  337 
Apollo  Bunder,  the,  63,  65 
Arco  dos  Vicereys,  Goa,  84 


BILIAN-WOOD 
Armadale,  332 

Arnold,  Mr.  Edwin,  quoted,  43 
Ascension,  438 
Australian  exploration,  270 
Australian  gold-diggers,  186,  187 
Australian  up-country  hotels,  354 

'  BACCHANTE,'  H.M.S.,  59,  63,  70 
Bajans,  or  sea-gipsies,  178,  204 
'Bajara'  (steamship),  212,  213 
Balhalla  Island,  175,  178 
Ballarat,  281 
Ballarat,  Mayor  and  Mayoress  of,  281 , 

282 

Ballard,  Mr.,  350 
Bannerman,  Colonel,  30 
Barnacles,  218 
Barnes,  Colonel,  14 
Barram  river,  153,  156 
Barrier  Eeef,  Great,  395-397 
Barter,  native,  149,  161 
Bathing  in  the  tropics,  92 
Bathurst,  318 
Baumantia,  365 

Beche-de-mer,  394,  396,  397,  414 
Bees,  192 
Beeswax,  192 
Bell-bird,  321 
Beloochees,  6 
Benares,  32 

'Bengal'  (steamship),  288 
Bertram,  Mr.,  366 
Bevan,  Mr.,  310 
Beypoor,  94 
Bijapur,  51 
Bilian-wood,  180 

3  L 


INDEX 


Birds,  377,  379 

Bird's-nests,  157,  178,  190-197,  204 

Bird's-nest  caves,  177,  189-197 

Birds  of  Paradise,  214,  418 

Bishop  of  Melbourne,  295 

Black,  Mr.,  109 

Black  Book  of  Taymouth,  58 

'  Black-boys  '  (XantJwrrJiea),  234 

Black-buck,  39-41 

Blackheath  Hill, Blue  Mountains,  320 

Black  Spur,  300 

Blacktown,  317 

Bligh,  Captain,  of  the  '  Bounty,'  395 

Blue  Mountains,  the,  319 

Ely  den,  Mr.,  440 

Boats,  Queensland  native,  372 

Boer  ,  the,  436 

'Bokhara,'  P.  &  0.,  141,  142 

Bokharas,  the,  6 

Bolarum,  37 

Bombay  Light  Horse,  59 

Bombay    and    Burmah    Company's 

timber-yard,  130,  131 
Boomerangs,  218,  232 
Booth,  Mr.  E.  T.,  quoted,  160 
Borneo,  143 
Borneo  weapons,  184 
Bosanquet,  Capt.  and  Mrs.,  315,  323 
Botanical     Gardens,     Ceylon,      10 ; 

Sydney,  323 
'  Bottle-brush,'  the,  276 
Bougainvillca,  the,  350,  365 
Boughton  Islands,  342 
'  Bounty,'  mutiny  of  the,  395 
Bo\ven,  369 

Boynton,  Sir  H.,  quoted,  161 
Brassey,  Lady,  death  of,  xx,  427,  457 
Brassey,  Lord,  speeches  of,  466-478 
Bray,  Mr.,  270,  314 
Breadfruit,  373 
'  Break-of-day  '  birds,  242 
Bridge,  Captain, 372 
Bridge,  Mr.  (chaplain),  14 
Brisbane,  342 
Brisbane  Sailing  Club,  347 
British  African  Company,  440 
British  North  Borneo  Company,  143 

1 68,  190 


CARDAMOMS 

British  settlements  on  West  coast  of 

Africa,  440 

Broken-hill  silver-mine,  273 
'Bromo  '  (gunboat),  212 
Brooke,  Rajah,  145 
Brown,  Mr.  Harvie,  quoted,  6 
Bruit  river,  153 
Brunei,  160,  162 
Brunei  river,  159,  160 
Brunei,  Sultan  of,  160,  165 
Byculla  Club  ball,  68 
Byculla  races,  70 
Byham's  monument,  38 
Bylus,  125 
Buck-board,  a,  280 
Buck-hunting,  39-41 
Buck -junipers,  281 
Bundey,  Mr.  Justice,  267,  270 
Burmese  costumes,  121 
Burmese  bells,  128 
Burnand,  Mr.,  274 
Bush  flowers,  253 
Bush  hotel,  a,  241 


CABBAGE-PALMS,  383 

Cairns  Harbour,  388 

Caladium-leaf  umbrellas,  105 

Calamus,  205 

Calicut,  93 

Callaghan,  Mr.,  183,  185,  188 

Callocalia,  157 

Campbell,  Sir  Colin,  31 

Cannon,  Mr.,  26 

Canoes,  415 

Cape  Bustard,  347 

Cape  Byron,  342 

Cape  Colony,  435 

Cape  de  Verdes,  443 

Cape  Direction,  395 

Cape  Flinders,  262 

Cape  Hawke,  342 

Cape  Rachada,  141 

Cape  Town,  432,  433 

Cape  Tribulation,  390 

Cape  Yorke,  404 

Cape  wine-trade,  431 

Cardamoms,  94 


INDEX 


481 


CARDWELL 

Cardwell,  380 

Carey,  Colonel,  106 

Carrington,  Lord  and  Lady,  310,  31 1, 

314,  324 
Carwar,  91 
Cattle-camp,  a,  363 
Cattle-rearing,   334,   340,   362,   400, 

428 

Cattle,  wild,  171 
Caulfield  races,  296 
Caves,  bird's-nest,  177,  189  197 
Caves,  Moulmein,  134 
Cawnpore,  30-32 
Ceylon,  97 
Celebes,  the,  203 
Challenger  Bay,  372 
Chapman,  Colonel,  17 
Charts,  399 
Cheetahs,  39-41 
Chinamen  in  British  colonies,  339, 

384,  394.  405,  428,  43° 
Chinese  Commissioners  in  New  South 

Wales,  317,  336,  339 
Chlorination  of  gold  ore,  356 
Chronometers,  227 
Church  Missionary  Society,  440 
Clarence  Strait,  427 
Clarke,  Sir  W.,  298 
Coach -travelling  in  the  colonies,  337, 

344,  345,  361 
Coaches,  antique,  337 
Coal,  220 

Coaling-stations,  438,  440,  443 
Coal-mines,  329 
Cochin,  94 
Cockatoos,  253 
Cockburn,  273 
Cochrane,  Sir  Thomas,  159 
Cocoa-nut  Island,  413,  421 
Cocoa-nuts,  in,  415,  417 
Cocos,  the,  116 

Coffee-cultivation  in  Ceylon,  101 
Coffee  leaf-fungus,  101 
Coffins  in  caves,  197 
Colliery,  a,  in  New  South  Wales,  328 
Collisions  at  sea,  388 
Colombo,  97,  98 
Coloured  races,  capabilities  of,  440 


DE  WINTON 

Connaught,  Duke  and  Duchess  of,  54, 

62,  68,  70 
Constantia,  433 
Convicts,  escaped,  407 
Coode,  Sir  John,  433 
Cook,  Captain,  395 
Cooktown,  392 
Coral,  401 

Coral  reefs,  396,  399 
Cordery,  Mr.,  34,  50 
Cornish  miners  in  Australia,  285 
Cornwall,  Miss,  283,  284,  288 
Corrugated-iron  buildings,  405 
Cowie,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  167 
Cranes,  377 
Crawford,  Mr.,  52,  77 
Creek  Meat  Canning  Factory,  366 
Crocker,  Mr.,  143,  176,  183,  185,  188, 

195,  206 

Crocodiles,  113,  172 
Crossing  the  line,  ceremony  of,  215, 

216 

Crossthwaite,  Mrs.,  121,  129 
Cubadjee  (Australian  aboriginal),  276 
Cumberland  Isles,  367,  368 


DA  CARVALHO,  Captain,  83 

Da  Fonseca,  quoted,  85 

Daintree  river,  390 

Dairy  farms,  256 

Dalhousie,  Lord,  2 

Dances,  Dyak,  181 

Darling  Downs,  the,  340 

Darling  river,  333 

Darnley  Island,  413,  414 

Darvel  Bay,  186,  203 

Dashtar,  Mr.,  10 

Davenport,  Sir  Samuel,  269 

Davies,  Mr.,  170-172 

Day,  Major  and  Mrs.,  151 

Deakin,  Mr.,  292 

De  Burgh  Persse,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  344 

De  Castella,  Mr.,  300 

Delhi,  26 

Des  Graz,  Mr.,  50,  92,  240,  298,  374 

Dewani  Khas,  Jeypore,  26 

De  Winton,  Sir  Francis,  442 


482 


INDEX 


DHOLEPORE 
Dholepore,  30 
Diamond-fields.  437 
Diamond-trade,  431 
Dillon,  General,  18 
Divers,  410,  424 
Dodd,  Captain,  134 
Dogs,  regulations  concerning,  in  Aus- 
tralia, 231,  332,  354 
Doldrums,  the,  379 
Domestic  life  at  Brunei,  168 
Donaldson,  Mr.  H.  D.,  81 
Dowling  Forest,  283 
Drum,  a  native,  402 
Dundas,  Miss,  289 
Dungeness,  374 
Dusuns,  the,  181 
Dutch  colonists,  210  434 
Dyaks,  148,  151,  152,  156,  160,  181 

EARRINGS,  167 

Eclipse  of  the  moon,  364 

Edible  bird's-nests,  94,  138,  189-197 

Elder,  Sir  Thomas,  276 

Eleopura,  175 

Elephants,  45,  in,  113,  130,  131,  134 

Elliott  Island,  347 

Ellora,  32,  33 

Elsmie,  Mr.,  21 

Emerald,  359 

Endeavour  river,  359 

Erskine,  Mr.,  12 

Eucalypti,  234,  276,  344 

Eucalyptus  oil,  393 

Everett,  Mr.,  155 

Evening  at  sea,  93 

'  Everlasting  '  flowers,  250 

Exercise,  256 

Exploration  in  South  Australia,  270 

FAIRFAX,  Mrs.,  289,  323 
Falconberg,  321 
Falkland  Islands,  387 
Falls  of  Gairsoppa,  91 
Fanshawe,  Captain,  132 
Faraday,  Professor,  quoted,  148 
Fayal,  443-445 
Fences,  Australian,  297 


GRIFFITH 

Ferguson,  Mr.,  cited,  51 

Fern-gullies,  302,  305,  321 

Fern  Island,  399 

Ferns,  365 

Fernshaw,  301,  303 

Fire-making      by      air-compressing 

tubes,  148 
Fitzgerald,  Mr.,  395 
Fitzroy  river,  367 
Fleming,  Mr.,  430 
Flinders  Channel,  421 
Flint,  Mr.,  176,  178,  180,  185 
Floating  islands,  154,  208 
Flowers,  253,  365 
Fly  Point,  400 
Fly  Eiver,  418-420 
Flying-fox  Gully,  319 
Fraser  Island,  347 
Funeral  of  a  Phoongyee,  124 
Funeral  procession  at  Colombo,  98 
Furdonji  Jamsetjee,  Mr.,  42 
Futtehpore  Sikri,  29 


GALLE,  107 

Ganesh  Khind,  52 

Gardner,  Mr.,  326,  332 

Gascoigne,  Captain,  315,  317 

Gautama,  127 

Geelong,  286 

Geelong,  Mayor  of,  286 

German  industry,  345 

Gilchrist,  Major,  34,  72 

Glenelg,  263,  265 

Gloucester  Island,  369 

Goa,  8 1-97 

Gold-fields,   188,  246,  277,  282-285, 

352,  392,  393.  436 
Golkonda,  35 

Gomanton  bird's-nest  caves,  177 
Goode  Island,  405,  41 1 
Gordon,  Captain,  58 
Gordonia  rubra,  213 
Gray,  quoted,  258,  259 
Great  Barrier  Eeef,  368,  396 
Great  Coco,  116 
Griffin,  Sir  Lepel,  71 
Griffith,  Sir  Samuel,  344 


INDEX 


483 


GUICOVVAR 

Guicowar  of  Baroda,  the,  69 

Guilfoyle,  Mr.,  305 

Gum,  170 

Gum-trees,  234 

Gundy  sugar-plantation,  382 

Gutta-percha,  156 

Gwalior,  30 


HALIFAX  sugar-plantation,  376 

Hall,  Mr.,  407,  424 

Hall,  Mr.  Wesley,  352,  353 

Hamilton,  Captain,  57,  68,  70,  72 

Hamilton,  Lieutenant,  155 

Hammill,  Captain,  316,  317 

Hannay,  Major  and  Mrs.,  53 

Hannibal  Islands,  399 

'  Harrier  '  (gunboat),  391,  392 

Hassall,  Mr.,  246 

Hats,  women's,  at  Brunei,  160 

Hatton,  Frank,  182 

Hawkesbury  river,  475 

Hay,  Mrs.,  276 

Head-rlatteners,  148 

Head-hunters,  160,  192,  193 

Healesville,  301,  304 

Hcmilcia  vastatrlx,  101 

Herbert,  Mr.,  72 

Herbert  river,  374 

Herberton  river,  388 

'  Hercules,'  H.M.S.,  2 

Hincliinbrook  Island,  378,  380 

Hindoo  ladies,  68 

Hindoo  wedding,  43 

Hixson,  Captain,  322 

Hobson's  Bay,  286 

Hodgkinson,  Mr.,  129,  130,  132 

Hoffmeister,  Dr.,  51,  182,  322 

Hofmeyr,  Mr.,  436 

Holdfast  Bay  Yacht  Club,  263 

Holothuria,  397 

Home  Islands,  399 

Honey,  Commodore,  267 

Horse-dealers,  Arabian,  70 

Horse-fair  at  Shikarpur,  5,  13 

Horses,  334 

Horses  in  coal-mines,  330 

Horta,  443,  444,  446 


KANAKAS 

Hot  springs  at  Kanniya,  109,  in 

Houses  in  Borneo,  170 

Hiibner,  Baron,  quoted,  432,  436 

Hunt,  a,  in  Australia,  275 

Hunt,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  412,414,415, 

419,  420 

Hunting  with  cheetahs,  39-41 
Hyderabad,  43-50 

ICE -MAKING,  210 

Iguanas,  242 

Illuminations  at  Bombay,  63 

Immigrants  in  New  South  Wales,  338 

Imperial    Federation    League,    285, 

299,471 
Inglis,  Mr.,  314 
Inquisition  stake,  Goa,  89 
Ipomcca,  377 
Irrawaddy  river,  1 1 9 

JAIN  temples,  at  Agra  and  Gwalior, 

29,  3o 

Jamestown,  St.  Helena,  437 
Jamrud  Fort,  17,  1 8 
Jardine,  Mr.,  400,  401,  408 
Javanese  workpeople  in  Queenslan 

385 

'  Jenny  Jenkins  '  (monkey),  259 
Jessop,  Mr.,  269 
Jewels,  64 
Jeypore,  27,  28 
Jinjeera,  73,  74 
'  Jinkas,'  238,  239 
Jinrikishas,  104,  105 
Johnstone  river,  382,  387 
Johore,  Sultan  of,  141,  143,  165 
Jubbulpore,  33 
Jubilee  celebrations  in  India,  50,  54. 

58,  70  ;  at  Melbourne,  294 
Jumping  fish,  no 
'Jumna,'  H.M.S.,  118 
Jungle  in  Queensland,  383 
Jungle-cock,  1 10 


KAFFIRS,  437 
Kanakas,  376,  416,  419 


484 


INDEX 


Kandy,  99,  104 

Kangaroo  Island,  262 

Kangaroos,  245,  248,  253,  255,  361 

Kanniya,  hot  springs  at,  109,  1 1 1 

Kapuan  timber-station,  178 

Keating,  Mrs.,  70 

Keith,  Captain,  30 

Kendenup,  240,  245,  247 

Keppel  Bay,  347 

Keppel,  Sir  Harry,  159,  167 

Kernford,  Mr.  Justice,  293 

Kettles,  whistling,  167 

Khassia,  73 

Khurseed  Jah,  47 

Khyber  Pass,  1 7 

'  Kilwa,'  the,  132,  133 

Kirnberley,  431 

KinaBalu,  168,  172 

King,  Mr.,  332 

King  George  Sound,  230 

King  Jack,  415,  417 

Koordal,    a  reserve    for   Australian 

aboriginals,  300 
Koti  river,  208 
Kruger,  President,  435 
Kuching,  145 
Kuching    river,    navigation    in,    by 

direction-posts,  146 
Kudat,  169 
Kurrachee,  10 
Kusti  (Parsee  cord),  59 
Kutab  Minar,  the,  23,  24,  26 
Kylies,  or  boomerangs,  248,  252 


LABUAN,  155 

'  Lady  Brassey '  nugget,  the,  285 
Lahore,  15,  16,  20 
Laidby,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  341,  342 
Lamb,  Dr.,  170,  172 
Lampton,  328 
Largs  Bay,  266 
Laughing  jackass,  321 
Laurence,  Maude,  14,  54,  72 
Layard,  Sir  C.  P.,  quoted,  100 
Leaf-fungus,  coffee,  101 
Lee,  the  gatherer  of  beche-de-mer, 
397,  398 


MAHARAJAH 

Leeches,  205 

Levinge,  Mr.,  381,  386 

Leys,  Dr.  and  Mrs.,  156 

Life  at  s?a,  92 

'  Liguria  '  (steamship),  224 

Lilies,  350,3  66,  377,  438 

Lindsay,  Mr.  David,  270,  276 

Liquid  gold,  355 

Little,  Mr.,  172 

Little  Coco,  116 

Liveries  in  Ceylon,  102,  103 

Lizard  Island,  394 

Loch,  Sir  Henry  and  Lady,  289,  292- 
294,  298 

Loftie,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  231,  232 

Log  of  '  Sunbeam,'  abstract  of — Ports- 
mouth to  Bombay,  448,  449 ;  Bom- 
bay to  Kurrachee,  Rangoon,  Borneo, 
and  Macassar,  450-452  ;  Macassar 
to  Adelaide,  South  Australia,  453  ; 
Adelaide  to  Melbourne,  Sydney,  and 
Port  Darwin,  454-456 ;  Port  Dar- 
win to  Mauritius  and  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  457,  458 ;  Cape  of  Good  Hope 
to  Portsmouth,  458-460;  summary, 
461 

Logodium  scandens,  373 

Lombok,  217 

Longwood,  St.  Helena,  438 

Lotus  tank,  Colombo,  98 

Low  Islands,  390 

Loyal  cockatoos,  254 

Lucknow,  31 

Lycopodium,  373 

Lyre-bird,  321 

Lyttelton,  Colonel,  12 


MACALISTEK  Range,  389 

Macassar,  210,  211 

Macdonald,  Dr.  and  Mrs.,  350,  364 

Maclean,  Mr.,  106 

McLean,  Mr.,  50,  66 

MacXabb,  Mr.,  300 

Madai  bird's-nest  caves,  Darvel  Bay, 

183, 189-197 
Magnetic  Island,  370 
Maharajah  of  Patiala,  22 


INDEX 


485 


MAHOMMEDAN 

Mahommedan  ladies,  68 

Malabar  Point,  57,  61,  68,  71 

Malades  imaginaires,  96 

Malaria,  428 

Malin,  Mr.  S.,  267 

Manchester  regiment  at  Agra,  29 

Mandovi  river,  82 

Mangalore,  92 

Maradu  Bay,  170 

Marble  Kocks,  Nerbudda  river,  31,  33 

Marburg,  344 

Marine  phenomenon,  a,  218 

Marshall,  Colonel,  49,  50 

Mason-bees,  150 

Mauritius,  428 

Maxwell,  Mr.,  147,  150 

Mayhew,  Colonel,  12 

Meat  Canning  Factory,  a,  366 

Medusas,  118,  258 

Meerut,  26 

Mehdi  Ali's  wife,  67 

Melbourne,  287 

Meldrum,  Dr.,  430 

Memorial  Gardens,  Cawnpore,  30 

Message-sticks,  253 

Midas  Mine,  Ballarat,  283 

Middleton,  Captain,  106 

Milanos,  the,  148 

Milking  cows,  method  of,  334 

Millar,  Mr.,  271 

Millett,  Mr.,  113 

Milman,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  407,  411  413, 

417,  422,  424 

Mines,  curious  names  of,  351 
Mir  Alam  tank,  46 
Mirs  falconer,  the,  5 
Mitchell,  Mr.,  21 
Mohamed  Hyat  Khan,  14 
Monkeys,  52 
Montefiore,  Mr.,  314 
Mooltan,  14 
Moore,  Captain,  70 
Moran,  Cardinal,  312 
Moreton  Island,  343 
Morley,  Mr.  Arnold,  2 
Moscos  Group,  the,  138 
Mosque  of  Ibrahim  Eozah,  51 
Mosquitoes,  393 


NIZAM 

Moulmein,  133 
Mount  Cook,  392 
Mount  Gambier,  289,  290 
Mount  Morgan,  350-358 
Mount    Morgan   Gold-Mining   Com- 
pany, 356 

Mount  Warning,  342 
Mountain  of  gold,  a,  353 
Mourillyan  sugar-plantation,  380-383 
'  Mr.  Short '  (terrier),  259 
'  Mrs.  Sharp  '  (terrier),  259 
Muara  coal-mines,  Brunei,  167 
Mulgrave  river,  387 
Muriel  as  '  Little  Buttercup,'  137 
Murray,  Captain,  231 
Murray  Island,  414,  419 
Murray  river,  278 
Museum  at  Kuching,  148 
Musgrave,  Lady,  346 
'  Myrmidon,'  H.M.S.,  370 
Myrtle  Gully,  303 


NASH,  Major,  113,  115 

Nash,  Mr.,  386 

National  Aid  Society,  3 

Native  States  and  army  of  India,  24, 

25 

Nats,  125 
Nautical   entertainments,   137,  221, 

261 

Nautilidre,  118 
Naval  Brigade,  322 
Naval  Volunteers,  314,  350,  359 
Nawab  of  Jinjeera  and  his  wife,  74- 

76 

'  Nelson,'  H.M.S.,  323 
Nepean  river,  318 
Nepenthes,  176 
New  Caledonia  convicts,  407 
Newcastle,  325 

Newcastle  Colliery  Company,  329 
New  Guinea,  418-420 
New  South  Wales  Light  Horse,  336 
Nicholson,  General,  14 
Night  Island,  395 
Ninepin  Rock,  413,  421 
Nizam  of  Hyderabad,  46 


486 


INDEX 


Nobby  Head,  328 
Normanby  Sound,  405 
Northumberland  Islands,  368 


OBSERVATORY,  the,  Mauritius,  429 
Occupation  at  sea,  92 
Octopus,  255 

Oliver,  Mr.  Norman,  81,  91 
Ootacamund,  94 
'  Opal,'  H.M.S.,  323 
Opal-mines,  360,  411 
Ophthalmia  in  Australia,  365 
Opossums,  245 
Orang-outangs,  170 
Orchids,  136 
Orford  Ness,  399 
Ostrich-feather  trade,  431 
Owen,  Brigadier-General,  271 


PADDY-FIELDS,  100 

Pagodas,  122,  123 

Palace  of  the  Viceroys,  Goa,  85 

Palmer,  General,  31 

Palmer  river  gold-diggings,  392 

Palmerston,  427 

Palm  Island,  372 

Palm  oil,  441 

Palms,  208,  365,  383 

'  Paluma,'  H.M.S.,  369,  370 

Pancratiums,  373,  377 

Pangaum,  90 

Pangeran  Bandahara,  165 

Pangeran  di  Gadong,  165 

Pangin,  or  New  Goa,  83,  90 

Panthers,  113 

Papuans,  420 

Paramatta,  317 

Parel,  62 

Parker,  Captain,  n 

Parkes,  Sir  Henry,  315,  317 

Parrots,  369 

Parsee  ladies,  58,  68 

Patiala,  21,  22,  24,  25 

Pearl-divers,  424 

Pearl  Mosque,  Delhi,  26 

Pearl  oyster  window-panes,  86 


POULTRY 

Pearl-shell  dishes,  166 
Pearl-shells,  157,  204,  404,  422 
Pearls,  207 

Pedley,  Dr.  and  Mrs.,  132 
Pemberton,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  170,  214, 

221,  240 

Penal  laws  in  Darnley  Island,  417 

P.  and  O.  steamers,  4,  5 

Pennefather,  Mr.,  378,  379 

Pension  list  in  Labuan,  158 

Pepper  terraces,  Brunei,  167 

Percy  Isles,  368 

Peshawur,  16 

Peter  Botte  Mountain,  390,  428 

PJilox  Drummondii,  365 

Phoongyees,  funeral  rites  of,  124 

Photography  at  sea,  259 

Picture-cleaning  at  Goa,  86 

Pigs,  wild,  206,  334,  403 

Pike,  Captain,  392 

Pineapples,  201 

Pine  Island,  368 

Piper  Islands,  396,  399 

Pitcher  plants,  169,  176 

Pit-ponies,  330 

Pitt  (steward),  accident  to,  117 

Plaids,  origin  of,  121 

Plant,  Colonel  and  Mrs.,  134 

Planters  in  Ceylon,  100 

Playford,  Mr.,  278 

Plumieria,  102 

Plurality  of  office  in  Labuan,  157 

Point  Amherst,  133 

Poison-plant  in  pastureland,  247 

Pomegranates,  248 

Poonah,  51 

Pope-Hennessy,  Sir  John,  430 

Port  Albany,  400 

Port  Adelaide,  266 

Port  Darwin,  427 

Port  Douglas,  389 

Port  Elizabeth,  431 

Port  Kennedy,  405 

Port  Louis,  Mauritius,  428 

Porto  Praya,  442 

Portsmouth,  2 

Pouce  mountain,  428,  430 

Poultry,  52,  350 


INDEX 


487 


PRAHUS 

Prahus,  147,  169,  201 
Preparis  group,  the,  1 16 
Primitive  settlement,  a,  236 
Prince  of  Wales'  Island,  409 
Pritchett,  Mr.,  92,  213 
Processions  in  India,    3 
'  Protector  '  (gunboat),  266 
Providential  Channel,  395 
Public    works     contractors    of    New 

South  Wales,  475 
Pumice-stone,  218 
Purdah,  the,  66,  7 1 ,  76 
Putso,  the,  121 


QUARANTINE  Island,  255 

Queen's,  the,  birthday  in  the  colonies, 

264 
Queensland,  as   a  pastoral  country, 

345  ;  gold-mines,  352  ;  up-country 

hotels,  354 
Quoit-throwing,  19 
Quop,  152 


BACK-MEETINGS  in  the  colonies,  297, 

361 

Bail-splitters,  303 

Bailways,  colonial,  233,  266,  332,  436 
Bain-hats,  122 
Bainsworth,  360 
Rajah  of  Travancore,  94 
Bajang  river,  154 
Bajpoori  river,  73 
Bajpura,  22 
Balli,  Mr.,  12 

Bamleh  Military  Hospital,  3 
Banagar  Palace,  33 
Bangoon, 120 

'  Bangoon  '  (steamship),  136 
Bangoon  river,  1 1 9 
Bao  of  Cutch,  61 
Batnagiri,  76 
Bats,  153 
Battans,  205 
Bavee  river,  20 
Bawul  Pindi,  16,  18 


Bead,  Mr.  Sheriff,  293 

Beay, Lord  and  Lady,  4,  5,  12,  13,  57- 

59,  61,  62,  65-67,  69,  140 
Reporters'  difficulties,  265 
Best-houses,  Burmah,  129 
Bestoration  Island,  395 
Bice,  120,  131 

Richards,  Sir  Frederick,  109 
Riches,  Mr.,  277 
Bobinson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  307 
Robinson,  Sir  William,  264 
Rockhampton,  349,  364 
Bockhampton  lily,  the,  350,  366 
Bockingham  Channel,  379 
Rohri,  13 

Romilly,  Miss,  288 
Roses,  270 
Rotan  saga,  the,  205 
Royal      Geographical      Society      of 

Australasia,  466 
Boyal  Sydney  Yacht  Club,  322 
Runjeet   Singh's  tomb,  Lahore,    15, 

1 6 

Russell,  Dr.,  quoted,  87 
'  Ryujo  '  (Japanese  corvette),  266 


SAD  incident,  a,  79 

Saddle  Island,  413 

Sago,  162 

Sahyadri  Ghats,  the,  Si 

Sailors,  heedless  and  imitative,  95,  96 

Salomons,  Mr.,  317 

Salter,  Dr.,  424 

Salvation  Army  in  the  colonies,  336 

Sal  wen  river,  133,  134 

Sami  Rock,  the,  114 

Sandakan,  185 

Sandakan  Bay,  i75>  17& 

Sandflies,  401 

Sandford,  Sir  Herbert,  269 

S.  Cajetan,  Goa,  86 

S.  Caterina,  Goa,  87,  88 

Sapa  Gaya  river,  1 78 

Sar-Bahr,  Gwalior,  28 

Saribowa  (volcano),  219 

Sarongs,  182,  213 

Savage,  Mr.,  418-420 

3  M 


INDEX 


SAW-MILLS 

Saw-mills,  237 

Schinnahal  Tank,  Ulwar,  27 

Schonburg,  Dr.,  276 

Schramud,  Mr.,  401,  404 

Sea-horses,  1 1 1 

Sea  slugs,  394,  396,  397 

Secunderabacl,  36 

Secundra  Bagh,  Lucknow,  31 

Segaraa  river,  188,  194 

Shaftesbury,  Lord,  325 

Shah  Dura,  the,  19,  20 

'  Shannon,'  P.  and  0.,  231 

Sharks,  412 

Shearston,  Mr.,  316 

Sheep-rearing,  247,  360,  361 

Shelbourne  Bay,  399 

Shells,  392,  397 

Shervvin,  Miss  Amy    (the  Australian 

Nightingale),  295 
Shikarpur,  11-13 
Shway    Dagohu     pagoda,    Burmah, 

124 

Shepparton,  306,  307 
Sierra  Leone,  440-442 
Silam,  1 86,  203 
Silver-mines,  273 
Silverton,  273 
Simon,  Dr.,  141 
Singapore,  141 
Sir  Deva  Sing,  24 
Sir  Dinshaw  Manockjee  Petit,  63 
'Sir  Eoger,'  15,  66,   187,    332,   353, 

411,  412,  418 

Sir  Salar  Jung,  35,  39,  42,  49 
'  Sirocco  '  (steamship),  99 
Slaves  of  the  Pagoda,  127 
Smallpox,  172 

Smith,  Colonel  Euan,  29,  137 
Snakes,  159,  401,  403 
Solitary  Islands,  342 
Somerset,  400 
South  Australia,  area,  climate,  and 

capabilities  of,  428 
South       Australian       Geographical 

Society,  270 

South  Australian  Yacht  Club,  267 
Spears,  252 
Speculation  in  Australia,  393 


' SUNBEAM ' 

Speeches  of  Lord  Brassey: — to  Royal 
Geographical  Society  of  Aus- 
tralasia, Adelaide,  466,  467 ; 
Adelaide  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
468 ;  Imperial  Federation  League, 
Melbourne,  471-475 ;  Public  Works 
contractors,  Sydney,  475-478 

Sponge,  390 

Sprigg,  Sir  Gordon,  433,  434,  436 

Springsure,  360,  362 

Spring  wood,  319 

Squalls,  225 

St.  Antonio,  443 

St.  Francis  Xavier's  tomb,  Goa,  88 

St.  Helena,  437 

St.  John  Ambulance  Association,  71, 
143,  183,  276,  312,  315,  322,  342, 
346,  359,  364,  424 

St.  Quintin,  Colonel,  310 

St.  Vincent,  442 

Stafford,  Lord  and  Lady,  132 

Stake,  Inquisition,  at  Goa,  89 

Star  of  the  East  Mine,  Ballarat,  282 

Stations,  cattle,  in  Queensland,  360, 
362 

Steam-tram  in  the  jungle,  383 

Steering  at  sea,  careless,  388 

Stellenbosch,  434 

Stevens,  Captain  and  Mrs.,  407,  411 

Stevenson,  Mr.,  346 

Stewart,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  233,  237,  239 

Stock,  Mr.,  265 

Stockmen,  362 

Straits  of  Macassar,  208 

Suanlamba  river,  178 

Subterranean  banquet,  a,  331 

Sugar-cultivation,  376,  381,  384,  385, 
388,  430 

Sukhur,  12,  13 

Sultan  of  Brunei,  160,  163,  165 

Sultan  of  Johore,  141,  165 

Sultan  of  Sulu,  165 

Sulus,  the,  1 66,  198,  204,  206 

Sumbawa,  217 

Sumpitans,  or  blowpipes,  156 

'  Sunbeam,'  her  capital  sailing  quali- 
ties, 5;  dimensions  of,  461  ;  sum- 
mary of  her  cruise,  462-465 


INDEX 


489 


SUNDYAKS 
Sundyaks,  the,  181 
Sunflowers,  102 
Sunstroke,  95,  96 
Surgery,  amateur,  144,  404 
Sydney,  309 

Symes,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  121,  132,  407, 
423 


TABLE  BAY,  432,  433 

Table  Mountain,  433 

'  Tab's  '  shooting  excursion,  186,  206 

Tainpasick  river,  168 

Taj,  Agra,  29 

Tamieri,  the,  121 

Tamworth,  332 

Tank,  of  Mir  Alam,  38 ;  in  the  Ni- 
zam's Palace,  Hyderabad,  46  ;  at 
Khurseed  Jah's,  48 

'  Tannadice  '  (steamship),  399 

Tapang-tree,  the,  192 

Tawoomba,  340 

Teak,  132 

Temple  of  the  Sun,  Mooltan,  14 

Tenasserim,  138 

Tenterfield,  332 

Tent-pegging,  19 

Terceira,  446 

Terowie,  273 

'  Thames,'  P.  &  0.,  4,  5 

Theatricals  at  sea,  137,  221,  261 

Theebaw,  King,  76,  77 

Thermometers,  270 

Thompson,  Mr.,  350 

Thukkar  quoit-throwing,  19 

TJiunbergia  vcmista,  350,  365 

Thursday  Island,  400,  405,  412,  423 

Thwaites,  Dr.,  102 

Timber  stations,  178 

Timber-waggons,  354 

Timber-yards,  130,  131 

Timbu  Mata  Island,  186 

'  Times,'  the,  on  the  cruise  of  the 
'  Sunbeam,'  461-465 

Tin-mines,  339 

'  Tip-up,'  a,  279 

Titles,  native,  at  Hyderabad,  50 

Todd,  Mr.,  27 


TURPENTINE 

Todhunter,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  361 

Tomb  of  the  Emperor  Hamayun, 
Delhi,  26 

Tombs  of  the  Kings,  Golkonda,  35 

Tonic-water  bottles  used  as  temple 
ornaments,  123 

Torres  Straits,  425 

Towers  of  Silence,  Bombay,  37 

Towns,  etc.,  chief,  visited  by  Lady 
Brassey: — Alexandria,  3  ;  Cairo,  4 ; 
Kurrachee,  10 ;  Shikarpur,  12; 
Mooltan,  14  ;  Lahore,  14  ;  Pesha- 
wur,  1 6  ;  Bawul  Pindi,  18;  Am- 
ritsar,  21  ;  Eajpura,  22  ;  Patiala, 
21-25;  Delhi,  26;  Jeypore, 
27 ;  Agra,  29  ;  Gwalior,  30 ; 
Cawnpore,  30;  Lucknow,  31; 
Benares,  32;  Hyderabad,  34; 
Secunderabad,  36  ;  Bijapur,  51  ; 
Poonah,  51;  Bombay,  56;  Goa, 
82 ;  Colombo,  97  ;  Trincomalee, 
107;  Bangoon,  119;  Moulmein, 
133;  Singapore,  141;  Borneo, 
143;  Labuan,  155;  Brunei,  160; 
Eleopura,  175;  Celebes,  203; 
Albany,  230 ;  Adelaide,  264  ; 
Ballarat,  281  ;  Geelong,  286;  Mel- 
bourne, 287  ;  Sydney,  309  ;  New- 
castle, 326  ;  Brisbane,  342 

Townsville,  370,  371 

Traill,  Captain,  301 

Trans-Australian  railway,  a,  428 

Transvaal,  the,  436 

Traveller's  palm,  142 

Traveller's  tree,  429 

Travelling  in  Australia,  274 

Treacher,  Mr.,  176, 183,  185,  188,206 

Tree-ferns,  302 

Trepang,  397 

Trimulgherry,  37 

Trimen,  Dr.,  102 

Trincomalee,  107 

Trinear,  Mr.,  355 

Tropical  forests,  197 

Troubridge,  262 

Trout,  303 

Tudhope,  Mr.,  434 

Turpentine-trees,  348 


490 


INDEX 


Turtle,  421 
Turtles'  eggs,  150 
Tyler,  Dr.,  30 
Typhoid  fever,  231 
Tyssen,  Mr.,  340 


ULETT  (English  coachman),  35 

Ulwar,  27 

Umbrella  palms,  383 

Umbrellas  as  insignia  of  rank,  165 

Unseaworthy  ships,  444,  445 


VACCINATION,  172 

Vancouver's  Ledge,  230 

Vasco  de  Gama,  84,  86,  94 

Verdon,  Sir  George,  288 

'  Vernon '  (reformatory  ship),  314, 322 

Vine-cultivation,  434 

Volcanic  waves,  218 

Volunteers  in  Australia,  292 

Von  Babo,  Baron,  433 

Vultures,  57 


WALKER,  Mr.,  178,  180,  183 

Walker,  Mr.  arid  Mrs.,  333-335 

Wallabies,  379 

Wallace,  quoted,  214,  218 

Walsh,  Mr.,  380 

Warburton,  Major,  17 

War  dances,  181 

Wardlaw,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  378 

War  jackets,  148,  159 

Warrangara,  357 

Watcher  of  a  gold  mine,  354 

Water-carrier,  30 

Waterfalls,  387,  388 

Waterfield,  Colonel,  16,  17 

Water-lilies,  1 1 2 

Watson,  Elizabeth,  tragic  story  of ,  394 

Watson's  Bay,  310,  311 


ZULUS 

Watt  river,  303 

Wax  candles  as  complimentary  gifts, 
163,  164 

Weapons,  native,  149,  184,  213,  214 

Wedding,  Hindoo,  43 

Wellington  Lodge,  279 

Wentworth  Falls,  319 

West  African   Telegraph   Company, 

442 
.  West  Cape  Howe,  229 

West  India  Kegiment,  the,  442 

West  Maitland,  332 
.  Weymouth  Bav,  396 

Whalers,  445 

Whales,  258 

White,  Mr.  Frank,  suicide  of,  78-80 

White  ants,  151,  159 

White  bird's-nests,  178 

Whitsunday  Island,  369 

Whitsunday  Passage,  368 

Wild  bees,  192 

Wild  cattle,  171 

Williamstown,  298 

Wilson,  Mr.,  178,  180,  183,  184 

Wine-making,  300 

Wollahra  centre  of  St.  John  Ambu- 
lance Association,  322 

Wolseley,  Colonel,  21 

Woman's  Suffrage  Society,  Victoria, 
288 

Women's  hats  at  Brunei,  160 

Wood-cutting,  238 

Woodgate,  Mr.  Herbert,  273 

Wool,  328 

Wright,  Mr.,  401-403 


YORK  Islands,  413 
Young,  Mr.,  256 


Zamia  alsopliila,  383 
Zulus,  437 


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