YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY /-^
DISCOVERY AND
SETTLEMENT OF
WESTERN
NORTH AMERICA
COLLECTION OF
WILLIAM
ROBERTSON COE

SIXTEEN MONTHS' TRAVEL

1886-87

BY
T. ALLNUTT BEASSEY / 1 1

SPOTTISWOODE & CO,, NEW- STEEET SQUAEB, LONDON
1888.

PEEFACE.
The following rough diary has been printed, partly
because friends might be interested to read the
impressions of a young traveller put down while
they were still fresh, partly because it supplements
the account of the voyage which it was my dear
Mother's last wish to have published, T, A, B,

SIXTEEN MONTHS' TEAVEL.
1886-87.
PAET I.
AMERICA.

CHAPTER I.
A MONTH IN THE BOOKIES.
I LEFT England on August 12th, 1886, in the ' Umbria.'
She is a splendid vessel, and one feels a real sense of power
in her when she is steaming against a breeze of wind. Our
best runs were 462 and 458 knots on two consecutive days.
After ten days at Newport I came back to New York and
met father and McLean. We went together to Chicago, and
up to Marquette, on Lake Superior. After three days spent
looking round the splendid forest on the Michigan Land and
Iron Company's property we returned to Chicago. There
we separated. Father went back to New York en roide for
England ; McLean and I took the train for the Far West.
We arrived in Laramie on the evening of Thursday, September
16th, The next day we were in despair, as we found that
neither Barclay nor Sartoris was in town or at the Willans's
ranch, some twenty miles out, and there was no letter from
them. We were determined to try and get some sport, so
B

2 AMERICA
we engaged a man, who was to provide a cook, a wagon,
and six horses, to take us into the mountains. We did not
expect to see much game, and were talking over our pro
spects very despondingly at dinner that evening, when who
should walk into the hotel but Barclay himself. He had driven
in ninety miles, as soon as he got our letters, to look after
us, Saturday we spent in buying stores and horses, and in
the evening drove out to the ranch, where we found Mr, and
Mrs, Fred Willan, It was a comfortable English country house,
though of course all built of wood. On Sunday we came
back into town, ready for our start the next day, to which
McLean and I were both looking forward most eagerly.

Monday, September 20fh. — Up at 6. Bought another pony
for McLean — a sorrel, price forty-five dollars, and well worth
the money. By 10 o'clock we had got all the stores together,
and started Sam Fuller and the wagon with his team of
four horses, Harbord started about the same time, driving
our three pack-animals. We started ourselves an hour
later ; Barclay on his own horse, McLean on the sorrel, and I
on an ancient brown pony, subsequently dubbed ' Old Tom '
who took a good deal of kicking along. For twenty miles the
road lay over the open prairie, and we pushed along at a good
pace, loping (Anglice, cantering) most of the way. We then
came to a stream fringed with bushes, where we watered the
horses and were glad to get a drink ourselves. Our broad
felt hats we found were the proper drinking cups. We tho
roughly inspected Balsh and Bacon's ranch, which lay just
across the stream, and very comfortable and neat it all looked.
After this we began ascending into the mountains. We
pursued a hare for some time, hoping to get a close shot with
a revolver, and soon after saw a cayote. About ten miles
from Bacon's we pulled up for the night at a small road
ranch, where we were fairly well fed, barring the absence of

A MONTH IN THE ROCKIES 3
fresh meat. My feet had got so sore with my new field
boots that I had taken them off and had slung them over the
saddle in front of me, A small boy asked Harbord who
McLean and I were. Harbord replied, ' Tender feet,' the
American expression for new chum. The small boy : ' Guess
his feet are tender ; he can't even wear his boots,' We turned
the horses into the corral ; Barclay, McLean, and I turned
in on the hay outside, McLean and I together, with four
blankets over us, a quilt underneath, and a canvas wagon-
sheet under and over all. Tt froze during the night, but
I was too warm, and the experience was so novel that I
could not sleep,
Tuesday, September 21st. — Under weigh at 7,30, McLean
and I on top of the wagon this time, Barclay and Harbord
drove the horses. We went uphill for a bit ; from the top
had a fine view to some snowy mountains on our left ; then
down into a valley. Going up the steep bank the other side
we passed an ' outfit ' on the move — men, women, and children.
An ' outfit ' out west means anything, from a man's rifle or
horse to his wife and children ; during the time we were out
camping we were known as ' Barclay's outfit,' The road then
ran through a dense pine forest; it was pretty good, and
Sam Fuller took us along at a smart trot on the level. At
12 pulled up for lunch and to rest the horses. An excellent
feed, with rolls, bacon, cream and milk, maple syrup, and
preserved vegetables. Off again at 2, and after three
miles came down into what is called the neck of the North
Park. The tints of the aspen were lovely light yellow to a
rich old gold. At 3,30 we pulled up for the day at a road
ranch, having done twenty-eight miles. After some rifle and
pistol practice Barclay and I walked to the top of a hill close by
(McLean was too lazy), and had a fine view over the North
Park. This is an undulating plain eighty miles long by forty
broad, 9,000 feet above the sea level, surrounded by moun
tains 12,000 to 13,000 feet high, many of them snow-covered,
which of course looked no higher than Scotch hills, so high
B 2

4 AMERICA
is the general level of the country. There are now some
1,200 ranches in the North Park, as there is excellent food
for cattle. A park out west is not at all what is understood
by a park in England ; it means an opening in the trees,
and may be a hundred yards across, or as big as the North
Park, The North Middle and South Parks are all in
Colorado, Coming down the hill we struck a covey of six
mountain grouse, who sat and looked at us, Barclay
at last killed one with a stone ; if we had shot better we
should have killed the whole covey. Feeding fair, and
beds comfortable. One won't sleep in a bed again for somo
time. Wedjiesday, September 22nd. — Under weigh at 7. Bar
clay took my place in the wagon, Harbord and I drove the
horses. At 10 we crossed the North Platte River, which
circles round through Wj'oming and flows into the Missouri
near Omaha. As I was feeling seedy Barclay and I changed
places. For the next ten miles we travelled over dry hills
covered with sage bush. The sun was very hot. We saw six
antelope, and McLean had a long shot. At 12 halted at
Lawrence's ranch. Excellent food, including fresh meat
(antelope). Both Lawrences were most hospitable, ' Come
right in and sit right down,' is the almost invariable form of
invitation out west. There was a New York doctor staying
at the ranch, expecting some sport later on. He had just
bought a splendid bear's hide from an old hunter on his way
down from the mountains — beautiful long fur with silver tips,
and measuring eight feet by eight ; he had only given fifteen
dollars for it. Started again at 2, Four miles farther on passed
Scrivener's ranch. He seemed to be a big man, as he was
at work on a dam to flood the valley up which we drove, and
turn it into a hay meadow. Hay will only grow out here on
flooded land. After passing Scrivener's we began to ascend
into the mountains out of the Park, and at 5 pulled up at
Wheeler's, This ranch is in a secluded valley with a splen
did natural hay meadow, Wheeler has about two hundred

A MONTH m THE ROCKIES 5
head of cattle, and makes a considerable quantity of butter
for the Collins and Laramie markets. We had jugs of milk
and cream for breakfast and supper. The cook a German.
It was curious to see some impromptu croquet hoops set up
in front of the ranch, I remarked to the cow-boy that the
game had rather gone out with us, to which he replied that
he did not know but that it had a bit gone out with them
too, Wheeler himself a nice fellow. Barclay and he had
a yarn over sport after supper, and traded some beaver
and martin traps. Slept most comfortably on some hay in
one of the cattle sheds,
Thursday, September 23rd. — Barclay, McLean, and I
started off at 8 on horseback for a rocky peak about four
miles into the forest, which Wheeler said was a likely place
for elk, with a chance of sheep. Fuller and Harbord with the
spare horses went up the Hans Peak wagon road to Lone
Pine camp, where we expected to reach Sartoris and the rest
of the outfit. We saw some antelope in the valley, but could
not get a shot. Soon after we struck into the woods we got
into a dense mass of fallen timber which took us more than
an hour to get clear of, though it was only a few hundred
yards across, ' Old Tom ' proved an adept at hoisting his
legs over the logs, which were piled one on another, some
times two or three feet high. Once clear of this we got on
quickly to the end of the rocky peak ; but no elk or sheep to
be seen, and very little sign. Then came the question how
to get to camp : cut straight through the forest or go back the
way we had come and then up the road ? We determined to
try the flrst. Almost at once we had to lead down a very
steep slope into a canon with a stream at the bottom. Not
knowing how many more of these there might be to cross
before we reached the Hans Peak road, we thought it best to
get back to the valley. We made good way at first along an
old elk trail, but presently got into a mass of fallen timber,
McLean was bogged and had to get off; the caiion did not
run straight; we were afraid to leave it for fear of losing

b AMERICA
our bearings, and we began to despair of reaching camp that
night. At last, when it seemed almost hopeless, we got clear
of the fallen timber, and soon reached the valley and the
road. Our horses were dead beat, and for two miles I had
to run behind and flog ' Old Tom ' along. Glad we were to
reach camp, which was in a little park with a nice stream.
Harbord had beconie rather anxious. We put up the tent,
in which we three slept, and supped off sow-belly (bacon),
crackers, coffee, and milk.
Friday, September 24:th. — Sharp frost. Breakfast, same
fare as supper. I did the washing up. McLean and I after
wards had a good wash in the stream. After lunch Barclay
and I started down the road to find the others. About one
and a half miles from camp met Sartoris, who had grown a
beard and looked a regular ' tough.' We went on to their
camp, where we found Child, our guide, and Minghy, the cook,
both Englishmen. Got some fresh deer's-meat, and then
came back through the forest trying for elk, but saw nothing.
Sapped off soup composed of a grouse Barclay had shot yes
terday, tomatoes, and crackers. To bed about 9.
Saturday, September 2bth. — Sharp frost again. At 9
Child turned up, and in an hour and a half we had packed
up everything to go to the other camp. Barclay and I tried
for elk, but no use. Lunched at new camp. Off alone after
wards about a mile from camp. Very strange at first going
through forest. Afraid of losing one's way every moment or
seeing a bear in every hollow. In these dense timber forests
the only way to steer is by watching the lie of the ground
most closely. Suddenly saw three cows and a calf elk trot
ting through the trees about eighty yards off. Fired both
barrels at the calf, for we wanted meat ; then a bull appeared,
but my rifle was empty. Back to camp, very glad to have
seen my flrst elk. McLean had also been out, but had seen
nothing. A long yarn over old Eton days round a blazing
camp flre. To bed at 9.
Simday, Septemher 26^7!,— By no means a day of rest.

A MONTH IN TIIE ROCKIES 7
It took US two hours and a half to saddle and pack all the
horses — seven saddle-horses and eight pack-horses, Bar
clay's second sorrel had nothing to carry, as he had a big
knee. Packing is certainly hard work for men and horses.
Our seven beds were in five bundles, ' Buck ' carried two
beds and the ammunition box ; ' Tommy,' Barclay's horse,
carried the two overalls, containing our united wardrobes,
and a bed ; ' Traps,' as his name implies, carried two bear-
traps weighing some 40 lbs, apiece, as well as all the
cooking pots ; ' Bull,' our best pack-horse, carried 230 lbs.
of flour ; another horse carried the stores, tinned fruit,
coffee, &c. We got off at 10,30 at last; for some of the
animals had rolled with the packs and had to be repacked.
A fairly 'imposing cavalcade we must have looked with our
sixteen horses : Child leading, and the rest of us behind or
on the sides, driving on the pack-horses, every one with a
rifle in front of his saddle. It was bad going at first, through
fallen timber and boggy ground. Then half a mile through
dead timber — i,e, trees which had been killed by a forest fire
and were still standing. There was a high wind ; trees kept
crashing down all round us, and made this part of thejourney
pretty dangerous work. After this we had a two miles steep
pull into the snow-capped range, which bounds the edge
of North Park. A descent of a mile off the top of the ridge
brought us to a well-sheltered park. Though it was only
1,30 we determined to camp, thinking the horses had had
enough. This camp was well over 11,000 feet ; we were not
far from the timber line, and the highest peaks of the range
were but little above us. We pitched the tent, in which
Barclay, McLean, and I slept. There was only room for three
beds ; Sartoris made himself a shelter by a log. We went
out in the afternoon to try and get meat, of which we were
running very short, but did not succeed,
Monday, September 27th. — Was awoke by hearing Child
and Sartoris talking about elk, which Child had just seen on
the hills we came over yesterday, Barclay, Sartoris, and I

8 AMERICA
at once started after them ; McLean was too lazy to get np.
It was so cold that one could hardly feel one's rifle, Sartoris
kept to the right, Barclay and I to the left. We soon caught
sight of them moving along the side of a hill about half a
mile off. Then we lost sight of them for a bit, and were
going along expecting to see them to the right, when Barclay
suddenly caught sight of two bulls flghting in a wooded
hollow to our left. We stalked towards them, but they saw
us, and ran up on to a hill-side, where they stopped to have
a look at us. We opened fire at two hundred yards, but it
was not till the fifth shot that the beast I was firing at
dropped. At the same moment Barclay's beast fell too, I
was delighted, and' we both rushed up the hill, to repent
it afterwards, for the rarity of the atmosphere completely
took one's breath away. My bull was stumbling along, and.
required another shot from Barclay to finish him, Barclay's
bull had been lying apparently dead, but got up meantime
and walked away, and in spite of a long chase we could not
get him. Child and Sartoris soon arrived on the scene.
The head of my bull was too small to take, so I contented
myself with a foot and two teeth. The tender-loin and hind
quarters fed us for a week. After breakfast, at which there
was lots of chaff about the number of shots that had been
heard in camp, we four, with Child, started off on horseback
to look for sheep amongst the highest peaks of the chain.
After riding for about two hours in a southerly direction, we
got clear of the timber and up on to a flat-topped hill, from
which we had a flne view all round. There were some fine
pointed crags to the south of us, which looked likely places
for sheep. All the hollows in these were filled with snow,
and the place where we stopped to spy was on the top of a
big snowdrift. Far away to the north was the snowy range
which can be seen from Laramie; to the north-west the
main chain of the Sierra Madre, and to the south-west the
mountains round Hans Peak. It was a splendid view, but
there were no signs of game. All the sign we saw that day

A MONTH IN THE ROCKIES 9
was a decayed skull of a mountain bison, and a track about
four months old. It was so bitterly cold that we were glad
to turn our faces for camp. On the way back Barclay slew
four ptarmigan, by shooting off their heads with rifle. On
a rocky ridge we had to cross we saw three big coveys,
Tuesday, Septemher 28th. — A very hard frost. We had
to break thick ice to get our water, and even while we were at
breakfast a substantial coating of ice formed over the water
we had just washed in. About eight or nine o'clock it gets
warm, but in this camp we were so high that it froze in the
shade all day. Child, Barclay, and Sartoris went to prospect
a trail for to-morrow to the Sierra Madre range. After
yesterday we had given up hopes of sheep or bison, and
determined to try and reach the Savory, right at the other
end. of the Sierra Madre range, where Barclay killed so many
elk last year, I went over much the same ground as yes
terday, spying carefully every half-mile or so, but no sign of
anything did I see. It was tiring work walking ; the air up
here is very different to that in the Scotch hills.
Wednesday, September 29th. — To-day packing was got
through much quicker, and we were off by 9,30, We crossed
the divide at the same place as on Sunday, then swung to
the left towards Grand Encampment Creek, leaving our old
camp to the right. We followed the creek till we struck the
Hans Peak road, and four miles farther brought us to the
north end of Hog Park at 3 o'clock. We had made sixteen
miles — a long tiring march for men and horses, though the
trail was good. We camped on a little knoll close to an
excellent stream. We did not put up our tents, as we had
come down some 1,500 feet.
Thursday, September SOth. — A sharp frost. We were off
about 10, after some delay catching the horses. For the
first four miles we were ascending to the top of the main
divide between the Atlantic and Pacific slopes. Just before
the top we passed the remains of a bear which Russell had
shot some three weeks before, and also of an elk, with a fine

10 AMEEICA
head, which Child had not thought worth taking. Three
miles farther along a broad elk trail brought us to our
present camp, a little nook in the spur between the forks
of Snake River facing south. Being now on the Pacific
slope, climate is warmer ; there are far more cotton woods
with their yellow leaves in the landscape. The view across
the valley is lovely. The mountains of Colorado from
Volcanic Crater to Hans Peak lay in a confused mass across
the river, tinged with a purple shade like the Scotch hills.
Here and there were dark masses of fir-trees, but there was
no great extent of forest. After the animals were unloaded
and we had had a bit of ' chuck ' (Anglice, ' grub '), I went out
along the trail we had come by this morning. Saw a few
doe deer ; one passed me about seventy yards off, and I had
hard work to prevent myself shooting. On my way back I
heard an elk squeal for the first time ; it was just like four
clear notes on a fife, the last long drawn out. The noise had
been described to me, but it was almost impossible to believe
that an animal could have made such clear notes, Barclay
and Sartoris had heard lots of elk squealing too, so the pro
spects of sport were good,
Friday, October 1st. — Up at 6,30, Only a slight frost.
I went out at 8, and found the slope below camp was all
tracked up with broad elk trails. Soon came on some doe
deer in low brushwood. I was not fifty yards off, and they
looked hard at me, but were not disturbed. Just at that
moment I heard some elk squealing below. I found them
feeding at the end of a ridge, the cows on one side and the
bull on the other. I got within eighty yards of the cows,
then waited behind a fallen log for the bull to appear. In a
few minutes he walked slowly over the ridge — a fine fellow,
with black shaggy neck. I got a chance through the trees,
and bowled him over dead. Managed after several attempts
to stick him and remove pa,rt of the tender-loin. Back
to camp at 11, had some lunch, and then went back with
Harbord and with a pack-saddle on ' Old Tom ' to bring up

A MONTH IN THE ROCKIES 11
the head, some more meat, and the marrow-bones, which
gave us a good hour's work. I parted from Harbord about
four hundred yards from camp, but he managed to miss his
way, and did not get in for an hour and a half. Barclay and
Child had gone out to prospect a trail towards Savory, and
found the country too rough to cut straight across. Barclay
had shot an elk and a black-tail deer, Sartoris and McLean
had slain a bear, Sartoris shot him as he was crossing a
stream about twenty yards off, McLean, who was standing
behind a rock when Sartoris fired, rushed forward, saw the
bear struggling on the ground, and (as he said) not knowing
which end was which fired at the middle, with the result that
the bear moved no more. One threw stones at him, while
the other covered him with his rifle. When they were sure
he was dead they went up and stuck him. Thus ended a
very successful day for all the members of our outfit,
Saturday, October 2nd. — Child went off round the trail
we had come along on Thursday, to find a road along the top
of the divide, Sartoris went off with Harbord to bring in
the skin of the bear, Barclay took McLean out and gave
him a chance at a fine bull : he missed, as his glasses were
clouded, I went over the same ground as yesterday, and in
the same spot found a band of thirteen or fourteen elk with
four bulls in it, two of them pretty fair ones, I stalked
them twice before I could make up my mind whether they
were worth shooting or not. The third stalk I got right
above them ; some cows seventy yards off, but only one bull
in sight, I watched them for twenty minutes or more — a
real pleasure, and as the head of the bull looked better than
that of the one I shot yesterday (which turned out only a
poor one), I fired at him through the trees. The whole band
bolted off, but at the bottom of the hill my bull stopped,
evidently hard hit, and then walked slowly on, I followed
on the other side of the ravine, hoping he would lie down.
At last he crossed to my side, about one hundred and fifty
yards off, I tried to get closer to make certain of him, but

1 2 AMERICA
just as I was going to fire he gave a squeal and trotted
round a rock, I saw him again across a ravine, and had a
long shot with no effect. Though I looked for him for two
hours or more I had to give it up at last.
Sunday, October 3rd. — We determined to make this a day
of rest, and so it has been. We did not breakfast till after 8
— porridge as usual, tender-loin, and slap-jacks. Writing
the diary, reading the Nineteenth Century, and washing one's
clothes filled up the day.
Monday, October Ath. — Two of the pack-horses had
strayed, so we did not get off till after 10. For three miles
we went back along the old elk trail, then turned north along
the main divide. Snake Creek on our left and Hog Park on
our right. The divide was very narrow — not more than fifty
yards broad in parts. The going was good till we came to a
very steep descent on to the north branch of Snake Creek, on
which we camped. The divide we had come along joins
the Colorado mountains to the Sierra Madre. Our camp was
completely shut in by rugged granite rocks, with timber on
the top of the divide. After lunch Child and I went up on
to the top of the Sierra to prospect a trail for next day. He
lost his belt and turned back to look for it. I kept on a bit
farther, and on'turning back towards camp had to climb down
several cairns of huge rocks. I had besides to scramble over
lots of fallen timber, and thought I should not reach camp
before dark. Saw several doe deer, and a small bull elk not
worth shooting at. To camp about dark. They had begun
to think I was lost, and fired two or three shots to guide
me in. Tuesday, October hth. — We all of us started off about 9 on
horseback. Child, Barclay, and Sartoris went up on the
chain and found Cooper's camp deserted, and also a good
trail for to-morrow. McLean and I tried for black-tail, I
saw a great number of does, and had two wild shots at bucks
bolting off without result. On my way home I looked into
the gulch down which I came yesterday, I tied up ' Old

A MONTH IN THE ROCKIES 13
Tom,' and had just got to the top of a bank, when I caught
sight of the horns of an elk over some young fir-trees. He
bolted off, and I only had a bad chance,
Wednesday, October Gth. — Hail on our tarpaulins woke us
during the night, and as it was still raining at 6, we decided
that beds and blankets were too wet for us to move. It was
a nuisance, as we were all anxious to get on. It cleared up
after breakfast, so I started off on ' Old Buck ' down the creek.
I rode about four miles, and then tied the mare up in some
good grass. I took a long turn round on foot, but only saw
some doe deer. Going home along the creek 'Buck' sud
denly pricked up her ears, and I saw a band of elk, four or
five cows and a bull, crossing in front of me at full tilt.
Jumped off and had a shot, which brought them to a stand
still at once. Then got a steady shot at the bull about two
hundred yards off, which seemed to take effect, for the cows
went off up the hill on the other side of the creek, while the
bull could only walk along after them. Seeing ' Buck ' was
standing all right, I scrambled across the fallen timber and
had three more shots as he went up the hill. When I reached
the top of the bank, very much out of breath, he jumped up
and gave me a very good chance at about seventy yards, but,
alas ! there was only an empty cartridge in the barrel when
I pulled the trigger, I never saw him again. When I got
back to where I had left ' Buck ' could see her nowhere, nor
track her. I searched up and down for an hour or more,
and then trudged back to camp, very savage at having lost
my elk and my horse, I told the others my story, and after I
had been at supper for some time one of them said, ' Well,
don't fret yourself any more ; she has been in camp this last
hour,' The others had stayed in camp all day,
Thursday, October 7th. — Hard frost, but finer. Packing
took a long time, as things were wet. Followed the creek
for a mile, and then struck up through the timber to the top
of the range. Cooper's camp was on the edge of a beautiful
park. Wo turned his log hut inside out, and took a tin of

14 AMERICA
' drips ' (maple syrup), in spite of a strongly worded notice
warning all casual travellers that everything was poisoned
with strychnine. We camped about four miles farther on. We
had seen a band of cows coming along, and after lunch Bar
clay and McLean got into a hole where there were lots of
elk squealing. McLean at last got his first elk. I went
down a very steep bank, rocky and frozen, on to one of the
branches of Battle Creek, but only saw a doe deer. It was
dark before I reached camp, and I should not have found it
but for the bell we always had on ' Old Buck,' who was the
best of our horses to stay by camp.
Friday, October Sth. — Hard frost again. Under weigh at
10. A very steep descent at first, then through fallen
timber, and along a bad sidling place, to the south fork of
Battle Creek. From the ridge between the two branches we
could see no place to camp. There were lots of open places,
but there was no grass, nothing but sage-brush. About 3
we had to camp in a wooded hollow, where there was but
little feed for the horses, but it could not be helped. This
was the worst day's packing we have had. It was over very
rough ground ; horses were terribly mean to drive, and we all
lost our tempers, Barclay shot an elk in the afternoon, but
it fell into the creek, and they could not get it, I heard one
squeal too late to go after it,
Satwday, October 9th. — Up at 5,30, Took an early stroll
but saw nothing. Working in three gangs we got through
packing by 8,30, the best on record. We crossed the other
fork of Battle Creek, and almost at once came on a nice little
park — oh that we had found it last night ! We determined
to camp, as there seemed plenty of game about. While we
were unpacking we heard an elk squeal, and were just going
to start after them when we heard two shots fired, much to
our disgust. Soon two men rode into camp ; one a hunter,
the other an infernal-looking Easterner, who said they had
killed seven elk the day before for their heads. Thinking
they were probably detectives after game-slaiighterers, we

A MONTH IN THE ROCKIES 15
crammed them with all kinds of yarns, and they rode off.
McLean and Sartoris went out on foot round camp. Barclay,
Child, and I went on horseback to try and find his old camp
of last year. Crossing the white rocky ridge which divides
Battle Creek from the Little Sandstone we came into more
open country. As we were going along a flat park Barclay
suddenly recognised the ground, -and we soon came on his
camp, very snugly surrounded by green trees. We left Child
to catch trout, while we went up towards the divide where
he had killed so many elk last year. Travelled through thick
green timber for two miles ; saw a buck deer and a band of
elk, with a flne bull, as we went along, but they were out of
sight before we could get a shot. A little farther on we
heard some elk squeal. Tied up our horses on the edge of
the live timber, and had not gone far when we caught sight
of five fair bulls about three hundred yards off. They kept
walking on. As an elk can walk five miles an hour, though
he does not appear to, a stern chase over fallen timber soon
left us in the rear, and we had to give them up, though they
had not seen us. On the way down the valley we saw three
small bulls. Child had caught a nice lot of fish, most of them
small, but one about a quarter of a pound. He had seen
another outfit camped farther down the creek — one of them
a fat man who had been introduced to me at the Chicago
Club, Sunday, October 10th. — Up an hour later than usual,
Barclay and Sartoris took a turn round after breakfast, and
saw a band of three hundred elk, McLean and I remained
in camp, had a good bath in the stream, and washed and
mended our clothes — rather a long operation. In the after
noon we all went fishing in the stream, our implements a
willow bough, a piece of string, and a hook, and our bait raw
meat. The water is very clear, and one watches the fish take
the bait in his mouth. We caught thirty or forty between
us, and very good they were. It is a curious thing that trout
are not found in the streams on the Atlantic slope, but only

16

AMERICA

in those on the Pacific slope. Perhaps the greater mildness
of climate on the latter may account for it.
Monday, October llth. — When we woke up we found an
inch of snow over our beds ; but it came out fair, and we
determined to start. Packing was a tough job. ' Coomanchee,'
our Indian pony, would not let himself be caught. Har
bord tried after him for an hour and a half, but we had
at last to let him run loose. He followed quietly with the
pack train. I took a turn round by myself on the way, but
saw nothing but a doe deer. It came on to snow slightly, so
I went into camp for some * chuck,' after which off again on
' Old Tom ' up the gulch, where Barclay and I had been ou
Saturday. Just as I reached the edge of the live timber heard
an elk squeal, and a little farther on tied up ' Old Tom,' I
had not walked far when up jumped a fair bull right in front
of me, I did not shoot, because I could hear some more
squealing farther up the gulch, as well as on my right. As
I got on I began to realise that the top of the gulch was
full of an enormous band of elk. Such a chorus I had never
heard before, and don't suppose I ever shall again. Some
deep-toned, some shrill like three or four notes on a fife ;
most of them give three or four grunts after whistling ; one
was so hoarse that he barked exactly like a dog. Several
cows I could see, but no big bulls, I kept on the right and
down wind of the main body, hoping to get round on top of
the big bulls. Close to the head of the gulch a band of cows
and small bulls got right in my way, I got within seventy
yards of the nearest cow, when off they went, taking all
those round with them, about half the whole lot, I went on,.
hoping to have a shot at them as they crossed the divide, but
when I reached the top they were already two or three hundred
yards down the other side. Hearing the big bulls still in the
same place I turned back towards them, along the top of the
divide. Of course again some smallish bulls got in my way.
It was just 4 o'clock, A heavy storm was coming on ; I had
left my coat with ' Old Tom ' ; and after all Child, Barclay, and

A MONTH IN THE ROCKIES 17
Sartoris, the ' Old Timers,' had said to me about the danger
of these storms I dared not wait any longer, I went
straight to the place where I heard the big bulls, though I
did not see them, hoping to get a shot at them as they
came over the divide. The small bulls soon began to take
the whole band off with them. About two hundred must have
passed in front of me some two hundred or two hundred and fifty
yards off; last of all, about a hundred yards behind the rest,
came three splendid bulls, moving slowly, I had four or five
shots at the-n, but it was no use, I did not expect to hit
them, bad shot as I am and in the fading light, but it was a
great disappointment not getting one. Just as I was firing the
storm came on ; the hail drove perfectly straight across the
divide, and I rushed for the shelter of the live timber, I
found ' Old Tom ' all right, after a little hesitation, and was
very glad to get back to camp. The hail soon turned to light
snow, so I had not such a bad time as I feared at first. Any
how, the others thought there had been considerable risk ;
they had stayed in camp all • day, McLean with rheumatism
caught bathing yesterday, (Mem, : Never bathe when you
are in camp,) To-night we had both tents up for the first
time for a fortnight,
Tuesday, October 12th. — Snowing at breakfast, but stopped
afterwards. Meat was a necessity, so Barclay and I started
up the gulch while Child and Sartoris went out towards our
last camp, McLean had to stay in bed with his knee. We
heard elk squeal in the gulch, and were trying to get round
them when a storm came on. We were only three hundred
yards from them, but it hailed so hard we bolted for the live
timber. Hard hail soon turned to light snow, and just then
we caught sight of the bull, about two hundred yards off, I
missed, but Barclay bowled him over. We cut off one tender
loin and part of the haunch, put them in Barclay's handker
chief, and started for camp. The snow was eight or ten
inches deep, and we had a good many falls over the logs with
our load. As it was only snowing slightly we deliberated c

i b AMERICA
whether we should turn back after the big band, but thought
it safer to get back to camp. After lunch I took a stroll
round near camp, and coming over a ridge saw a nice black-
tail buck in the timber. I sat down to take a steady shot
when he was completely hidden by some trunks, but
somehow he caught my movement and bounded off as hard
as he could go, I went back to camp very much down on
my luck ; Barclay and Child had shot two elk. It came on
to snow while we were at supper, so we all turned in by 7.
By fixing up a candle in the end of a stake Barclay, McLean,
and I managed to read till about 9.
Wednesday, October 13th. — The worst day of all. It
snowed all day, and no one but self stirred out of camp.
Fortunately we had plenty of meat, but it was dreadfully
tough. I took a walk for about three hours over the ground
to the south-east of camp, but saw nothing but a few doe
deer, not even an elk track. In the afternoon Child saw a
band of elk about one and a half miles from camp. I went
out in that direction, but could not strike them. The snow
was over a foot deep and walking very heavy. In the even
ing, after it was dusk, we saw a light in the sky to the west,
which we at first took for a timber fire, but made out after
wards to be the light from the setting sun on a bit of clear
sky. All delighted at the prospect of a change in the
weather. To bed about 7.
Thursday, October lUh. — Fine again at last, and warm
too. Nearly everything was wet, and had to be dried. We
stretched ropes from tree to tree, and hung blankets &c. on
them. McLean, after two days in bed with mustard plasters
on his knee, began to feel better, and he, Barclay, and I
started for the top of the divide on horseback. Sartoris
stayed in camp to superintend the drying operations, while
Child went off to the west to prospect a trail to the main
Savory for the morrow. In the green timber we found the
snow bad enough, with a great mass coming down every now
and then from the boughs above, but as we got higher up the

A MONTH IN THE ROCKIES 19
divide it became terribly hard on the horses. At last I got
off to break a trail, leading ' Old Tom,' the others following
in my footsteps. A few hundred yards farther we tied up
our horses in some green trees. The snow was too deep
for them to get any food, but it could not be helped. We
heard no elk squealing in the gulch or on the divide, but
severa] fresh tracks led down into the hole the other side.
McLean followed some of them, and soon heard elk squealing.
Unfortunately they were on the move, and we had to walk
a mile or more through snow more than a foot deep, slipping
down constantly. We got within two hundred yards of a good
bull. McLean was to have first shot, and as he was trying
to make out the bull off they went. We had two or three
shots, but it was no use. So ended our last stalk after elk.
It was a hard tramp back to the horses. On the way we saw
a big bear's track, quite fresh ; I wish we could have followed
him. McLean went straight back to camp. Barclay and I
went down to the gulch to try and get the head of the elk he
had killed Tuesday. We had a very bad time going down into
the gulch over cairns of stones, and terrible work climbing
over the fallen timber up to where the elk was killed. We
searched for half an hour without success. Back to camp
weary and somewhat disappointed. This was by far the
hardest day's work we had done.
Friday, October 15t,h. — Packing took a long time. Things
were not quite dry, and we had to catch ' Coomanchee,'
This was accomplished by making a corral of ropes, tying
two or three horses up inside, and driving the rest in. They
went in quietly enough, but when ' Coomanchee ' found him
self bottled he was perfectly mad. At last we got a stout
fifty-foot rope on to him, lashed him to a tree, and Barclay
and Harbord spent a quarter of an hour ' hazing ' him. As
soon as they went near him he galloped off as hard as he
could go, and was brought up short by the rope. He soon
got cunning, and would not run it out to the full length, but
the hazing had the desired effect, and for the next two days
c2

20 AMERICA
he was more subdued. We were off at 10,30, Our way lay
through cotton-wood groves, the snow becoming less deep
as we got on. We crossed the two forks of the Big Sand
stone, both of which form deep canons. The first had very
steep sides, and had the snow not thawed a bit we could not
have crossed. As it was, the pack-train nearly came to grief.
An axe slipped and cut ' Tony,' which caused a delay. The
other horses, instead of following in single file, got pressed
all over the hill, and came down a terribly steep place at the
bottom. There was no accident, and the next canon was
easy. At the top we met Young, of Laramie, who was
camped at the head of a creek: running into the Savory, We
camped close to him, and then went to look at his heads,
which were pretty good ones, and made me feel very envious.
In the afternoon I went out with Child in the cotton-wood
groves between the two forks of the Sandstone, We saw
several black-tail, I made some egregious misses, but he
got a fawn coming home. We packed half of it in for meat,
as the elk-meat we had been living on for the last two days
was as tough as leather. After supper Barclay and Sartoris
went to Young's camp and hired their wagon to take us
and our traps into Rawlins, which, they said, was only forty-
two miles off,
Saturday, October 15th. — Sartoris, Child, and Minghy we
left in camp. They were to hunt another two days, and then
take the pack-train vid Elk Mountain to Cooper Lake or
the Home Ranch. Harbord drove the wagon, with McLean
on the box beside him ; Barclay rode his sorrel, and I
' Coomanchee,' We at once left the timber behind us and
drove across the open plain to Dexterville, a mining settle
ment, which we made about 10 o'clock. For three or four
miles from this we were going in the right direction ; but
the trail we were following then turned away to the Platte,
and we began to think we were wrong. Fortunately we saw
a ranch to our left, the owner of which told us that he was
thirty-five miles from Rawlins, and that the road was easy to

A MONTH IN THE ROCKIES 21
find. Nowhere was it more than a few wagon trails across
the plain, and at last we came to another ranch. Our last
adviser had put us wrong — on purpose, we thought. This
one, an old Missouri man, who had only just arrived on the
spot and was building his log cabin, told us he was thirty-
eight miles from Rawlins — rather disheartening. We halted
an hour to rest and feed the horses, and then en route again.
At first we followed a faint wagon trail, then a better
defined one, till at last we lost it altogether. The next
hour was a bad one. Barclay and I rode in front looking for
the track; we were in a hilly country, the wagon-team
was nearly beat, and we began to think we should have to
spend the night in the open without food, for the little we
had brought with us had been devoured at lunch. Suddenly
from the top of a hill Barclay recognised the Sage Creek
basin, through which we knew the main road from Hans
Peak to Rawlins ran. Four miles farther on we struck the
road, and it was very nearly dark when we came down the
long steep hill on to Pine Grove meadows. We were all
very beat, but we hoped to get a fresh team and push on to
Rawlins that night. The owner, unfortunately, was away
with his only team, and did not turn up till later. His wife,
who recognised Barclay, received us most heartily. Both
she and her husband were very nice people, McLean and
I turned in in an outhouse amongst the garden tools ;
Barclay and Harbord, amongst the potatoes and hay. Our
host does very well with the former.
Sunday, October IQth. — We did the twenty miles into
Rawlins in three hours and a half, passing through a very
barren country. We just caught a baggage train going east,
which was very lucky, but had to leave our horns and bear's
hide on the platform, and our horses tied up outside the
station. We arrived at Laramie at 9 o'clock. A friend who
saw us come into the hotel said he had never seen three
such awful-looking blackguards ; we were all more or less
bearded, and begrimed with a month's dirt.

22 AMERICA
On Monday, October 17th, we said goodbye to Barclay
and Russell. Arrived Chicago Wednesday. I left McLean
at Niagara on Thursday and went on to Boston, where I
spent half the day at Harvard University, and met a very nice
lot of fellows. McLean and I met again in New York on
Saturday, and left for England in the ' Umbria.'

23

PAET II.
INDIA.

CHAPTER L
CEYLON.
McLean and I left England on November 12th. We found
Pemberton on board the ' Assam.' At Suez we transhipped
to the 'Mirzapore,' if possible a slower old tub than the
' Assam.' She did not average much over eleven knots.
The new governor of Madras, Lady Susan Bourke and the
staff, four of Lord Dufferin's children, and a number of nice
people were on board, so the time passed pleasantly. We
reached Colombo December 2nd. From Aden we had tele
graphed challenging the Colombo Cricket Club to play a
match with the passengers of the ' Mirzapore,' but they
could not get a team together. At Colombo we met three
old Eton friends, Loder and Baring, who had come from
Australia, and Barton, who had come from China, so we
challenged Colombo to row us a scratch race. The race
came off on the evening of December 4th, on the Colombo
lake, which is several miles round, and gave room for one
and a quarter mile straight course. We had a very good
boat by Salter of Oxford, The following account of the race
appeared in the leading Ceylon paper : —
' No finer crew than the four passengers of the " Mirzapore "
put on to the lake on Saturday was ever seen in Ceylon, or
indeed in the East, and of that there can be no question.
It was indeed a treat to see them out for practice on Satur
day morning, a treat one seldom sees in Colombo, As soon

24

INDIA

as the identity of the four gentlemen who had challenged the
Colombo men became known their victory was a matter of
no doubt. All had obtained considerable distinction as row
ing men at Oxford, and McLean was probably the best man
of his year, twice obtaining a seat in the 'Varsity eight.
However, the Colombo men, although stiff and much out of
practice, as well as rather past the age for the most effective
exhibition of their powers as rowing men, essayed to give
them a trial.
' Mr. Cull kindly started the crews from a boat moored
near the Fort station, and the following was how the crews
were constitated : —

Colombo R,C.
T. Twynam
W. R. Charsley
V. A, Julius
E, Booth (str,)
L, 0. Liesching (cox,)

' Mirzapore,'
(J. S, Pemberton
T, A, Brassey
D, H, McLean
H, S, Barton
VG, Loder (cox,)

Colombo had the outside station, and when the word " Go "
was given both crews struck the water ag nearly simul
taneously as possible. From that stroke to the conclusion
of the race the 'Varsity men had it all their own way : they
took hold of the boat, and sent it along in a manner quite
hopeless for their opponents to imitate. At the second or
third stroke they were moving rapidly off, and before long
had shaken themselves clear. At Kew Point they led by
about a couple of lengths clear, but rowing quite easily.
Colombo stuck to their hopeless task most pluckily. After
Kew Point had been passed the 'Varsity men eased down a
little, and the Colombo men, trying a spurt at the end, re
duced the amount by which they were beaten to about a
couple of lengths. We believe the Colombo boat went as
well and as fast as any boat rowed over the course by a local
team. The time and swing of the crew were capital, and
the boat travelled well. All availed them nothing, for the

KANDY 25
Colombo men were completely outclassed and outmatched,
and the 'Varsity men might, if they had chosen, have beaten
them by a dozen lengths. Still Colombo did their best on a
short notice to stretch their redoubtable visitors. Mr, Ewart,
the Secretary of the C, R. C, was judge, and a large
number of the " Mirzapore " passengers and others interested
in rowing witnessed the race. The crews dined together at
the Club afterwards. Our visitors are on a pleasure trip to
India, not as rowing men at all, but about to join Lord
Brassey's yacht, the " Sunbeam," now on the Indian coast,
^Ir, T, A, Brassey, who rowed No, 2 in the boat, being a son
of the well-known owner of the yacht in question,'
December 5th. — Barton, McLean, Pemberton, and I went
by the early train up to Kandy, The scenery between
Kandy and Colombo is perhaps the most beautiful in the
world. It has been described in the ' Voyage of the Sun
beam,' so it is useless for me to try to describe it here. At
Peridenya a letter from Mr, Laurie met me, asking us all to
dine with him. All the ' Sunbeam ' party stayed with him in
'77, so that he seemed quite like an old friend. At the Kandy
Club, where we stayed the night, we found a Mr, Waller,
brother of the Mr, Waller who lives near Charlbury, The
more one travels, the smaller the world seems. One cannot
go anywhere without meeting people with whom one has
friends in common.
December Gth. — We left Kandy early and travelled sixteen
miles by train to Matale, Thence we drove in a pair-
horse wagonette to Dambool, We gradually descended
from the mountainous country in the centre of Ceylon to
the flat plain which occupies the whole north of the island.
The scenery was lovely. The fiowers in the jungle which
fringed either side of the road, the birds and the butterflies,
were of the gayest colours. We spent the evening at
Dambool in visiting some wonderful rock temples.
December 7 th. — To-day we accomplished the remaining

26 INDIA
forty miles of the journey to Anuradhapura in two stages.
The road was very bad, and we had to walk ten miles or more
of the way. Fortunately it was fairly cool. The country
was far flatter than that which we had passed through yester
day, and was less thickly inhabited. We often walked through
the flelds which fringed the road, and managed to pick up a
snipe or two.
December Sth and 9th we devoted to exploring Anurad
hapura. Almost as soon as we landed in Ceylon we were
told that it was the place of all others to see. I shall never
regret the trouble we took to get there, as it is quite one^
of the most interesting places I visited in my travels.
Anuradhapura was founded about 250 B.C. by one of the
great Cingalese kings, who for a long time maintained the
struggle with the Tamils, or invaders who came from the
mainland of India. The Tamils now occupy the whole of the
north of Ceylon. These old kings, both in Ceylon and in India,
must have ieen wonderful builders, and must have had com
mand of an unlimited supply of labour, to judge by the works
they have left. There is a tank in Ceylon, about fifty miles
from Anuradhapura, which is fifty miles in circumference ;
and as the bunds or banks of these tanks are fifty or sixty
feet high and broad in proportion, the amount of labour
expended on them must have been enormous. To return to
Anuradhapura. It must have been a city of considerable
size, for a circular road runs round it eight miles long.
Within the limits of this circular road all the jungle has been
cleared away by convict labour ; the big trees are left stand
ing out on a green sward, which made one almost imagine
oneself in an English park. Most of the ruins are within
the circular road, though there are many ruins in the jungle
outside it. These are ruins of dagobas, palaces, temples,
elephant stables, all of the same kind of stone, which in many
places is most beautifully carved. The dagobas are the most
interesting of all, and are almost as wonderful structures as
the pyramids in Egypt. They are circular solid masses of
brick. The largest, the Ruanweli, was originally over 400.feet

ANURADHAPURA 27
high, and is said to have taken twenty years in building.
They stand in the middle of stone-paved courtyards, which
are almost exactly a square mile in area. On each side of
the dagobas are small temples, and running round their bases
are platforms on which the priests walked in procession. The
bricks from the tops ofthe dagobas have fallen down, and the
sides are now sloping and covered with a dense mass of trees,
which are the home of troops of monkeys. At the Ruanweli
dagoba considerable sums have been spent in excavations and
restoration, and one can form some idea of what these wonder
ful relics of a bygone age were originally like. The remains
of the palaces consist chiefly in graceful pillars with beauti
fully carved capitals, and in flights of steps with a broad
carved slab at the bottom, called a moonstone. There is
supposed to be a chamber in the centre of the Ruanweli
dagoba, where jewels or treasure are concealed, but the know
ledge of the passage leading to it is gone. The Government
wish to open a passage to find it ; but most ofthe priests, whose
influence depends on the superstition and ignorance of the
people, oppose any attempt at its discovery.
On the evening of December 9th, McLean and I left
Anuradhapura and journeyed back to Colombo by the way
we had come. I was sorry we had not more time to spare,
for the country round Anuradhapura abounds in game —
elephants, bears, deer of several kinds, and buffalo, besides
duck, teal, and snipe. In fact, we saw some deer on the road
•a few miles from the city. Our other two friends were more
venturesome. They went by bullock-cart to Jaffa, a place
in the extreme north of Ceylon, The distance is 130 miles,
and as a bullock-cart, even with frequent changes, only
travels at the rate of three miles an hour, it took them a
day and a half. Bullock-carts are two-wheeled conveyances
without springs. The road was so bad that they had little
rest. From Jaffa they went by native boat to Ramiseram,
situated on one of the islands in Adam's Bridge, where there
is a wonderful temple. The native boats are only about two
feet wide and very long. They are prevented from capsizing

28 INDIA
by a large outrigger. On the outrigger a platform about six
feet square was fixed, on which Pemberton and Barton spent
the twenty hours which they took to do the sixty miles.
Apart from the discomfort, it was an adventurous expedition,
for if a storm had come on they would probably not have
been heard of again. From Ramiseram they got on by a
rather larger boat to Tuticorin, and we met them again in
Southern India.
McLean and I meanwhile returned to Colombo, where
we were kept waiting six days for a British-India boat to
take us to Tuticorin. If we had known we should have to
wait so long we might have seen something of the rest of
the island. We could have gone up to Newera-Elya — the
hill station, about 6,000 feet above sea-level — where sheep
thrive, where potatoes and other English vegetables grow,
and where a fire is by no means to be despised at night. We
might have seen something of the plantations, Mr, Lane,
son of Colonel Lane of Bexhill, is a planter in Ceylon, and as
he was in England himself last year, he gave me an intro
duction to his manager, which I was sorry not to be able to
avail myself of The coffee-planters were ruined by a disease
which appeared in the coffee plant about ten years ago.
Cocoa and cinchona are now grown to a great extent ; tea
has largely taken the place of coffee, Ceylon tea bids fair
to surpass Indian and other teas in the London market.
People were very kind to us during the days we had to
wait in Colombo. Mr, Julius tock us for a day's snipe-
shooting to Kalutara, about thirty miles south of Colombo,
It was a matter of some difiiculty to preserve one's footing on
the narrow banks between the paddy fields, and occasionally
one got up to the waist in black mud. During the day we
shot eleven and a half couple of snipe, of which two or three
were painted snipe. We had several games at lawn-tennis,
and one night we dined with the Governor and Lady Hamilton
Gordon, But in spite of the kindness of our friends we were
glad to get on.

29

CHAPTER II,
SOUTHEKN INDIA.
December 18th. — We left Colombo by the British India
steamship ' Khandalla ' at 3 P,M,, and at 10,30 the next
morning arrived off Tuticorin, We had tumbled about a good
deal in the swell, and the crossing was not altogether com
fortable for the cabin passengers ; but the unfortunate natives,
six hundred or seven hundred of whom were huddled to
gether on deck in the wind and rain, were infinitely worse
off. The water is very shoal off Tuticorin, and we had to
anchor four miles from the shore. All the cargo is taken
ashore in large open sailing boats manned by natives. As
soon as the anchor dropped about forty of these boats raced
to get their painters made fast on board. They rushed stem
on ao-ainst the ship's side, they banged against one another,
and if they could not get near enough to enable the occu
pants to climb on board, a man jumped into the water with
the painter in his teeth. It was a wonderful scene; the
natives were all in a great state of excitement, and it was
not till the chief officer had cut away the painters of
several boats and allowed them to drift hopelessly down to
leeward, that the launch which was to take us ashore could
get alongside.
We were ashore in half an hour, and, in spite of a delay
at the Custom House, just managed to catch the one o'clock
train for Tinnivelly. We passed through a desolate-looking
country, the soil very dry and bare, a few palmyra palms
here and there being almost the only vegetation. We saw
some flocks of goats and sheep, scraggy-looking animals,
very long in the leg ; some of the goats stand as high as a

30 INDIA
donkey. It is rather difficult to distinguish between the
two, as the coats of both are hairy. I am told that the chief
difference between the goat and sheep of Southern India is
that the tail of the one sticks up and the tail of the other
sticks down. Which does which I fear I have forgotten.
We arrived at Tinnivelly at three o'clock, and a bullock-
coach took us the few hundred yards to Mr. Lee-Warner's
bungalow, a fine specimen of an Indian house, broad veran
dahs and the rooms lofty and cool. Mr. Lee-Warner is the
collector of the Tinnivelly district. A collector is the most
important official in the administration of the country in
India. His district is as large as a good-sized English
county. He not only collects the revenue, but he is the
chief magistrate, he decides all disputes concerning land,
he looks after the police, he directs public works, such as
the making of roads and irrigation canals ; in fact, his
functions are too numerous to mention. The people look
upon him, as the old Saxons did on their king, as ' father
and lord.' As Mrs. and Miss Lee-Warner were taking a
siesta — most ladies in India rest during the heat of the day
— we went in a bullock-bandy, or hired carriage drawn by
bullocks, to see the great Tinnivelly temple. The pagoda
over the gateway was fine, but inside we were led through
colonnade after colonnade of pillars, which were so dark that
we could not see whether the carving was good or not. We
came back to the bungalow, and went on to church in
Palamcotta, which is on the other side of the river. The
view from the bridge was fine, and would have been far
finer if we could have seen the Travancore mountains more
clearly. Their outline is grand, as they rise straight
from the plain to the height of 6,000 or 7,000 feet. The
service was nicely conducted, and the singing fair. The
congregation consisted chiefly of missionaries. The Church
Missionary Society and the Society for the Propagation
of the Gospel do a great deal of work, and there are many
thousand native Christians in the south of India.

trichinopoly 31
Monday, December 20th. — We were up at 5.30, and left
Tinnivelly at 6.10. The country was much the same as that
we passed through yesterday — flat, sandy, and uninteresting.
We passed an occasional tank surrounded by bright green
paddy flelds. We arrived at Madura at 2 o'clock. It is a
pretty place, the roads are broad and shaded by gigantic
banyans. Most of the main roads in Southern India are
shaded by trees, which make them pleasant in spite of the
dust. To-day the heat was not oppressive ; in the train it
was almost cold, and it was not till we began to walk about
in Madura that we found it at all warm. The Hindu temple
at Madura, with the exception of that at Ramiseram, which
was visited by Pemberton and Barton, is the finest in Southern
India. It covers nearly a square mile of ground, I should
think, at a rough guess. Some of the colonnades were very
fine, and the carvings of the Hindu gods and goddesses on
the pillars were most grotesque. We were lucky enough to
see the temple jewels, which had been unlocked for the Prince
of Travancore, who was making a tour through the south of
India. The stones, rubies, sapphires, and diamonds were very
large, bigger round than pennies, but so badly set as to look
like bits of coloured glass. After a visit to the court of
justice and a tank about two miles out of town, we had some
dinner at the station, and left by the 7 p.m. train.
Tuesday, December 21st. — -We managed to sleep fairly till
we arrived at Trichinopoly at 1 A.M. There was no room in
the station hotel, so we drove off to the travellers' bungalow,
which our driver found after some difficulty. It is extra
ordinary that these native drivers never seem to know their
way about their own town. We had about four hours' sleep,
and at 7 started, with an intelligent English-speaking guide,
for the famous rock of Trichinopoly. It is like two or three
enormous boulders rising from the plain to 200 or 300
feet. In the days of Clive and in our early struggles with
the French in India it was a great fortress. From the top
we had a splendid view. About half a mile to the north

32 INDIA
fiowed the broad Cauvery River; beyond which lay the green
island of Sirungam, with the reddish pagodas of the temple
towering above the trees, and then far away in the distance
rose the mountains, with the light of the rising sun just
breaking on them through the clouds. We went on to the
temple. It consists of court within court. The inner courts
we were not allowed to enter, being unbelievers. The pagodas
we thought finer than those at Madura, but the colonnades
were not so grand, nor was there such good carving inside.
We were frightfully pestered by guides and beggars as we
looked round, and as we left the temple we were pursued not
only by a crowd of these but even by the sacred elephants
whom we had disdained to notice. On the way back to the
bungalow we purchased some silver and copper work, for
which Trichinopoly is famous, and 2,400 cheroots for twenty
rupees, about 30s. (i.e. eighty for a shilling), the cheapest if not
the best smokes I've ever had. A large quantity of tobacco
is grown in the delta of the Cauvery near Trichinopoly. We
left Trichy — as it is usually called — at 12,30, and during the
afternoon were passing along the valley of the Cauvery, which
is one of the most fertile districts in India, Sugar-cane,
castor oil, and various kinds of Indian grain, besides tobacco,
are grown, Wednesday, December 22nd. — At 5 A,M, we arrived at Me-
tapoliam, at the foot ofthe mountains which surround Mysore.
We hired a special tonga, as we found otherwise our luggage
could not reach Ootacamund till the next day, A tonga is a
two-wheeled conveyance, much lower than a dogcart, drawn
by two horses. In this we did the most wonderfu] bit of
travelling I've ever done in my life. From Metapoliam to
Coonoor is twenty-two miles and a rise of 5,000 feet. We
changed horses ten times, i.e. every two or three miles, and
did the distance in two hours and a half. From Coonoor to
Ootacamund is twelve miles and a rise of 1,500 to 2,000 feet;
this we did with two pair of horses in one and a half hours.
That is to sn}-, we came thirty-seven miles, and mounted nearly

ootacamund 33
7,000 feet, or about eight times as high as the South Downs,
in four hours. This was indeed a red-letter day as regards
scenery. The sunrise at Metapoliam was lovely. The eastern
sky was a rich rose tint, and the mountains, rising straight
out of the plain, were tinged with the reflection. The scenery
on the drive up the gorge to Coonoor is some of the most
beautiful in India, The sides of the mountains are very steep,
and clothed with the most luxuriant tropical vegetation —
palms, bamboos, &c. Near the top there were coffee-planta
tions on both slopes of the gorge. At one time one got a
peep through the jungle at the torrent foaming 1,000 or more
feet below, and then one would have a lovely view down the
gorge over the plain beyond Metapoliam. From Coonoor on
to Ooty the road is nothing like so pretty. We had good
views of the mountains away to the west, but the grass is
scanty and burnt up, and there are no trees. Ooty itself is
situated in a hollow filled with trees, mostly blue gums, im
ported from Australia, It is a straggling place, every bunga
low in its own garden, and there are many nice bungalows,
as Ooty is the hill station for the Madras presidency. The
Governor and every one who can get away comes up here in
the hot weather. We were rather struck by the hedgerows
being mostly of geraniums, sweet-scented and common, or
wild-roses, while arum lilies grew in profusion wherever there
was water. At Sylk's hotel we found Loder, Barton, and
Pemberton, and very glad we were to meet again after our
annoying delay. We all chaffed Pemberton very much for
driving about with a revolver, in a large leather case strapped
round his waist, in a place where one was as safe as in Hyde
Park. Pemberton and Barton had arranged to ride down the
ghaut to Mysore, some seventy miles, and had sent on coolies
and spare horses. After some hesitation I decided to join
them, though of course I could take no luggage, as it was too
late to send on coolies. After tiffin, McLean and I walked
up to the top of Doddapet hill, 8,600 feet, which overlooks D

34 INDIA
the town of Ooty, At first we walked through cinchona and
blue gum plantations, higher up the path crossed bits of open
down or ran through pretty woods of rhododendrons. They
were not out, but here and there we saw a bit of crimson
blossom, and all along the path there were bushes covered
with a yellow flower which smelt exactly like a primrosoi,
It took us rather over an hour of easy walking to reach the
top, and then we were indeed repaid for our trouble. The
view was magnificent all round, but the mountains were
finest to the S.W-, where we could see the Coimbatoor hill,
and far beyond it, with their tops just showing above the
clouds — the spur of the mountains in Travancore, Due south
we could see over the plain for a hundred miles or more. To
the north we could see all the southern part of Mysore — a flat
table-land enclosed by hills on the E,, S,, and West, To N,W.
we could see the mountains in the gold-bearing district of
the Wynaad, while due west range rose beyond range, all
tinged with a beautiful light in the lowering sun. It is a
grand view, and gives one an almost complete idea of the
physical configuration of the southern part of the Indian
peninsula. We got back to the hotel in time to go and see a
Toda settlement before dinner. The Todas are one of the
four original hill tribes of the Neilgherries, and are there
fore among the oldest inhabitants of Southem India, There
were not more than thirty in this settlement. They are
splendid-looking people, with long black hair and dark eyes.
They live in very rough huts, which have to be entered by a
hole about two feet square close to the ground. The huts
are surrounded by a mud wall. At dinner we met a man
who had been at Oxford with us — the only other occupant of
the hotel — and afterwards we amused ourselves by reading in
the guide-book the account of the road we were to take to^
morrow. The book said it was a road not usually taken by
travellers, as the jungle through which it ran was infested by
elephants, tigers, panthers, "and other wild beasts. As we
only had one revolver between us — I had left my rifle at

OOTACAMUND TO MYSORE 35
Metapoliam — the prospect was not encouraging if we did
meet anything.
Thursday, December 2ord. — Up at 5,30, Breakfast at 6,
We started a little before 7 ; McLean and Loder, who
were going round to Bangalore vid Metapoliam and Jalarpet,
turning out to see us off. The ground was covered with
white frost, and there was ice on all the pools, so that for the
first hour it was pretty cold. It was about five miles along
a good road to the top of the ghaut, and then a steep descent
for seven or eight miles, which took us a long time, as the
road was bad, and our ponies anything but sure-footed.
Mine came down once, shot me over its head, while my
sun-umbrella went in one direction, and the bundle con
taining my little all in another. Fortunately there was no
damage done. The road zigzagged down a gorge with
coffee estates on either side, but though some of the rocks
were grand, the mountains on the whole were rather like
ordinary Welsh hills, and not nearly so fine as those overlook
ing the gorge between Coonoor and Metapoliam, From the
bottom of the ghaut the road ran through rather open jungle ;
a few trees, the grass dry and burnt up. We met an old
soldier, a sub-inspector of roads, who had been in the native
pioneers in Afghanistan, At Masnagoody, where we changed
ponies, he made himself very useful in getting us some curry
and rice for breakfast. The only furniture in the travellers'
bungalow were two bedsteads, a table, and a few chairs ; cups,
knives and forks, &c,, were wanting, and but for our friend
we should have fared very badly. We arrived at Masna
goody at 10.30, having come eighteen miles, and left at 12,45.
The road ran through undulating jungle, much thicker than
that we had come through in the morning, till we reached the
Mysore frontier, eight miles from Masnagoody. We then
commenced ascending to get over the Sigiri ghaut, a low
range of hills lying about ten miles north of the Neilgherries.
All this country has the reputation of being very feverish ;
it was on this road that Lord Dalhousie caught the fever of
I) 2

36 INDIA
which he died; and the air felt to me very heavy and
pestilential, perhaps because I was seedy. We met three
elephants, one quite a baby, who were taken into the jungle
to allow us to pass. Many horses will not go near an
elephant, A little later we were rather startled by coming
suddenly on a troop of large wanderoo monkeys close to the
road, who were not in the least alarmed at our approach. We
tried several short cuts through the jungle, following the
telegraph-posts, but we did not see any of the tigers or
panthers of which we had read. The Mysore road was better
than that in British territory, and getting along at a good
canter we reached Gundalpet at 4,45 — twenty-five miles
from Masnagoody and forty-three from Ooty. We found that
the amildar, or head of the village, had provided one good
bullock-cart for Pemberton and Barton, and there was a
smaller one which he said I could have. The carts were long
and narrow, and it would have been impossible for more than
two to be comfortable in one cart. The amildar was very
civil, and we paid him all the compliments we could through
an interpreter. After a good dinner in the travellers' bun
galow, which is large and comfortable, we made ready to
start. We were rather surprised when we were told that
one pair of bullocks were to take us right through to Mysore,
thirty-six miles. My bullocks did not look up to it, so I
induced the kotwal — the second boss in the village — by the
present of a rupee to get a better pair. He brought not only
a better pair of bullocks, but a larger cart, with plenty of
straw in the bottom and a mat over it. Barton lent me a
pillow, and if only it had been softer, one would not have had
such a bad night. Though there were no springs to the cart
the road was very good. It was a lovely starlight night,
fortunately. If it had rained, I expect the palm-leaf roofs
would not have kept us very dry. For the best part of the
night I was awake, and had constantly to stop my driver, for
our bullocks were faster than the others, and trotted along at
a good pace now and then. In spite of this we were all

MYSORE 37
much surprised to find ourselves close under the Mysore hill
the next morning at 6 a,m.
Friday, December 24>th. — We were just going along the
edge of the tank as the sun rose over the shoulder of the hill
on the other side, aud very lovely it was. The tank forms a
kind of elbow, and is, I suppose, about a mile long. Round
the banks is a fringe of enormous bo-trees — the sacred tree of
India — with little temples beneath. We had some difficulty
in finding the hotel, but at last we hit on a man who could
speak English. The bullocks did not seem much done up
by their long journey, in fact they would have trotted in the
last mile, if we had not got out and walked. After a wash
and breakfast we drove off to catch the train for Seringapatam,
As there is a difference of ten minutes between post-office
and railway time, we just missed it, and very lucky it was,
as we found out afterwards it would have been impossible
to get a trap at Seringapatam, The drive from Mysore to
Seringapatam is only eight miles. The country is unin
teresting, except for the wonderful dykes which carry the
water for miles to irrigate the land near the river. Close to
the Cauvery is a fringe of cocoanut and other trees, and there
were some pretty peeps as we crossed into Seringapatam,
On one of the branches is a broad flight of steps, on which a
number of natives in their gay-coloured dresses were wash
ing, making a very picturesque effect. The road enters the
island just outside the fortress. We turned to the right and
drove first to the gardens of Lai Bagh, where Hyder Ali and
Tippoo Sultan — the implacable foes of the English in India
at the end of the last centuiy — are buried. The pillars and
the open work of the windows of the mausoleum are of black
hornblende, and the doors are of ebony inlaid with ivory.
These are very beautiful, but otherwise there is not much to
see. We then drove bacls past Ganjam village to Tippoo's
summer palace, the Dowlat Deria Bagh, which is on the
other side of the island. Here are the well-known pictures
of various engagements between the English and the Sultan's

38 INDIA
forces, in which you may be sure the English soldiers are
not represented to advantage. The picture of the destruction
of Baillie's detachment, the greatest disaster British arms
ever sustained in Southern India, is most amusing. The
Mahommedan part of the decoration is tawdry, and has too
many colours in it. It is in somewhat the same style as
that of the Alcazar at Seville, but is not so good. I was
very much interested at recognising many of the places men
tioned in the first siege of Seringapatam in 1792. Corn
wallis attacked the island from the north, Wellesley in 1799
attacked it from the south-west. In front of the Dowlat
Deria Bagh were the remains of a rampart between which
and the river one of the detachments of Cornwallis's army
took shelter on the night of the attack. On the opposite
side of the river was a rocky mound, which must have been
the Mosque redoubt, and to the north-east of this stretched
the range of hills over which the left division of Corn
wallis's army advanced. Williamson and I spent a whole
morning — when we were working at Indian history for
the schools — on the plan of Cornwallis's attack. Though
I thought then it was a morning wasted, I was amply
repaid now. We had neither guide nor guide-book, and
I was able to point out to the others any place of interest.
From the Deria Bagh we drove to a mosque within the
ramparts, from which we had a good view over the whole
fortress. Seringapatam is only a small village now ; the old
palaces have all been pulled down. British troops were
quartered here for some time after its final capture in 1799,
but they were removed on account of the unhealthiness of the
place. The whole island bears the marks of departed great
ness in the numerous Mahommedan graveyards with which
it is covered — now it is a scene of desolation ; only ninety
years ago it was the scene of Tippoo's pomp, if not of his
greatness. From the mosque we went to a wonderful low-
spanned brick arch, which springs when jumped on : its
history we could not discover. We had intended to walk

SERINGAPATAM 39
round the ramparts, wliich are in triple lines, one within
the other, but it was past noon and the sun had got too hot
for us, tired as we were with our long ride and our night in
a bullock-cart, I was very sorry, as I should have liked
much to have seen the breach by which the army entered
Seringapatam in '99, and on whicli Lord Lawrence's father
fell severely wounded. We drove back to Mysore and
rested at the hotel till 5 o'clock, when Major Martin, a very
nice old gentleman, came and took us to the Maharajah's
palace. Major Martin was the Maharajah's tutor, and now
that he is grown up, superintends his aS'airs, The courtyard
of the palace was curiously tawdry. The colonnades surround
ing it and a kind of covered circus in the centre were of
painted wood ; but the wood in the verandahs was left its
natural colour — a deep brown — and Major Martin was trying
to induce the Maharajah to have the rest scraped. We went
up the most undignified flight of stairs and through passages
not fit to lead to a washhouse, to the throne-room — a low dark
room adorned by the portraits of the many eminent men who
have been connected with Mysore, Sir John Malcolm, the
Duke of Wellington, and others. Besides these, the only
remarkable things in the throne-room were two massive
silver doors. In one of the passages was a splendid door
inlaid with ivory, a curious contrast to its surroundings.
The library was most interesting. The books are written on
palm-leaves, about two inches wide and a foot long. They
have wooden covers, and covers and leaves are threaded on
pieces of cord, which serve as a binding. In the armoury
we saw Tippoo's sword, a Mahratta sword, which would
buckle round the waist, a Mahratta dagger, which by touch
ing a spring in the handle is made to open inside a man, and
the Mahratta claw, with one of which Sivaji, the founder of
the Mahratta empire, killed the Bijapur minister, Afzul Khan,
The rise of the Mahrattas was in many aspects a revolt of
the downtrodden Hindus against their Mahommedan con
querors, and what the Mahrattas could not accomplish by

40 INDIA
fair means they had not the least hesitation in accomplishing
by foul. The claw is the most horrible of their weapons. It
consists of four bits of curved steel, which are fixed on rings
which fit on the fingers. The claw is entirely concealed
when the hand is closed, and the rings which sustain it are
hidden amongst the mass of rings which Indian princes
usually wear. Major Martin kindly asked us to dinner,
though we had no decent clothes. His daughters were plea
sant — one of them played some Hindu airs which she had
managed to pick up from native women. The conversation
turned principally on the Maharajah. He, like others of the
leading princes in India, e.g. the Nizam and the Gaekwar,
is quite a young man, a little over twenty. He is a very
nice fellow, and is more than half an Englishman in his tastes
and habits. He not only copies us, as most of the princes
do, in our amusements, but he has only one wife, and, what is
more important still, he takes an interest in the development
and the welfare of his country. It is, perhaps, one of the
most encouraging features of English rule in India at the
present time, that we are training up a number of young
princes in English ideas of the functions of govemment, i.e.
that a country is not to be governed in the interests of the
sovereign, but in the interests of the people themselves.
Saturday, Christmas Day, 1886, — We left Mysore at 8,30,
and reached Bangalore about 5 o'clock, getting a good lunch
at Maddur at 12. It is only eighty-five miles, and we took
eight and a half hours — about the slowest bit of travelling by
rail it is possible to do anywhere. The country is not pretty
till about twenty miles from Bangalore, when the line runs
through a mass of rocky and wooded hills, on the top of each
of which in the old Mysore days was no doubt perched a
strong fort or droog. There is a good deal of dry cultivation,
but the soil is poor ; only once did we cross a rich plain. It
looked as if a good deal of land had gone out of cultivation ;
and this is no doubt the case, as about twenty per cent, of the
population died in the terrible famine of 1876, Eastwood

BANGALORE 41
and Rennie, two Eton friends in the 12th Lancers, with
McLean, met us at the station with the regimental drag.
We drove to the fort, the only remains of which is a massive
wall. Inside this is a well laid out park, with a fiower- garden
and menagerie in the centre. In the latter were two tigers,
a lioness, several hyasnas and cheetahs. The fernery is the
best thing in the park ; it is quite one of the most beautiful
I have ever seen. Most of the officers have separate bunga
lows, Loder and I stayed with Colonel Stewart, McLean
with Gordon, Pemberton with Churchill, who is unfortunately
ill, and Barton with Rennie. Colonel Stewart has the most
lovely flowers in his garden — a sky-blue convolvulus, red,
yellow, and mauve creepers trailing over the house, to say
nothing of roses and violets, and with all this he tells us it is
a bad time of year for flowers at Bangalore. We were eighteen
or twenty at dinner ; nine of us had been at Eton together —
a very jolly meeting. We had snap-dragon after dinner to
remind us of Christmas at home. Thus ended the hardest
week's travelling I've ever done, and probably ever will do
again. Since landing at Tuticorin last Sunday we had been
to Tinnevelly, Madura, Trichinopoly, Ootacamund, Mysore, and
Seringapatam, and had travelled more than one hundred and
twenty miles by road. It was too great a rush to enjoy the
places thoroughly, but it was worth doing to have our Christ
mas dinner together at Bangalore,
Sunday, December 26th. — Up at 7, and went for a ride
with Barton and Eastwood on the Agram plains before
breakfast. Barton and I went to church at 11 — a nice
service. It was rather curious to hear the regiment march
into the churchyard to the strains of a very lively polka. In
the afternoon Eastwood, Rennie, and we five travellers went
for a row on the tank. It was very weedy, and our boat was
rather a barge ; but it was very enjoyable on the water in the
cool ofthe evening.
Monday, December 27th. — Up at 7, and rode out to the
Agram plains to see the regiment parade. It was cool, and not

42 INDIA
very dusty. There were about three hundred men on parade, all
that there are horses for. There were about sixty young 'uns in
the ranks, and many men were in difficulties with their buck
ing steeds. Nearly all the European cavalry remounts and
artillery horses come from Australia, and very nice animals
they are too. Colonel Stewart had four or five as nice horses
as one would well wish to see. After parade we went
through the troop-rooms to see the Christmas decorations.
Nice airy rooms they were, and very prettily decorated.
Some of us lunched with the Kingscotes, He is colonel of
the 52nd Regiment, the only other European regiment in
Bangalore, There is a native cavalry regiment and two or
three infantry regiments. The Madras regiments have not a
very high reputation for efficiency, and are not of much use
compared to the Sikhs, They have, however, done fairly well
in Burmah, After lunch we rode down to the golf-ground
and racecourse. Nearly every station in India has its race
course, and scratch meetings are pretty frequent. We five
were all convened to a Masonic dinner. Eastwood, Rennie,
and Gordon had just joined the lodge. Many of the sergeant-
majors of the regiment also belonged, and very nice fellows
they were too. Some of them were gentlemen. It is
astonishing how many gentlemen there are in the ranks
in these days of competitive examinations. McLean and I
were both let in for speeches, he as a Freemason, and I to
respond for the Navy.
Tuesday, December 2Sth. — McLean and Loder went off by
the early train to Mysore. Pemberton and I rode down to
the golf-ground and I had my first game at golf. One had
always despised it before as a slow old gentleman's game, but
it was certainly rather fascinating. In the afternoon we
rode out to see the Maharajah's palace, a stone castellated
building in English style, but very badly proportioned.
There is one fine reception-room with glass furniture. We
rode back through the Cubbon gardens, an extensive and
prettily laid out park. I was sorry we did not see more

MADRAS 43
of the town during our visit. It is the most important
town in Mysore ; though Mysore is the nominal capital.
It not only has very large cantonments, but it is the seat
of government and has a considerable trade. We left by the
evening train, and had to say good-bye to our kind hosts.
We had had three jolly days, a pleasant rest after the rush
of the previous week.
Wednesday, December 29th. — Arrived at Madras at 7
o'clock. It is a straggling place — really a collection of
villages extending six or seven miles along the sea shore.
After breakfast we went to the post-office to get our letters,
but were both disappointed. The post-office is a fine build
ing, in the business part of the town facing the harbour, so
far as it can be called a harbour. Enormous sums have been
spent on two breakwaters running straight out from the
shore and on a seawall partially closing the space between
the two. The seawall was broken down in a gale last year,
and they were attempting to repair it. We went on to Fort
George, which was captured by the French in the last cen
tury. The old church in the fort has some interesting monu
ments to Lord Hobart, Martin Schwartz, the great missionary,
Munro, and others, all distinguished by the fulsomeness of
the epitaphs, which made one turn away in disgust. After
lunch Pemberton and I called at Government House and
were asked to come and stay. We took up our quarters in
Marine Villa, a charming bungalow on the sea shore, about
a quarter of a mile from Government House, The latter is a
very fine building, and the park between it and Marine
Villa is prettily studded with date palms and well stocked
with black buck. In the evening we went for a stroll
through the great fair, which takes place every year at
Christmas time. It was crammed with thousands and
thousands of people. Two days afterwards a terrible fire
took place in the bazaar of the fair, by which two hundred
or three hundred people lost their lives. The only other
guest at dinner was Sir Robert Fowler. Lady Susan Bourke

44 INDIA
and the Govemor were as nice as they had been coming out
on the ' Mirzapore.'
Thursday, December 30th. — The only event was a gym
khana, or scratch race meeting, at 4 o'clock. The sport was
not of a very exciting nature — a hack race, a steeplechase
for ponies, and a quarter-mile foot-race for men in the
garrison, in which out of five competitors two stopped, one
fell down twenty yards from the post, and the other two
just crawled in. Some of the officers of the 'Mirzapore,'
who was on her way back from Calcutta, came to dinner, and
we had a pleasant chat.
Friday, December 31st. — McLean and Loder tumed up
from Bangalore before we were up. After some discussion
we decided again to break up our party, Loder, McLean, and
I going on to Bombay vid Bijapur, as I wanted to be there
in time to meet. the 'Sunbeam,' while the others went to
Hyderabad, and thence on to Bombay.' After breakfast we
went round to the Madras Club, which is reputed to be the
finest club in the East. The reading-room, which was all I
saw of it, is very large, very lofty, and deliciously cool, I
met Butterworth, an old Balliol rowing-man, and saw Twigg,
whose name I remembered as having rowed in the eight
which was head of the river in '79. We had meant to leave
by the mail train at 5 o'clock, but my black servant who
had charge of the luggage missed it. As a servant he was
always more trouble than he was worti, but he was abso
lutely necessary as an interpreter. Fortunately there was
another part of the train leaving at 5,45, which caught the
first part up at Arconum, some thirty miles from Madras,
We turned in at 10 without much thought that this was the
last night of the old year. One is apt to forget the times
and the seasons when one is travelling,
Janua/ry 1st, 1887. — We were travelling all day
through dry-looking uplands ; there was hardly a green
thing to be seen. It is only after one has travelled in
Western America and in India that one appreciates the green

BIJAPUR 45
of an English meadow. Most of the land near the railway
was under cultivation — maize and other crops we did not
know. There were very few trees except near the stations.
We had a fair dinner at Hodgi, the junction for Bijapur ;
but were rather sold when we found it was impossible to get
a bed anywhere. We lay down on the benches in the wait
ing-room, which were very hard. The discomfort did not
end here ; for mosquitos kept buzzing round all night, and
there is nothing like the buzz of a mosquito for disturbing
one's rest. We found in the morning that we had by no
means escaped their ravages,
January 2nd. — Our train started at 5,45, and we were
at Bijapur at 11. Bijapur was the capital of the greatest of
the four Mahommedan kingdoms of the Deccan, Its great
ness lasted only for two hundred years, from 1450 to 1650,
but the monuments left by its sovereigns will make it remem
bered for ages to come. The city is surrounded by an enor
mous wall, about twenty feet thick and forty or fifty feet high,
with a wide and deep moat in front. The battlements re
semble an ornamental balustrade, and at intervals there are
turrets. We went first to the Jumma Musjid, or Great
Mosque, All the mosques in India are similar in their
general features. They are situated at the end of a large
court ; they are entirely open to the air on the side facing
the court; the roof consists of numberless small concave
domes supported on pillars ; and there is absolutely no altar
or furniture, with the exception of a small fiight of stone
steps which does duty as a pulpit. There was nothing very
remarkable about the mosque at Bijapur, but we had a fine
view from the roof over the city. We next visited the Trea
sury and then drove out through the walls on the other side
to the tomb of Ibrahim Roza— one of the sultans of Bijapur.
The tombs of most princes in India are about as big as ordi
nary churches at home. On the ground floor of the building
is generally a marble or stone block, in some cases richly
carved, which one at first supposed was the grave; but

46 INDIA
one learnt later that the remains are deposited in a vault
underneath. From the tomb we drove back through ruined
houses to the Audience Chamber, where the Sultan used to
sit in state and administer justice to his subjects. The
ruins consist of three splendid pointed arches some sixty feet
high, which formed the front of the chamber, which was of
course open to the air. Close to the Audience Chamber we
had a lovely peep along the moat of the citadel. On one side
the high wall and turrets, partly overgrown with creepers,
rose right out of the moat, on the other large banyans stood
almost on the water's edge, while in the distance the graeefnl
tower of the seven-storeyed palace was just visible over the
battlements. It was quite the prettiest peep in Bijapur, and
almost reminded one of an old English castle. On the opposite
side of the road was a curious ruin, not mentioned in
Ferguson, which, if one had not been in Bijapur, one would
have thought was an old abbey. The tomb of Adil Shah,
which we visited last of all, is by far the largest and most
remarkable building. The dome is as big as the dome of St,
Paul's Cathedral, There is no detail in the interior ; and
it is remarkable simply for its grandeur and the manner
in which it is supported. As at St, Paul's, the dome makes
a wonderful whispering gallery. We stationed ourselves on
three different sides, and found that when one's neighbour on
the right spoke, the sound came from the left. From outside
we had a wonderful view, which was rather disturbed by the
multitudes of green parroquets which kept circling around.
We were all immensely delighted with our visit to Bijapur ;
but one cannot see the ruins of its houses, its palaces, and its
tombs without a feeling of sadness and regret for the great
ness which has so recently passed away. We were back at
Hodgi at 7, and left by the 8 o'clock train,
Janua/ry 3rd. — At 4,30 we arrived at Poonah, We had
a very fair breakfast at the station, and at 7 started off to
see the sights. The sun was up, but there was a very cold
frosty feeling about the air till after 8 o'clock. Poonah is

POONAH 47
2,000 to 3,000 feet above the sea, and the climate is far
cooler than that of Bombay or Madras, Poonah was the
centre of the great Mahratta power, which did so much to
break up the Moghul Empire, and to pave the way for our
dominion in India, It is a quaint old town ; most of the
houses are built of thin bricks arranged in layers alternately
horizontally and vertically. They have a wooden verandah
on the upper storey and a projecting cornice, which is some
times carved. At every corner there is a dome-shaped tomb
among or behind the houses. We went first to the New
Market, only a small part of which is yet occupied; it is
difficult to get the natives to take up new ideas, A market
which would have well suited an English provincial towu
looked rather out of place amongst the old Indian houses.
We went on to the Parbatihill, up which we mounted by a fiight
of broad steps, practicable for an elephant, which apparently
is the ordinary conveyance for getting there. At the top
there is a Hindu temple as well as the remains of the Maha
rajah's palace, from the windows of which the last Peishwah,
as the head of the Mahratta confederacy was called, saw the
battle of Khirkee, Many thousands of the Peishwah 's troops
attacked the handful of British and Sepoy soldiers which the
British Resident at the Peishwah's court had with him, and
were completely defeated. It was partly in consequence of
this battle that the Peishwah's dominions became British terri
tory. We had a splendid view over the city and the canton
ments to the hills, on the top of which stood the hill-forfc
where Sivaji began his career. We drove back through the
cantonments to the station. The cantonments cover an
immense extent of ground, as they do in all the garrison
towns of India, For health's sake the barracks of the
European soldiers are placed wide apart, so that one building
does not block the draught of air to another. In the same
way the bungalows of the officers and civilians stand in their
own gardens. In no case, even in the big towns, do they
live in what we understand by a street. The scattered

48 INDIA
nature of the cantonments contributed to many of the
disasters and massacres in the Mutiny. Many precautions
are taken now which were not taken then, and in many
stations camps of refuge have been constructed to which the
Europeans may retire in case of a rising. We left Poonah
at 12, and a very hot journey we had, especially after we
reached the bottom of the ghaut. The ghauts rise almost
straight from the sea-level to the height of 2,000 feet. The
railway is a wonderful example of engineering skill. The
gradient is often one in thirty-seven, and in one place the
train goes on to a siding and comes out the opposite way.
We had several fine views into the gorges below us, but
the hills are fiat-topped and sandy, the vegetation is burnt
up, and after the drive from Metapoliam to Ootacamund
we did not think much of the scenery. Arrived at Bombay
at 6,30 and drove straight to Government House, which
is charmingly situated on Malabar Point, I had been
sitting in my tent for half an hour quietly reading my
letters when I heard that all our party had arrived. The
' Thames ' came in at 10 o'clock and the ' Sunbeam ' in the
course of the afternoon. It was rather curious that we
should all have reached Bombay on the same day. The
Aberdeens, Buckinghamshire, Ralli, and Cannon also arrived
by the ' Thames,'

49

CHAPTER III,
SINDH AND THE PUNJAB,
Tuesday, January Mh. — All the men staying at Govern
ment House were located in tents pitched on the edge of the
cliff facing the Indian Ocean, I had to stay all day in my
tent, being seedy, and found it very pleasant with the cool
sea breeze blowing in,
Wednesday, January 5th. — Went on board the yacht. In
the afternoon a number of people came to tea, including
all the Government House party and two very richly dressed
grandchildren of the Shah of Persia,
Tliursday, January Gth. — We left Bombay at 2 a.m,, and
as we met with baffling winds took four days on the passage
to Kurrachee, Monday, January 10th. — We reached Kurrachee at 7 A,m,
The ' Tenasserim ' with the Reays on boards had arrived on
Saturday, After breakfast Mr, Dastur and Mr, Bala, two of
the Parsee cricketers who played at Normanhurst last sum
mer, came on board. They were very civil during our stay,
I remained on board all day, still seedy. Most of the party
left by the evening train for Skikarpur,
Tuesday, January llth. — In the afternoon father, the
children, and I drove up to the town, which is about three
miles from the harbour. Everything was dry and burnt up ;
there were no trees, and hardly any gardens. Its great
merit is its healthiness ; we found it quite cold compared
with Bombay, Kurrachee is a very important base for the
North-West frontier. The harbour has been much improved
by artificial means. Twenty years ago it could only be used
E

50 INDIA
by vessels of very light draught, but by dredging and by the
scour of the tide, which has been skilfully turned to account, a
considerable area has been deepened to twenty-five or thirty
feet. There is a fine pier, alongside which a vessel can discharge
her cargo, in the lower harbour, and some two miles nearer
the town an extensive quay has been constructed for the use
of native boats. This is not the grain season, but we were
disappointed at the want of an appearance of commercial
activity. There were only five steamers in the harbour
and one sailing vessel, three of the former being B, I,
boats. We came to the conclusion that the facilities for
commerce had for the time outrun the commerce itself. We
were told that this is in part due to the high rates on the
Scinde railway, which is in Government hands. The Bombay
and Baroda and the North- Western railway companies have
lowered their rates so that much of the wheat from the
Punjab is now shipped at Bombay, We left by the 7
o'clock train. Our carriages were comfortable, and we
slept well,
Wedyiesday, Jamiary 12th. — This moming it was very
much colder. We passed through an uninteresting country,
a sandy plain, sparsely covered with bushes. Near the mud
villages there was a little cultivation, irrigated from wells.
We arrived at Shikarpur, the first station on the Quettah
branch, at 2 o'clock, and found the rest of the party delighted
with the bazaars, the fair, and all they had seen. As this
fair is the great annual show of horses, camels, and donkeys
for this part of India, there was a gathering from far and
near, including Beloochees, Afghans, and Pathans, as well as
Scindees. Splendid fellows most of them were, tall and
swarthy, with black beards, which some of them unfortunately
thought it ornamental to dye red. It was very cold standing
about, and we were glad to get away after Lord Reay had
presented a few of the prizes. Mother and father dined at
the Commissioner's, where the Reays and Aberdeens were
staying ; the rest of us dined in our saloon. It was rather a

SHIKARPUR 51
squash, but the native cook, superintended by Pratt was a
great success,
Thursday, January 13th. — We breakfasted early, and
then went to call on the Mir of Scinde, one of the old Scindee
chiefs. He sent ten camels for us, so we were all able to
have our flrst experience of camel-riding. They walked at a
great pace, five or six miles an hour ; but it was an uncom
fortable motion, probably because we had not learnt the way
to sit them. Mounting was rather a jumpy affair at first ¦
one felt as if one must go over either the animal's head or
tail. The Mir received us in his tent. He is a fine-looking
old fellow, and though over seventy years of age still has the
reputation of being a good rifle shot. The conversation was
carried on through two interpreters, both of whom talked
to him at once. It consisted chiefly of mutual compliments.
The Mir, however, complained that he had always stuck by
the English, but that they had done nothing for him. He
was not rewarded for his fldelity during the Mutiny, we
heard, because there was a pretty strong suspicion that he
had committed forgery in a land dispute with another chief
He invited us to go to shoot on his territory near Sukkur,
but unfortunately we had no time to spare. He has several
sons, all very fat, who are not sportsmen, and very inferior
men to their father. We left Shikarpur at 1 2 o'clock and
arrived at Sukkur at 2, An address was presented to Lord
Reay by the Municipal Council, after which we went to see
the works for the new bridge across the Indus, At present
there is a delay of an hour and a half while the train and
passengers are ferried across. The branch of the river be
tween Sukkur and the island of Bukkur has already been
bridged ; across the other branch between Bukkur and Rohree,
which is on the left bank, the new bridge is to be made. In
most places the Indus changes its course two or three miles
every year. It has always flowed between Bukkur and Rohree,
which are both on high ground, but there is a native prophecy
that when once this is bridged the river will flow elsewhere, K 2

52 INDIA
The river is 100 feet deep, and the current in the spring runs
nine knots, so that no pier would stand. It is to be a cantilever
bridge, and the span is 820 feet. The engineer in charge of
the works, a Frenchman, was an employe of grandfather's.
In the evening we saw an exhibition of the manner of fishing
in the Indus, The fisherman fioats down stream with his
stomach over the mouth ofa large earthenware jar. He drags
along the bottom a landing-net at the end of a very long pole.
At intervals he brings the net up, and if there are any fish in
it slips them into the jar. Father and mother dined with
Major Brackenbury ; the rest of us dined as usual in the
train, which was on a siding facing the river,
Friday, January 14>th. — In the morning we drove round
the town. There is not a tree to be seen ; all is barren and
sandy, Sukkur is a place the importance of which is only
transitory. It is unhealthy for troops, and will ' go back ' as
soon as the bridge is completed. Major Mayhew, the Col
lector of the district, has his headquarters at Sukkur, He
told me that his district was 12,000 square miles in extent,
and that the revenue was 500,000L, of which 200,000L came
from land-tax. The land-tax on an average is three or four
rupees an acre, the maximum being seven rupees, and the
minimum one rupee. We left Sukkur at half-past 3, our
carriages having been ferried across to the other side of the
river, Saturday, January 15th. — Arrived at Mooltan at 7. It
was very cold in the early morning ; the steps of our carriage
were covered with thick ice. After breakfast we went to the
old fort. In one corner there was a tomb, the dome and
sides of which were covered with those beautiful blue tiles
which are so common in this part of India, On the opposite side
of the fort is the monument to Vans Agnew and Anderson,
who were murdered by Moolraj just before the outbreak of
the second Sikh war, and the lines of one company of the
West Yorkshire Regiment, We drove back through the city.
The streets are very narrow, and the peoi^le a rough-looking

LAHORE 53
lot ; Mooltan has the reputation of being one of the most
criminal places in India. Mr, Bridge, a cousin of Captain
Bridge, joined us at lunch. We afterwards walked out to a
new fort which is in course of construction. There are no
earthworks, with the exception of a low breastwork about
five feet high along each side. At each corner is a low
tower, on which, I suppose, light guns will be mounted.
The barracks and stores are built round the square, just
inside the breastwork, and are loopholed on the outside.
The place, in fact, only seems to be defensible against a
rush of infantry. We left in the evening, attached to a mixed
train, Sunday, January 16th. — Arrived in Lahore at 7. It was
very cold work breakfasting on the platform by our carriages.
To church at 11, after which we inspected the new cathedral,
a fine building. In the afternoon Mr, Blsmie, who was
acting for Sir Charles Aitchison, sent for us a large char-a-
banc, drawn by four camels. We drove round the wall of
the city to the fort, Runjeet Singh's palace is within the
fort, A fine view over the city to Mean Meer, an armoury,
and some lovely marble dadoes, which were, however, sur
mounted by painted plaster, are the chief objects of interest,
Runjeet Singh's tomb and the Jumma Musjid are close to
the fort. There is nothing to admire in the tomb, but the
mosque is far larger and finer than any we have seen yet.
The body of the mosque is of red sandstone inlaid in graceful
designs with white marble, and the three large domes sur
mounting it are also of white marble. The prettiest thing
in Lahore is a marble pavilion with beautiful lattice-work
windows, in the garden between the Jumma Musjid and the
tomb. Miss Lawrence, who has been getting keener as we
came north, has reached the highest pitch of excitement now
she is on the scene of the great work of her father's life.
Monday, January 17th. — In the morning we went to the
Shalamar Gardens, which are too stiff to be beautiful, and in
the afternoon rode through the bazaars on elephants. We

54 INDIA
left at 5.30 for Peshawur, having transferred into more
comfortable carriages,
Tuesday, January 18th. — We passed Attock in the morn
ing, where every invader of India has hitherto crossed the
Indus, We arrived at Peshawur at 2 P,M,, and went at
once to call on Colonel Waterfield, the Chief Commissioner,
His son had been with me at Eton, We heard a good deal
of the last Afghan war. Apparently it produced more result
than is generally supposed at home. Previous to the war
the Afghans despised us ; they thought that if we invaded
Afghanistan successfully our retreat would be as disastrous
as it was in 1842, The withdrawal from Cabul in 1879 taught
them otherwise. We came through the Khyber without
a shot being fired and without losing a single man. The
result is especially visible in the way we are now able to
treat the Afridis, the people occupying the hills between our
frontier and Afghanistan proper, which does not commence
till the other end of the Khyber, The Afridis have been
brought under our control mainly through the exertions of
Major Warburton, who has been in charge of the Khyber
since 1869, The pass used constantly to be closed, and cara
vans were often robbed. It is now always open. We collect
the dues from the caravans passing through, which amount
to 80,000 rupees a year. Of this sum 67,000 rupees are
paid to the various Afridi tribes as a compensation for the
blackmail which they used to levy. From these very tribes
a force of 650 men (600 infantry and 50 cavalry) has been
raised to guard the pass from casual marauders on the two
days of the week when caravans pass through. An escort
goes with each caravan, and all the heights are occupied by
detachments. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the
bazaars, which are the best we have seen yet, and they ought
to be, as all goods from Central Asia come vid the Khyber.
The trade with Central Asia has fallen off since the advance
of the Russians to the borders of Afghanistan, They have
imposed heavy duties along their frontier to divert the course

JUMROOD 55
of Central Asian trade along their own railways towards the
Caspian. Wednesday, January 19th. — A bright cold morning. At
10 o'clock the whole party started in charge of Major
Warburton for Jumrood, which is ten miles to the west
of Peshawur, The plain over which we drove is stony and
covered with a short brush, and the hills at the entrance to
the pass are bare and rocky. The country is very much like
that we saw on our ride into Rawlins (Wyoming), The hills
at the entrance to the pass rise to 6,500 feet, but the hills
to the north of the Peshawur valley are far higher ; we could
just see their snow-capped peaks, Jumrood is our farthest
outpost to the north-west ; it is only 300 yards from the
frontier, and about three miles from the actual entrance to
the Khyber, It is garrisoned by a troop of native cavalry
and a company of native infantry, in charge of one European
officer. After lunch a company of Afridis were drawn up
for oar benefit. They were a fine body of men, and presented
arms very smartly. Their pay is only nine rupees a month,
out of which they provide their uniforms and rifles besides
feeding themselves. The rifles are often stolen from our
own infantry lines at Pindi or Peshawur, Escorted by some
twelve Afridi soldiers and a considerable crowd, all of whom
were armed to the teeth and had their rifles loaded, we
walked about half a mile across the border to some villages
which had been at feud last week. One man had been killed
and several wounded. We entered one village by a small door
in a high mud wall. All the houses were loopholed. The
houses in the village with which there had been the feud were
not forty yards from those in the village we were in. The cause
of feud is generally a question of inheritance between cousins.
We drove back to Peshawur to flnd the whole bazaar
assembled on the platform. We left at 8 P.M, Major War
burton and his daughter came to see us off; we were very
sorry to say good-bye to him. One cannot help admiring a
man whose personal influence does so much.

56 INDIA
Friday, January 20th. — Arrived at Rawul Pindi at 5 a.m.
It is now the largest military station in India : the troops
have been moved back here from Peshawur, as it is more
healthy. General Dillon paraded four native regiments (the
Mooltan horse, 18th Bengal Lancers, 2nd and 14th Sikhs)
and a mule battery for us. It was a splendid sight. The
two Sikh regiments are some of the flnest in the Indian army.
The men are very tall — the average is 5 ft, 10 in,- — and they
look lithe and active. We were presented to many of the
native officers after the inspection, and the Sikhs gave us an
exhibition of chukra-throwing (thence perhaps the English
verb ' to chuck '), All Sikhs wear a chukra or steel ring in
their turbans ; when it is sharp it is supposed to cut a man's
head off at forty yards. The Lancers then did some wonder
ful feats of horsemanship, better than most things one sees at
a circus. We had a late lunch with General Dillon, and left
in the evening.
In one of the cavalry regiments we saw to-day all the
native officers were gentlemen. As a rule the native officers
have risen from the ranks, and cannot attain a higher grade
than that of soubahdar or major. If we wish to attract the
native gentry and nobility into our service and give them an
outlet to their energies, we ought to devise some means of
opening to them the higher grades of the service,
Friday, January 21st. — Arrived at Lahore early. We
spent the moming in a visit to Shah Jehan's tomb. The
tomb itself is of white marble, and the inlaid work on it as
beautiful as any in India, In the afternoon there was a
garden party at Mr, Blsmie's, at which about one hundred
native chiefs were present to meet Miss Lawrence,
Saturday, January 22nd. — Left Lahore at 5,30, arrived
Amritsur at 8, The great sight of Amritsur is the Golden
Temple, the ' Holy of holies ' of the Sikhs, The temple
is small, and stands in the middle of a large tank. The
lower parts of the walls are of marble inlaid with other stones,
while the roof is gilt. There is some fine marble work in

THE KHYBER ¦ 57
a court on the north side of the temple where all Sikhs are
baptised, but the most curious as well as the most interest
ing thing at Amritsur is an inscription in English and Pun-
jabee on each side of the gate leading to the temple. This
sets forth that on a certain morning in 1876 a thunderbolt
entered one door of the temple and passed out at the other
without harming any one, which is a sign of the favour with
which Providence regards the Sikhs and the rule of the
English in India, The story of the thunderbolt may be
taken for what it is worth, but the fact that the Sikhs
should place such an inscription on the doors of their most
holy place shows that they are attached to our rule. We
left Amritsur in the evening,
Sunday, January 23rd. — Arrived at Puttiala 7 A,M.
Puttiala is a Sikh state. The present Maharajah's grand
father was one of our most faithful adherents in the Mutiny,
If he and his neighbours at Nabha and Jheend had not stuck
by us Lord Lawrence could not have kept sending down
reinforcements from the Punjab to the army that was be
sieging Delhi, Eighteen or twenty elephants in the most
gorgeous trappings, and several carriages, were in waiting at
the station, and at 11 o'clock we paid a formal call on the
Maharajah. A guard of honour at the door of the palace
presented arms in good style, and the band played ' God Save
the Queen,' We thought this was a compliment to us, but
it turned out that the Maharajah had adopted the air as his
own national anthem. The hall in which the Maharajah
received us was furnished in European style. We sat round
in a semicircle ; he and father sat in the middle and had to
carry on all the conversation (at a proper durbar no one says
anything). The visit lasted about fifteen minutes, and we
were then driven round to the Moti Bagh, a collection of
bungalows in a charming garden, which were placed at our
disposal. The afternoon we spent in looking round the
palace. Among the jewels there was a splendid necklace that
had belonged to the Empress Eugenie, and some very large

58 INDIA
emeralds and rubies. The rubies and emeralds were flat
stones, and some of the latter must have been an inch and a
half in diameter. In the armoury there were over two
hundred guns and rifles ; most of them by the best London
makers. Next to it was a regular museum of musical-boxes,
watches, glass ornaments, penknives, &c. The late Maha
rajah was fond of going into a shop at Calcutta and buying
it all up. Doctor and Mrs, Bennett dined with us at the
Moti Bagh, We were all glad to have fires in our rooms,
and to have a comfortable bed to sleep in.
Monday, January 24, — We drove out about four miles
from Puttiala to a small village, where we found nineteen
elephants assembled, calmly browsing on the branches of
some large banyans. Besides the Doctor, Des Graz, McLean,
Pritchett, and myself, were Sirdar Pertab Sing, the master
of the armoury, the commander-in-chief of the army,
which consists of one regiment of cavalry and three of
infantry, the master of the stables (armed with a muzzle-
loader of which one barrel had burst), and a sportsman on
foot, who apparently belo'hged to the country we were going
to shoot over. On the fields outside the village we got into
line, the elephants about twenty yards apart. Each of us
had a separate elephant, with the spare elephants in between.
Occasionally we were on cultivated ground, but generally we
were going through long grass and high bushes. We saw
several partridges, some like English partridges, and others
a beautiful black and gold bird, rather bigger, besides quail
and hares. Owing to the unaccustomed movement of the
elephants none of our party could hit anything ; it was all
we could do to stand upright by jamming one leg against the
front of the howdah and the other against the seat. The
Sirdar was a very quick shot, and during the morning bagged
eight partridges, two quail, and two hares. In the afternoon
we saw less game, but it was always amusing to watch the
manoeuvres of the elephants. The more one sees of these
enormous beasts the more one is impressed by their intelli-

PUTTIALA 59
gence. The objection to them is that they are very slow
movers ; they do not walk more than three miles an hour,
and it is very difficult to get a jog out of them. If the
driver succeeds one is nearly shaken to pieces.
We were back just in time to go to the palace to take
our final leave of the Maharajah, The grand durbar-hall
where the ceremony took place was a long room, with one
side open to the courtyard. It was simply filled with huge
glass chandeliers, hung so as almost to touch one another.
On the side farthest from the entrance a long row of chairs
was arranged. There were two silver chairs in the centre
for the Maharajah and father; we sat on the right, the
council of Regency and other members of the court on
the left. After a few moments' conversation the presents
were brought in. Lovely stuffs on numberless battered tin
trays were spread on the ground in front of father first, and
then of each of the party in turn. The idea is that you choose
what you like, but in reality you just touch what the Sirdar
offers you, and it is sent to you afterwards. The ladies were
presented with most beautiful shawls ; the gentlemen with
handsome scarves for turbans. After the ceremony was over
we adjourned to a balcony to see the fireworks ; Indian
illuminations are very good, but Indian fireworks are inferior.
Tuesday, January 25. — To-day we went out in another
direction. The jungle was thicker, the grass higher, and the
bushes bigger and closer together. If they were unusually
thick, the elephant, at a word from the driver, would put his
foot on a stem and crush it down to make a passage through.
We saw much more game than yesterday. We had all got
more accustomed to the swinging motion of the elephants,
and shot much better in consequence. Our bag for the
morning was eighteen partridges, nine hares, and one quail.
I saw some deer a long way off, and in the afternoon we saw
several pigs. Two pigs jumped up in the long grass between
the commander-in-chief and me ; we both fired our shot
guns at them at forty yards range, of course without effect.

60 INDIA
and no better luck attended two shots with our rifles. Thus
ended two of the most remarkable days' partridge-shooting
I've ever had. It would rather astonish people at home to
see a party out partridge-shooting on nineteen elephants.
While we were out shooting the Council of Regency, of
which Sir Deva Singh, a splendid-looking old fellow, is
president, called on father. Sir Deva was in favour of our
advance into Afghanistan, if the Russians advance farther,
solely on the ground of prestige. In reply to another ques
tion he said that the conduct of upper officials to natives
was all that could be desired, but that the younger men
were often overbearing. One of the other two members of
the council, also a fine-looking old Sikh, has a son at Cam
bridge. Our train left at 5 o'clock. The Sirdar and several
of the court officials came down to see us off, bringing
innumerable trays of sweetmeats which it was very difficult
to dispose of.

61

CHAPTER IV,
DELHI TO HYDERABAD.
Wednesday, January 26th. — Arrived at Delhi early. We
found Buckinghamshire, Cannon, Pemberton, and Barton
staying at the dak-bungalow. Our first expedition was to
Humayun's tomb, where Hodson arrested the princes after
the capture of Delhi in '57, After tiffin we went to the
palace or fort. The outer walls are of red sandstone and
very high. In the palace proper, which only occupies a
small extent of the ground within the fort, most of the work
is in white marble. The audience chamber, the baths in the
women's apartments, and a lattice-work window are beautiful,
but everything is surpassed by the Pearl Mosque, One can
quite imagine that, before it was defaced by Mahratta spoilers,
when the waters of the Jumna were in fiood, and flowing close
beneath its windows, and when the plain beyond was green
from the rains, the old abode of the Moguls well merited the
praise that was bestowed on it : ' If there is an Elysium on
earth, it is this, it is this.'
Thursday, January 27th. — Before breakfast some of us
drove out to the famous Ridge — the position occupied by the
British army throughout the siege. On the way we stopped
at Ludlow Castle, where Lord Lawrence had lived for some
years when he was Collector of Delhi, long before the Mutiny.
The Ridge cannot be more than a hundred feet higher than
the ground between it and the city. It is almost bare of
trees and very rocky. The strata run parallel to the direc
tion of the Ridge, and in places have the appearance of

62 INDIA
natural ramparts. The old mosque, the observatory, and
Indoo Rao's house, all posts famous in the siege, are still
there. Close to the latter is the monument to Nicholson
and the men who fell during the siege. The inscription
struck me very much ; it is so simple compared with those
on many Indian monuments. It runs : ' To the officers and
soldiers, European and native, of the Delhi field force, who
were killed in action or died of wounds or disease from the
20th May to the 20th December, 1857, this monument
is erected by the comrades who lament their loss and the
Government they served so well,'
After breakfast we drove out to the Kutub Minar — eleven
miles on a good road. The Kutub itself — a pillar 240 feet
high — is magnificent, and the ruins around are well worth
seeing. On our way back we passed a Hindu marriage
procession. The streets were thronged with people dressed
in their best, and a beautiful best it was ; nearly every
man had a Cashmere shawl round his shoulders. There
was a long string of carriages, most of them empty, and at
intervals there were men beating tom-toms. We only just
caught a glimpse of the bridegroom, a little boy some seven or
eight years old. At 1 1 P,M. mother, Mabelle, Miss Lawrence,
McLean, Des Graz, Pritchett, and I left by the narrow-gauge
line. The others went direct to Agra,
Friday, January 28th. — Arrived at Ulwur at 7, Ulwur
ranks fourth amongst the Rajpoot states. We spent the
morning in the palace. There is a fine courtyard with some
good marble-work in it, but the most remarkable feature is a
splendid tank behind the durbar hall. The Maharajah, who,
we were told, is very hardworking, was away in camp. His
little boy, aged about five, came to see us ; he shook hands
all round, without any shyness, and understood all we said.
In the bazaars we noticed a good deal of cotton, and outside
the town were some fields of wheat and barley about as far
advanced as they would be with us at the end of June.
We left at 10,30 p,m.

JEYPORE 03
Saturday, January 29th. — At 5,30 we arrived at Jeypore,
the ' Paris of India,' as it is called, on account of the breadth
and straightness of the streets, Jeypore was built at the
beginning of last century by Man Sing, a Maharajah who
had a taste for mathematics. Before breakfast we went out
to Amber, the old capital. The palace was not beautiful, but
there was a fine view over the old city, the lake, and the hills
around, which were most of them fortified. In the afternoon
we went over the palace at Jeypore, which covers almost as
much ground as the city itself There is a splendid garden,
several fine courts, and extensive stables. We saw some of
the horses, and the fighting animals — rams, sambhur, black
buck, buffaloes, &c, Indian princes are not content with
cock-fighting ; in some places they even fight elephants. We
paid a short call on the Maharajah, He is a biggish man,
about thirty, and has a nice face. He was dressed in a beauti
ful pink garment, reaching rather below the knee, his feet were
bare, and in his left hand he carried a sword. He could not
talk English, but the conversation was carried on through
the Prime Minister, a Bengali baboo, with as nice a face as
his master's. We were sorry to hear afterwards that both
are unpopular, the one for being a baboo, the other for ap
pointing any one but a Rajput as his minister. We then
went to the house of the ex-Prime Minister to see a proces
sion which corresponds somewhat to our May Day, There
were at least fifty elephants, numbers of camels, some old-
fashioned guns curiously painted and drawn by bullocks, and
a company of infantry armed and accoutred in the fashion of
a hundred years ago, while several troops of cavalry brought
up the rear. The Maharajah and his courtiers, who were
mounted on elephants, were pelting one another with bags
of purple-coloured dust, which filled the air and covered
every one near. The crowd was most attractive, every head
adorned with a turban of some bright colour, I drove back
to the station with the Maharajah's assistant secretary, also a
baboo. He told me that the natives were bitterly disap-

04 INDIA
pointed that Lord Randolph Churchill had done nothing for
India when he was in the Cabinet, He complained of the
apathy shown by Parliament to Indian questions, yet wished
that these could be decided at home rather than out here. In
this he showed his wisdom ; a large measure of self-govern
ment is more likely to be granted by Radical politicians at
home than by the Viceroy and his Council, who know the
calamities it would entail. My friend objected to the in
come-tax, a form of taxation to which the natives of India
are unaccustomed. They prefer taxes levied indirectly. He
said taxation in Jeypore was very light, lighter than in
British territory, for the Maharajah pays most of the expenses
of government from his estates. Whether the secretary's state
ments were trustworthy or not I don't know, but at any rate he
did not impress me favourably. He was evidently one of those
baboos who think they could govern India as well as we do, and
who would be the first people to go to the wall if we left,
Sunday, January 30th. — We found Father, Munie, Baby,
and the Doctor on our arrival at Agra. At 11 we went to
the garrison church. Every soldier had his rifle beside him,
and ten rounds of ball ammunition, a precaution dating from
the Mutiny, when many massacres took place -on Sunday,
Doctor Tyler invited us to lunch at the cljib — a lunch for
which, by-the-bye, we had to pay. In the afternoon we went
into the fort, a grand sandstone structure much like the
jDalace at Delhi, The Pearl Mosque and the marble courts in
the palace of Shah Jehan are even flner than those at Delhi,
but I was most struck by the palace of Jehangir, which had
a red sandstone courtyard in the style of the Hindu temples
of the South — splendid brackets at the tops of the pillars,
and lovely tracery work on them. We got to the Taj Mahal
just at sunset, I had heard so much about it that I was
prepared to be disappointed, but this was far from being
the case, and, like many other beautiful things, the oftener
one sees it the more impression it makes. The first view of
it looking through a vista of trees from under the archway of

AGRA 05
the entrance gate charmed me most. In the centre of the
avenue is a strip of water, on either side are beautiful shrubs,
poinsettia and bougainvillea here and there to give a bit of
colour, behind these are rows of yews, and behind these again
stand the larger trees. The four minarets, which no one can
admire, are hidden, while the distance prevents one seeing
the inlaid work which, on a nearer view, seems to me to
detract from the beauty of the building. We sat for a long
time in the rose-garden watching the light of the sunset on
the dome ; it was more beautiful than words can describe.
One left with a feeling of thankfulness that an enlightened
Government had preserved this loveliest work of the Moguls
in such charming surroundings. Some of us dined with
Colonel Euan-Smith. He asked me to join his party for a
tiger shoot next month, which I was only too glad to do.
Monday, January 31st. — We drove to Futtipur Sikri,
twenty miles from Agra, and it was well worth the trouble.
Amongst many beautiful things the best were a tomb sur
rounded by the best marble screens we have yet seen, a fine
gateway (130 feet to the point of the arch), a red sand
stone building in Hindu style, now used as the travellers'
bungalow, and some tracery work, also on red sandstone.
We were back in Agra at 5, and just had time for a peep
at the Taj by moonlight before dinner. It is not so beauti
ful as at sunset,
Tu,esday, February 1st. — The others went off to Gwalior
at 3 A,M, by special train. Father and I were glad to stay
behind and have a quiet day for reading and letter-writing.
In the evening had another look at the Taj, and we all left
by the 6,30 train. The others had enjoyed themselves at
Gwalior, We were all agreed that Agra is more worth
seeing than any place in India.
Wednesday, February 2nd. — Arrived at Cawnpore 2 a,m,
and left 8,10 A,M, We drove round to see the memorial over
the well, the Massacre ghaut, and the memorial church, which
stands just outside Wheeler's entrenchment. The barracks, F

66 INDIA
which were only half built at the time of the siege, have since
been completed ; but the line of the entrenchments is now
only marked by small stones. In the church there is a list
of over nine hundred people known to have been massacred ;
everything one sees awakes terrible memories, and we were
glad that our time at Cawnpore was so short.
We breakfasted in the train, and were at Lucknow soon
after 11. Miss Lawrence's brother, of the 17th Lancers,.
had ridden in thirty miles to see her. Just at this time of
year most regiments are doing a week's marching; it is a
new idea of Sir Frederick Roberts. General Palmer, who
was in the defence of Lucknow, tcok us to the Residency.
He is now over eighty years of age; he had lost two
daughters and two grandchildren in the siege, and it was
plain that even at this distance of time he could not bear
to be on the spot. He was so much moved that he could
scarcely give any explanations ; nothing could have made one
realise so well how terrible were the sufferings of those fifty-
seven days. The outer walls of the principal buildings, such
as the Residency, the hospital, and Doctor Fayre's house, are
still standing. Every building bears some marks of the
' millions of musket bullets and thousands of cannon balls,'
and the house defended by Atkinson close to the Bailey Gate
is simply pitted with bullet holes. Some of us walked round
the line ofthe entrenchments, which is still marked by a low
mound. On most sides the ground falls away slightly outside
the entrenchment, but Johannes' house, which was occupied
by the rebels, and the ground on that side is on a level, if not
higher than the ground on which the brigade mess stands.
From Johannes' house to the mess is less than fifty yards ;
and it seems incredible that every man was not shot and every
building not swept away at such close quarters. In the
centre of the entrenchment, on a mound the sides of which
are well planted with shrubs, stands the monument to Sir
Henry Lawrence. Over many of the ruins creepers are
growing, the grass is green and well tended, many shady trees

BENARES 07
have grown up in the last tliirty years, and here, as at the Taj,
one could not help feeling thankful that a spot with such
memories attached to it is kept as it is. In one corner of the
entrenchment is the cemetery, where there are monuments
to the men of the different regiments who took part in the
defence or relief of Lucknow ; some of them lost over three
hundred men. Sir Henry Lawrence and many other heroes
are buried in the cemetery. The men are few who would
not feel some emotion when they read the oft-quoted inscrip
tion : ' Here lies Henry Lawrence, who tried to do his duty.
May God have mercy on his soul,' In the afternoon most ot
the party drove to other sights ; Baby and I came back to
the Residency, and while we watched the sun set from the
top of the flagstaff tower were able to reflect quietly on the
stirring scenes of thirty years ago. We left Lucknow at
11 P,M, Thursday, February 4<th. — Arrived Benares 2 p,m. During
the morning we passed through a rich country, most of it
under grain, which was more forward than farther north and
was beginning to turn. At the station we were met by the
Collector of Benares and by the Rajah Siva Persad, We
crossed the river by a bridge of boats, and spent the after
noon looking into some of the numerous temples. The streets
are very narrow, the bazaars uninteresting, the temples very
dirty, and the smells horrible. There are no sanitary arrange
ments, and yet, in spite of the crowds which throng there from
all parts of India, Benares is a healthy place. We dined at
the hotel. Turing, who had been in my house at Eton,
and Messrs, Burge, Crawhall, and Dennis, who had come
out with us in the ' Mirzapore,' were also there,
Friday, February 5th. — We went before breakfast to call
on the Maharajah of Benares, a nice-looking old boy who
could not talk English. His palace is on the opposite side
of the river to Benares, and we had a fine view from the
windows. We embarked from there in a small paddle-boat
propelled by coolies on a treadmill. The ghauts, with the
F 2

68 INDIA
palaces of the different Hindu princes of all parts of India,
Scindia, Holkar, &c,, and the crowds of people bathing, were
interesting but not very beautiful. The Rajah Siva Persad,
who accompanied us, was very communicative, and we had a
great discussion on the land settlement question, which is
one of the great problems of Indian government. Much of
the land in Bengal was settled permanently by Lord Corn
wallis, It is some of the richest land in India, its value has
increased enormously since the end of the last century, but
the taxes on it cannot be enhanced, and it therefore con
tributes far less than its due proportion to the general
revenue. The Rajah told me that he owned two villages,
one in the Benares district, which is under the Permanent
Settlement Act, and the other in the Ghoruckpore district,
which is settled for periods of thirty years. The latter was
settled just after the Mutiny ; the period is therefore just ex
piring, and the tax will be enhanced. He has proposed a
plan to save the trouble of a fresh survey and estimate of
crops at every reassessment. The landlord is to send in a
return of the profits derived from his land during a term
of years ; the Government is to take fifty per cent, of
this, the landlord forty per cent., and ten per cent, is to go
towards improvements, wells, &c. If the landlord does not
send in a proper return, the tenants can refuse to pay the
extra rent. The difficulty would be to ascertain the profits
of the smaller landholders, and especially of those who culti
vate their own land. The Rajah's property is apparently a
profitable one. The land in Ghoruckpore he bought in 1858
for five thousand rupees (i,e. at two and a half rupees an
acre), and it is now worth two or three lakhs. He lets
his land in leases of ten or twelve years ; he is constantly
improving it by sinking new wells, and these wells bring
him in a profit of ten per cent, in increased rental. The
people compete eagerly for the land, and, as in Ireland,
often offer more than they can afford to pay. The Rajah
took a glowing view of the happiness of the people generally.

JUBBULPORE 69
' We have no wants,' he said, ' but peace and quiet,' He did
not think much of the pushing Bengali baboo, and said he
would not bring his sons up for any public profession.
After breakfast mother and I called on Mr, Walton, the
engineer of the splendid bridge over the Ganges, which is to
be completed this year. We left at 2 o'clock. It was much
hotter in the train than we had had it for some time,
Saturday, February 5th. — Arrived Jubbulpore 6 a,m, A
fine cold morning. We went before breakfast to the re
formatory school, where carpets, tents, &c,, are manufactured.
The chief objects of interest were three of the last of the
Thugs. One old man showed us on another man's arm how
the strangling was done; the gleam which came into his
eyes as he went through the performance was horrible. We
left at 10,30 for Mirgunge, the station for the Marble Rocks,
The bungalow at the rocks is beautifully situated on a cliff
overhanging the Nerbudda, Bamboos grew all around, and
the jungle across the river was quite green, an unusual thing
in India. During the afternoon Des Graz and I tried two
or three beats through this jungle. We saw a fine pig, a
few cheetal (a kind of spotted deer), and some peacocks, but
bagged nothing. After dinner at the bungalow some of us
rowed up to the Marble Rocks, For about half a mile the
river flows through a narrow gorge, twenty to flfty yards wide.
The cliffs on each side are nearly a hundred feet high and
of pure white marble, which looked lovely in the moonlight.
The bees are supposed to be very dangerous, but we only
saw some monkeys, who might have made it very unpleasant
if they had pelted us as we rowed beneath them.
Sunday, February 6th. — We left Mirgunge at 6 a.m.
All day we were passing through a well-watered country, A
sea of wheat stretched for miles on each side of the railway,
only broken by clumps of trees here and there. In the
evening I left the rest of the party at Nandgaon. They were
to visit the caves of Ellora.
Monday, February 7th. — Changed trains at Munmar at

70 INDIA
2 A.M. Arrived at Ahmednuggur at 7.30. Drove to Sola-
but Khan's tomb after breakfast. Ahmednuggur is in a
broad valley ; the tomb is on one of the hills which enclose
it. There is a good view over the valleys on each side and
over the city. The country is well watered, but has a burnt-
up look. After lunch I had a look at the fort, which was
defended so heroically by the ' noble Queen ' of Bijapur in
the seventeenth century. It was supposed to be the strongest
place in the Deccan. The walls of the fort are being armed
with new breechloading guns ; the forts of Sattara and
other places are being armed in the same way, to form
places of refuge in case of an outbreak. Left at 7 P.M, and
joined the Madras mail at Dhond,
Tuesday, February Sth. — Arrived at Secunderabad at
4 o'clock, Douglas Haig, an Oxford friend, met me at
the station, and we drove through the European infantry
and artillery lines to the 7th Hussars' quarters at Bolarum.
The cantonments of the different forces cover miles of ground,
for Secunderabad has one of the largest garrisons in India,
The 7th Hussars belong to the Hyderabad contingent, which is
paid from the resources of Berar by a treaty extracted from
the Nizam by Lord Dalhousie in 1853, The revenues of
Berar, under British administration, pay for the contingent,
and a surplus of fifteen or twenty lakhs is handed over to
the Nizam's treasury. Sir Salar Jung tried to induce the
British Government to give Berar back to the Nizam, and
had he lived to supervise the administration he might have
gained his point. The Hyderabad subsidiary force, which
consists of native troops officered by Europeans, is paid from
the revenues of the ceded districts given up by the Nizam by
the subsidiary treaty of Seringapatam,
February 9 to 14 I spent at Secunderabad with the
Seventh, The rest of the party stayed in Hyderabad with the
Resident, Mr, Cordery, Hyderabad disappointed me, I
expected to find it a purely native place, instead of which
one found many of the Nawabs and chief swells in the state

HYDERABAD 71
living in European fashion, Haig and I breakfasted one day
with Ali Beg, the commander of the Golconda brigade, and
one of the Nizam's aides-de-camp. He lived in a house
which, inside, at any rate, resembled an English villa. If
one had dropped from the clouds into the dra^ving-room one
would have never imagined oneself in Hyderabad, and still
less in a house where no English lady's hand had been.
On February 15th I came back to Bombay, February
16th was Jubilee Day, In the evening I started for Agra,
and said good-bye for a time to the rest of our party, who
were to go round in the ' Sunbeam,' vid Ceylon, to Burmah,
McLean, who was very seedy, was going home to row in the
'Varsity eight. On February 18th I reached Agra and spent
the next two days with Ralli, doing all the sights over again.
They are well worth it.

72 INDIA

CHAPTER V.
A FORTNIGHT'S SPORT.
On Monday, Felwua.ry 21st, the Duke and Duchess of
Manchester, Lady Alice Montagu, Major Ridley, and I left
Agra by the 10 o'clock train with Colonel Euan-Smith,
who is the Resident at Bhurtpore, Dholpore, and Kerowlie.
Kerowlie, where our tiger-shoot was to come off, is one of the
smallest but one of the oldest of the states of Rajpootana.
We arrived at Hindun Road at 1 o'clock, and after lunch
started on our fifty-two mile drive. We reached Kerowlie at
half-past seven with five changes of horses. The road was
good except at the Baingunga River, where we had to be
drawn one-third of a mile by camels through deep sand.
The country was generally bare, with low ranges of hills at
intervals. Here and there were patches of cultivation and a
few good trees. The corn was a lovely green, in ear, and
had more straw than in most places. It was deliciously cool
in the evening. Colonel Euan's Residency at Kerowlie is a
most charming bungalow standing in the middle of a lovely
garden. The air was laden with the scent of roses, violets,
mignonette, and orange-blossom, which we appreciated im
mensely after the dry, dusty air of the plains. The Maha
rajah paid Colonel Euan a short call before dinner. He is a
nice-looking young man with a straightforward expression.
He is the adopted son of the late Maharajah, who died last
year, and had a great struggle for the throne. The country
was in such a state of confusion that all political power was
placed in the hands of the Resident; but Colonel Euan has

KEROWLIE 73
recommended that the Maharajah should now be allowed to
have some voice in the government. To know how to deal
properly with the native states is one of the most difficult
problems of Indian government. If the native rulers are
left to themselves the country makes no progress, no public
works are undertaken, the finances get into disorder, and
various kinds of oppression may be practised on the people
which, though they may be sanctioned by the custom of the
country, are not in accordance with British ideas of govern
ment. If, on the other hand, we interfere in the administra
tion, we make the native ruler a mere puppet, and diminish
the estimation in which he is held by his subjects. The
Indian Government are therefore loth to interfere except in
flagrant cases of misrule ; they do not wish to extend the
area under British administration ; and they trust that by
degrees the native princes will be educated in British ideas
of government. In many states there are already signs of
great progress.
Tuesday, February 22nd. — We wandered round the garden
after breakfast. Mignonette, verbena, violets, roses, bougain
villea, pinks, orange-trees, pomegranates, grow in profusion ;
and, what is more remarkable, there is a good grass lawn-
tennis court. This small garden is indeed a contrast to the
sandy plains, and such a result could not be achieved without
continuous irrioation ; three or four bheesties, or water-
carriers, are occupied in watering the plants all day long.
At 11 we left Kerowlie, I on a grey pony, the others in a
char-a-banc. As j'esterday, there were patches of cultivation
and fine banyans near the villages. The crop was generally
wheat, but we saw several fields of poppies with a white
flower, from which the opium is made. At 1 .40 we reached
Keila Dao, our first camp, fourteen miles from Kerowlie,
Camp-life in India is a great contrast to camp-life in America,
Here we each had a separate tent, about as big as an ordinary
cottage : there was besides a large tent for a dining-room, and
we had regular bedsteads, tables, and chairs. In America

74 INDIA
we slept on the ground generally without a tent, and never
had such a luxury as a chair to sit on. Here there were
myriads of servants ; in America we had to do everything for
ourselves. But there is no doubt as to which kind of camp-
life is more enjoyable — i.e. camp-life in America, As there
was no news of the two tigers which were known to be some
where in the neighbourhood of Keila Dao, we stayed in camp
till 4 o'clock, and then pottered round with our guns after
quail or pigeons,
Wednesday, February 23rd. — We started from camp at
7.30, The rest drove as before, I rode with Girwar Sing,
the colonel's factotum, and commander ofthe Kerowlie cavalry.
He was a very good fellow, but as he could not talk a word
of English, and I knew approximately five words of Hindu
stani, we could not exchange many ideas. The country was
wilder than that we came through yesterday ; the villages
were fewer in number, and all perched on the top of a hill.
The houses were sometimes built of mud, sometimes of irregular
slabs of red sandstone. Sixteen miles from Kefla Dao we
came to the ghaut which fringes the valley of the Chumbul,
We had to descend about one thousand feet by a path cut in
the side of the cliff. The Duchess was carried in a ' tom-
john ' — a kind of open sedan-chair — by eight coolies in two
relays, who on good ground made five or six miles an hour.
During last century and during the first half of this century
almost the only mode of travelling in India was in a palan
quin. Six miles from the foot of the ghaul-, through deep
sandy nullahs, which were very hot, brought us into our
camp, pitched on the banks of a clear stream, in which any
number of natives were washing their clothes and cooking-
vessels. An enormoas banyan-tree shaded the tents, and
during the middle of the day we always had a cool breeze.
The Maharajah's tent and camp were about two hundred
yards from ours. About 4 o'clock we started for a sambhur
drive. The ground near the banks of the river Chumbul is
broken up by nullahs from twenty to sixty feet deep. The

SAMBHUR AND NUGGURS 75
sides of the nullahs are covered with bushes, but there is no
really thick jungle. We were posted on eminences com
manding these, and then the beat began. Some four or
five hundred beaters advanced in a semicircle from about a
mile off, shouting, blowing, beating tom-toms, and occasion
ally letting off their antiquated guns. Some sambhur passed
between the Maharajah and the Duke unharmed, but after
the beat was over news was brought that one of these was
standing on a hill just behind where the Duke had been
placed. Lady Alice was taken round, and, getting a good
chance at about fifty yards, bowled him over in fine style.
We then adjourned to the banks of the river, which was
very lovely in the evening light. There is little water in it
at this time of year, but in places it widens out into broad
reaches, with rapids at intervals. We fired several shots at
nuggurs (crocodiles). One went down as if he were hit, but
was never recovered. The body of a crocodile does not
come to the surface till the day after he has been killed, I
strolled along the bank with my gun and bagged a snipe,
and also knocked down two partridges, which I lost. We
found our way back to camp by torchlight. Just before we
went to bed news was brought in by the shikarees who were
out tracking that there was a tiger in the neighbourhood.
These shikarees are wonderful fellows ; they track a tiger
for weeks, and the beat never takes place till they have
tracked him right into his lair, and often not till they
have actually seen him. They are only armed with swords,
so they must have tremendous pluck, to say nothing of
the skill,
Thursday, February 24'th. — I went out between 7 and 10
over the ground we crossed yesterday after chinkarra, or
ravine-deer. The chinkarra is a pretty little animal, about
the size ofa roebuck. I had several shots, all of which I duly
missed, thus establishing my reputation here as a very bad
shot. Before I got back to camp news had come in that
a large tiger had killed last night about three miles off.

76 INDIA
When it is known that a tiger is in a certain neighbourhood
old cows or broken-down buffaloes are tied up at various spots
in the jungle. During the two hours we had to wait after
breakfast till the news came in that the tiger had been
marked down we were in a violent state of excitement. At
last the news came, and we started, some on elephants, some
in ' tom-johns,' and some on horseback. It was about two
miles to the place where the beaters were assembled. What
a wonderful crowd they were ! with their many-coloured tur
bans and thin black legs, many of them armed with guns
and pistols of every conceivable pattern, some of which must
have been hundreds of years old, and every one carrying
a sword. We had to walk a mUe farther through sandy
nullahs, getting very hot and very thirsty. The Duke re
marked that it was no place for ladies, and he was not far
wrong. On our way we passed the kill. The face of the
buffalo was disfigured — I supposed from being licked over — -
and part of the back had been eaten. After drinks — a very
important part of the business, as the least exercise in this
climate makes one terribly thirsty — we took up our posts
Colonel Euan-Smith, the Duchess, and I, attended by several
Rajpoots, were on a hillock, with a steep descent on our
right and in front of us into a small nullah. The Duke,
Lady Alice, and Ridley were posted about one hundred yards
to the left of us, and the Maharajah to the left of them on a
mound commanding the main nullah. There were men with
guns on the hUls to our left and right ; so that when we had
taken up our position the tiger was completely surrounded.
From our post we could see a man perched in a tree immediately
above the place where the tiger was asleep, A fine sambhur
appeared in the main nullah soon after the beat began, and
was killed by the Maharajah, Not long after this a tre
mendous shout was raised, guns were fired in all directions,
and the beaters appeared in groups on the hills about three
hundred yards in front of us. The tiger was on foot. Two
terrible roars, which made my heart beat a good deal faster —

THE FIRST TIGER 77
and, I dare say, a good many other people's too — and then a
long suspense. At last the beat was ordered to move on.
Some of the beaters came down on the lower spurs of the
hills ; they were plucky men who led the way, for most of
their comrades clustered together on the tops or got into
trees. Suddenly the tiger, a splendid tawny brute, appeared
over the bank of the nullah facing us, dodging at full speed
amongst the bushes. He was down the bank into the nullah
like a rabbit. Colonel Euan and I had two snap shots at
hira, but we both missed, though he was not more than forty
yards off. Then another long suspense. The beaters were
advanced still farther, and at last he made up his mind it
was time to go. He came up the hill about sixty yards to
the left of the Duke and his party as hard as he could
gallop. They all fired, and I thought he had escaped ; but,
seeing every one rushing to the spot, I dashed off, just too
late to see the tiger alive. He had been bowled over by the
shots on the hill, but got up again and scrambled down into
a hollow, where he stood at bay amongst the pack, who were
held in reserve behind the line of guns. When Ridley came
up the tiger had his paw on one of the pack, but was too sick
to strike about ; the first shots had struck him behind the
shoulder. Two more shots from Ridley, one in the head,
polished him off. None of the dogs were injured, in spite
of the plucky way in which they had gone in at him, A
dog must have some pluck to face a tiger, if you consider
that a blow from his paw will smash a buffalo's skull.
Colonel Euan is justly proud of his mongrel pack, which is
said to be the only pack in India which will face a tiger.
We adjourned to the banks of the river again to refresh
ourselves after our excitement, and did not get back to camp
tiU after sunset,
Friday, February iA^th. — Ridley and I went out again
after chinkarra, as meat was much appreciated by the camp
followers. In Kerowlie State the sheep as well as cattle are
sacred, so the choice of food is somewhat limited. The deer

78 INDIA
were wilder than yesterday, I had two or three shots, but
was unsuccessful, Ridley got one small buck. After break
fast we had a quiet time as usual for an hour, and then
started for a sambhur drive — this time up the river. When
we met the beaters, we were told that there was a sambhur
marked down close by. Lady Alice was taken to have a
shot, got a good chance at him lying down, and the sambhur
moved no more. He was a fine stag with a good head, far wider
than the heads of the Ceylon sambhur or elk. We went
about a mile farther to our- posts. Colonel Euan bagged a
small sambhur, the Duke had a shot at a pig, which eluded
him, and three sambhur broke away towards the river. As
usual, we adjourned to the river bank. The rest of the party
amused themselves with fishing, I had very good fun walk
ing some rushy ground on the water's edge. Flushed five
snipe and a fiock of teal, of which I bagged two snipe and
two teal. In the evening news came in of another tiger at
Keila Dao,
Saturday, Febrv.ary 25th. — Alas ! we had to leave our
camp at Chercherri, as fine a sporting-place as one could wish
to be in. Started at 7,30, and did the twenty-two miles to
Keila Dao in rather under four hours. News met us of two,
and possibly three, tigers in one beat. We had breakfast,
and at 12.30 started into the jungle at the back of camp.
It was very hot going along, and terribly hot on the rocks
when we got to our posts, for there was no shade. The
country is very different to that near Chercherri. It is
much more open. The ravines are wider, the hills between
them higher, and often sloping gradually. We were posted
along the top of a steep rocky bank commanding a wide
hill-face, over which the tiger had always come when they
beat this place before. To-day the fates ruled otherwise.
As soon as we had taken our posts we heard a tremen
dous firing on our right, and it turned out that two tigers
had broken away over an unoccupied hill. One was said
to have been wounded by the Mahajarah, but was never

NEILGHAI 79
discovered. We rode back to Keila Dao and drove into
Kerowlie, which we reached about half-past seven,
Siinday, Februa.ry 27th. — Colonel Euan started with the
Duke, Duchess, and Lady Alice, who were homeward bound
for England, soon after daybreak, Ridley and I spent most
of the day in the verandah. In the evening the Maharajah
turned up to play lawn-tennis, arrayed in a beautiful green
silk tunic, with tight grey trousers, Girwar made the fourth.
Neither he nor the Maharajah had ever played before, and
Girwar's frantic attempts to hit the ball when it was miles
out of court made Ridley and me roar with laughter. The
Maharajah did not quite know whether to laugh or be
dignified. Altogether it was about as curious a game of
lawn-tennis as was ever played. Colonel Euan got back
again about eight, with Ralli, who had been spending the week
at Muttra and Deeg, He was rather beat, and no wonder ;
at home one would think twice before undertaking a drive
of 104 miles between sunrise and dinner-time,
Monday, February 28th. — Ridley and I rode out before
breakfast to an open jungle about three miles the other side
of Kerowlie, A shikaree met us with news that he had
marked down some ' neilghai ' — a kind of deer, with a head
rather resembling a cow's. We left our horses, and got a
shot at once at a bull standing end on about one hundred
and forty yards off, I missed ; so did Ridley, as they bolted
off. After wandering about for some time we came on some
cows on the top of a hill, Ridley had a shot at them, without
result. We ran as hard as we could over the hill, and were
lucky enough to cut them off. This time we each wounded
one, and I managed to put a bullet into each of the wounded
ones as they were getting away, which rather restored my
spirits. Later on I saw a fine pig, but too far off to fire at ;
and on the way home we got a chinkarra, thus ending a
successful morning's sport. After breakfast we stayed quiet.
At 4 o'clock we went to the palace to take part in a pro
cession on the occasion of the great annual cattle-fair, which

80 INDIA
was now being held. About thirty thousand cattle had
changed hands — a very good thing for the Government, as they
get three annas per head on the sales. We found the court
yard of the palace tilled with the most picturesque crowd
imaginable. As Kerowlie lies away from the railway, its
institutions and customs are much the same as they were
three hundred years ago. There were four companies of
infantry, dressed in white tunics and trousers, on which the
trade mark was very conspicuous, and instead of the ordinary
turban they wore a kind of Scotch cap. There were some
twenty sowars, or troopers — the smartest-looking men of the
lot ; and there were some twenty men arrayed in red, unarmed,
who, I suppose, were pensioners. The latter were under the
command of the most remarkable person in that very curious
assemblage. He wore a blue plush tunic, a steel helmet,
and steel armpieces. He had two pairs of gloves — one of
white cotton, which he had put on ; the other of red wool,
which hung by a string from his wrists. After we had paid
a short call on the Maharajah a procession was formed. The
infantry moved off first by companies, each headed by its
own band, of three or four men, making an awful noise on
tom-toms and horns. The cavalry followed, one sowar having
his child behind him ; and then our friend in armour, with
his red-coat following. Our turn came at last, Ridley and
I, being on the smallest elephant, had to keep in the rear
of the Maharajah and Colonel Euan, in spite of the frantic
efforts of our mahout to keep up level, at the imminent risk
of breaking our heads or legs against the balconies of the
houses. The Maharajah was surrounded by some two hundred
men on foot, in every variety of costume, and armed with
every kind of gun ; they represented, I supposed, the old feudal
levies. We were landed at last on a platform in the middle of
the fair. There was an enormous crowd, especially round one
of the state tigers which had been brought out on a bullock-
cart to grace the show. After sitting in state for a few
minutes we took our leave.

KEROWLIE 81
Tuesday, March Is/.— Ridley and I went out early into
the same jungle as yesterday. He got a chinkarra ; but we
only saw one neilghai, and that did not give us a fair chance.
In the afternoon we all went out on the other side of Ke
rowlie after chinkarra. We did not get any, but we saw
more peacocks than I ever saw before in my life. The pea
cock is the sacred bird of Rajpootana, and one sees numbers
of them all through the country. This evening I watched
at least forty go up to roost in one tree, and the ground was
covered with others waiting their turn,
Wednesday, March 2nd. — We beat the same jungle that
we beat last week, near Keila Dao, into which two tigers had
been tracked. No tigers appeared ; they were supposed to
have got into some caves in the middle of the beat, from
which it was impossible to dislodge them. Two bears broke
away. At Keila Dao they had a cheetah in a trap — a
wooden cage weighted by stones, with a sliding door. It was
proposed to enlarge and shoot him, but when we came to
consider who should ' bell the cat,' i.e. open the trap-door,
we thought it not worth the risk. He was shot where he
was, Thursday, March 3rd. — Our last day at Kerowlie, but a
very successful one. After breakfast we went round to' the
palace to see the pack kill two cheetahs in the courtyard.
They were each secured by a long rope to a stake, so that
when the traps were opened they could not amuse themselves
amongst the crowd which had assembled to see the fun.
Some of the dogs were very plucky and tackled the cheetahs
singly ; but the latter of course had no chance, and it was soon
all over. We then started for the jungle, where Ridley and I
had been after neilghai, and where a tiger had been marked
down. We were posted along the edge of a small nullah.
The beaters began to raise their hullabaloo not two hundred
and fifty yards from us, and in full view ; for except two or
three nullahs the ground was flat. Hardly had the beat
begun when there was a great roaring and firing on the left,
G

82 INDIA
and a few seconds afterwards the tiger came tearing up the
nullah not fifteen yards below us. Colonel Euan and I both
loosed off at him, and he rolled over. All the Rajputs who
had guns rushed up and fired at him ; still he struggled up
again, and Colonel Euan asked me to give him another
barrel, Ridley had hit him first, so the honour of the day
was awarded to him. The whole beat did not occupy ten
minutes. We left Kerowlie about four o'clock. The Maha
rajah's parting with Colonel Euan was most touching ; he
was almost in tears. The journey back to the station was a
wonderful bit of travelling. We did the fifty-two miles
in five hours five minutes ; the first eighteen miles were
covered in an hour and a half.
Friday, March 4<th. — I stopped for the day at Bhurtpore.
In the morning I went into a jungle simply swarming with
pig. I bagged two ; but it was poor fun. I also had an in
different chance at some black buck, which I missed. In the
afternoon I had a look at the city. The principal feature is
the broad moat which surrounds it, and which proved such
an ob.stacle to Lord Lake in 1804. The Maharajah of Bhurt
pore is a Jat, and is not a fine specimen of an Indian prince.
Arrived at Agra in time to go to the Taj before dinner, where
I met Ralli and Colonel Euan.
Saturday, March 5th. — Ralli and I spent the morning
with Girwar in the Fort. Dined with the Manchester Regi
ment. A great bear-fight after dinner.

CHAPTER VI.
CALCUTTA AND DARJEELING.
Sunday, March 6th. — Good-bye to Ralli and Colonel
Euan, who were both homeward bound. Left by the evening
mail for Calcutta,
Monday, March 7th. — My birthday, though I did not re
member it till the evening. We passed through rich-looking
country, especially near Mirzapore, most of which was under
wheat. In the next carriage was a civilian, Brind by name,
who had been at Balliol with me,
Tuesday, March Sth. — Arrived at Calcutta 6 a,m. There
was a damp heat in Calcutta which reminded me of Colombo
but during my stay there was generally a cool breeze.
After breakfast at the Great Eastern Hotel, which was very
crowded, I called on Mrs, Cumberledge, a fellow-passenger in
the ' Mirzapore,' At Government House I found Sir Donald
Wallace, who is acting as privato secretary to Lord Dufferin,
I stayed to lunch, and was rather surprised to meet Leonard
Sartoris and Arnold Butler, In the afternoon had a good
game of tennis at the Cumberledges' ; the grass courts in
Calcutta are excellent. Dined and took up my quarters at
Government House, Lord and Lady Dufferin were as charm
ing and as kind as they could be,
Wednesday, March 9th. — G, Leveson-Gower and Shool-
bridge turned up from Benares before breakfast. In the morn
ing went to see Miss Lawrence, who was staying with her sister
Mrs, Cunningham, After lunch took a stroll down Garden
Reach to see the shipping. The steamers were few and of no
G 2

84 INDIA
great size, but there was a finer fleet of sailing-vessels than can
be seen anywhere else in the world. There were about sixty
full-rigged ships and ten or twelve four-masters, nearly all of
them built of iron. Dined with the Cumberledges',
Thursday, March 10th. — We drove out to see the Paper-
chase Cup run before breakfast. The obstacles, as far as we
could see, were hurdles and mudbanks. There was a first-
class finish, Beresford winning by a short head ; unfortunately
he was disqualified for having gone the wrong course. At
2.30 left for Darjeeling, One of my travelling-companions
was Colonel Beeching, brother of the banker in Hastings; the
other a very nice fellow in the Bombay Post Office depart
ment, by name O'Shea, We crossed the Ganges in the
evening by steamer,
Friday, March lltli. — Breakfasted at Siliguri, and then
embarked on the curious Darjeeling-Himalayan railway. It is
exactly like those toy railways one sees at fairs in France and
at home, and only needs a cardboard tunnel to complete the
illusion. It is a wonderful bit of engineering ; in the fifty
miles from Siliguri to Darjeeling it mounts over 6,000 feet.
The track is laid on the old cart-road, and curves about in
the most extraordinary way on the hillside, at times making
a complete loop. The first few miles from Siliguri are on
the flat, then for ten miles the line ascends through a thick
sal forest with very fine trees and large bamboos. After
that it emerges on the hillside, and for the rest of the way
we had splendid views over the valleys. It became very
cold after leaving Kurseon, and before we reached Ghoom,
the highest point on the line (over 7,000 feet), we were in the
mist. We arrived at Darjeeling at 4, Walked up to Observa
tory Hill with young Prestige, the son of the maker of the
line. There was no view of the snows, but it was very fine
looking down into the valley on either side, Darjeeling
stands on a spur which must be 3,000 or 4,000 feet above
the valleys. Dined with Major and Mrs, Hamilton, who
were staying at the Woodlands Hotel, He was aide-de-

DARJEELING 85
camp to Sir Frederick Roberts in Burmah, Both were very
nice, Saturday, March litli. — A thick mormng; no chance of
seeing the snows. After breakfast rode down to Mr, Free
man's, His bungalow stands at the head of the tea-garden,
^Ve went down to the tea-house : it looked only a short way
off, but it was a good two miles, along a path which zig
zagged down the steep hillside. There is very little going
on now either in the houses or in the garden. The bushes
are all cropped down very low — about a foot high — with flat
tops. The different qualities of tea are gathered from the same
bush, and the preparation of the leaves for use, the rolling,
drying, &c,, takes four days. In the afternoon again went
up to Observatory Hill, but nothing to be seen. It was
rather disgusting, as Mrs, Freeman said Kinchinjunga had
been visible for more than an hour from her house in the
morning, A long yarn with O'Shea after dinner — an intel
ligent fellow, who had seen a lot of service up the Persian
Gulf, and in charge of the post-office of the Indian contingent
at Suakim, Sundai/, March, loth. — I was determined not to miss the
snows this morning, I woke at 3, and at 5 ; when I looked
out at 6, I caught sight of them at last, and at once rushed
up to Observatory Hill, The sun was just rising, and the
rosy tint on the tops was most lovely, A huge three-peaked
mass stood out clearly, which I took to be Kinchinjunga,
To the left of this was a mass of clouds. The range seen
from Darjeeling is concave in shape, so that though the
mountains to the right were clear the side facing us was in
the shade. Between these and Kinchinjunga all was cloudy.
Though the snows were very lovely, the cloud-effects were
lovelier still. They filled the whole valley beneath our feet ;
they gave one the idea of a rolling ocean, while peculiarly
white masses here and there fioated on the darker clouds like
icebergs. I watched the varying effect on the snows — they
are never the same for five minutes together — till the mists

86 INDIA
began to roll up from the valley and all was wrapped in
gloom. To church at 11, Went to the bazaar afterwards,
but found nothing worth buying. The people here are most
curious — so different from those of the plains. There are
Ghoorkas, Lepchas, Bhooteas, and a few Thibetans ; all,
epecially the latter, with a Mongolian type of face. They
seem very good-humoured, and are always laughing and
chatting. They earn their living principally as coolies ; it is
almost impossible for wheeled conveyances to get about in
the hills. Men and women carry enormous loads,
Monday, March 14th. — Rode up to Sinchul, a hill behind
Darjeeling, 8,000 feet high. It was clearer than yesterday-
morning, especially to the left, and if Everest is to be seen
from Sinchul, I must have seen it ; though people are rather
hazy as to which Everest is. It was terribly cold, but the
view well repaid me. At breakfast managed to persuade
O'Shea to accompany me to Tongloo, We went by train to
Ghoom, where we found our ponies, both very good ones and
very fresh. The track was level for most of the way to
Jorpokri, nine miles from Ghoom, We got on fresh ponies
and were off again at 1,30, The track after this became very
rough. It rail through forest ; the trees had no tops, and,
being covered with moss, did not look valuable, but I learnt
afterwards that there was a good deal of chestnut and oak,
the latter almost as good as English oak for many purposes.
We had to descend about 1,500 feet, and then began the
stiff pull up to Tongloo, which is 10,300 feet high. We
passed a few white rhododendrons in blossom, but it is rather
too early for them yet. As we ascended we got out of the
forest, and the hillsides were covered with bamboo-grass
about ten feet high. Near to Tongloo there were several
banks of the pretty mauve-coloured snow primrose ; at the
foot of the bank beneath them there was always a mass of
snow a foot or more deep. We got to Tongloo bungalow at
5 o'clock, i.e. in five hours and a quarter from Ghoom, We
had been in thick mist the latter part of the way, and were

TONGLOO 87
glad to find a roaring fire in the bungalow. The hotel-
keeper of Woodlands had sent on a cook and provisions, for
which he ran us in in the most disgraceful way. After a cup
of tea we strolled out in the direction of Santakphu, We
met a little girl carrying a huge load of wood. I went up to
feel the weight of it, and then thought I would carry it a
little way. All the time I carried it the girl followed behind
shrieking with laughter ; she was not in the least grateful ;
it only struck her as extremely ridiculous that one of the
sahibs should exert himself on her behalf Turned in at
10,30, but in spite of several blankets and a roaring fire I
was too cold to sleep,
Tuesday, March 15th. — A hard frost. Seeing the snows
were clear, we rushed out and climbed to the top of a small
hill close by just as the sun was rising. Such a view as we
saw that morning one will never see again till one goes back
to Darjeeling, The mountains are on an enormous scale,
Kinchinjunga is 28,000 feet, and though it is forty miles off
it seems to tower into the sky even at that distance. It was
at first clear to the top, and the snows were rosy in the rays
of the rising sun. As the sun got up a lovely mist hung
on the western side of the peak, and the snows became a
dazzling white. It was ]3erfectly clear on all sides ; we could
see the range stretching for a hundred miles to the east, and
the same distance to the west of us. There were few clouds
in the valley, and we could see the snows from their very
foot, Santakphu and Phalut interrupted our view of the
range to our left. Over the shoulder of the former a single
peak stood up, which we supposed was Everest, After half
an hour's gazing we had to tear ourselves away, and started
on the return journey soon after 7 o'clock. At every turn
of the road we had most lovely peeps of the snows, which
seemed to get more dazzling as the day wore on. The sun
was shining brightly, the air was crisp and fresh, and one
felt a most delightful sensation of happiness. We reached
Ghoom at 11,30, where I said good-bye to O'Shea, who was

00 INDIA
going back to Darjeeling, I had a jolly ride down to Kurseon
on a trolly with Prestige, Trollying is extremely pleasant ;
we went along much faster than the train. At one place
we stopped to see a clouded-leopard's skin, which Prestige
had bought from a man who had been hunting up near
the snows. The clouded-leopard is most beautifully marked,
and is very rare. Dined at Siliguri,
Wednesday, March 16th. — Arrived in Calcutta at noon.
In the evening went to say good-bye to Mrs. Cumberledge.
Had a good game of tennis, and dined at the Cunninghams'.
It was rather sad saying good-bye to Miss Lawrence ; she
seemed like my last link with home.
Thursday, March 17th. — Embarked in the B,I, 'Rajpu
tana ' at Diamond Harbour, Shared a cabin with Captain
Bevile,' a very nice fellow, whom we had met at Shikarpur,
He had been in a Beloochi regiment through the Afghan war,
and then had taken civil employ. He told me that many of
the men in his regiment had been in Ayoub Khan's army at
Maiwand, With a little determination this terrible defeat
might have been a great victory. One of these men told
Bevile that when they saw our force advancing they were
ready to cut and run, but directly we halted they began to
take courage, Maiwand only further exemplified the truth
of the great maxim of Indian warfare : ' Directly you see your
enemy, go for him,' Nearly all our great victories in India
have been won by following these tactics,
Sunday, March 20th. — Arrived at Rangoon after a very
smooth passage, I was very much put out to find the ' Sun
beam ' had left for Moulmein,
Monday, March 21st. — It was terribly hot ; 93° under
the awning. In the evening Bevile and I went for a row on
the lake, a lovely piece of water seven miles round. Dined
with C, G, Bayne, from whom I heard of Thomson, a Balliol
friend ; he had just been iu his first brush with dacoits.
' Since our return I have heard that poor Bevile was killed in a skir
mish with dacoits.

BURMAH 89
It was a disappointment that I had no time to go up to
Mandalay ; one would have learnt something for oneself
about Upper Burmah ; as it is, my impressions are derived
chiefly from an excellent little book by Geai;v, ' Burmah after
the Conquest,' The Indian Government had given a kind of
pledge to the Indian people that they did not intend further
annexations ; so the reasons must have been strong which
induced them to make Upper Burmah British territory.
There is little doubt that the annexation was unpopular on
the whole amongst natives of India, on account of the in
crease to taxation necessary to settle a new country. The
main reasons for annexation were, first, the murder of the
royal family, which apparently was not the act of Theebaw,
but of one of his Ministers ; secondly, the treatment of the
Bombay Burmah Trading Company by the Burmese Govern
ment ; thirdly, intrigues with the French, who were to make
a railway connecting Mandalay and Tonquin, and to esta
blish a bank at Mandalay, The last was the real I'eason for
our advance ; the treaty would have given the French control
over the chief sources of revenue of Upper Burmah, of the
trade on the Irrawaddy-, and of the only route to Western
China from British ports. Upper Burmah will probably be
a long time before it will pay its way. Its chief natural
resources are its teak forests and the ruby mines ; the soil is
for the most part poor ; and it imports most of its rice from
Lower Burmah, Mr, Geary, it seems to me, takes a rather
desponding view of the situation. Cultivation will probably
extend rapidly under a strong British administration, dacoity
will gradually die out, and before many years a great trade
will be opened vid Yunnan into Western China, and to the
upper course of the Yang-tse-kiang,
'Tuesday, March 22nd. — Left Rangoon at 6.30 in a fast
B,I, paddle-boat. Joined the ' Sunbeam ' at Amherst Point
at the mouth of the Moulmein River in the evening.

90 INDIA

CHAPTER VIL
IMPRESSIONS.
One of the greatest impressions left on my mind by a
visit to India was the strength of our position there at the
present time. The number of European troops in India
is far larger now than it was at the time of the mutiny ; many
precautions are taken now which were not taken then ;
camps of refuge and military roads have been constructed.
But it is not on these circumstances that the strength of our
position depends. Our position is strong because it rests on
the goodwill of the people, and because they have come to
realise that we alone can insure peace and good government
to the country. The mass of the people, i,e, the country
population, are indifferent as to who their ruler is, provided
that they are not too much oppressed by taxes. The people
who are discontented, at any rate those who are openly dis
contented, belong mainly to the weakest races in India, while
the strongest races are contented, or so much intermingled
that one forms a check on the other.
The multitudes who inhabit the valley of the Ganges,
the Bengalis, are the weakest of the races in India, and if
they were discontented would be hardly a force to be reckoned
with. The same may be said of most of the inhabitants of
the Madras presidency. If there is disaffection anywhere
among the rural population of India it is amongst the
^lahratta inhabitants of the Deccan, The Mahratta confede
racy was only broken up at the beginning of the century ;
those terrible Pindaree bands, who were formed out of its
ruins, were only put down two generations ago. The

THE NATIVE RACES 91
Mahratta has hardly had time yet to forget his old plundering
calling and to settle down into a peaceful cultivator of the
soil. A Mahratta rising in the Deccan, unaided by disturb
ances in the north, it would be possible to deal with.
It is in the north of India that the strongest races dwell.
Rajpootana was the home of the great warriors of the India
of five hundred years ago. The Great Mogul kept up a
Rajpoot army as a check on his Mahommedan followers.
Other nations have surpassed the Rajpoots as warriors, but
they still form a considerable portion of our army. To the
north-west of Rajpootana lies the Punjab — the country of
the great Sikh nation. It is little more than forty years ago
that the Sikhs had to lay down their arms. They accepted
the verdict of two hard-fought campaigns, and have been
our firm friends ever since. Under the guidance of Lord
Lawrence they saved India for us during the mutiny, and
there is no reason to suppose any change has taken place
in their opinions. The Sikhs are a sect of Hindus ; inter
mingled with them in the Punjab and inhabiting the country
over the Indus — the Derajat — are the Punjabi Mahommedans
and Pathans, Like the Sikhs, these men are some of the
best soldiers in the native army — they have more dash,
perhaps, than the Sikhs, but they are not so steady in case
of a reverse. There is yet one other people which must cer
tainly not be forgotten, the Nepaulese, Nepaul is a semi-
independent state whose aggressions on the people of the
plains have been restricted by the extension of the British raj ,
The warlike spirit of the inhabitants has found a new career
in British employ, and the Ghoorkha regiments saved more
than one battle in the mutiny and in the Afghan war. It is
almost impossible that the peoples of Northern India, and
they, after all, are the people whom we have seriously to
consider, could combine against us. In the event of a rising
we could play off one against another, and fortunately for us,
the strongest nation of all, the Sikhs, are our firm friends.
But at present, as far as one could judge from a hurried visit,

92 INDIA
there are no signs of discontent amongst the northern peoples;
if the Russians were to invade India, it is my belief that they
would heartily support us.
Turning from the people to the native princes, the pro
spect is encouraging. In the Maharajah of M.y sore and
the Gaekwar of Baroda, two of the leading princes in India,
we have young men brought up in English ideas of govern
ment, who are really trying to put into practice what they
have been taught. The same may be said of the Rao of
Cutch, and other princes of lesser importance. The Nizam,
the ruler of the most important native state, is quite a young
man, and, though not perhaps so estimable as the Gaekwar, is,
to judge from his munificent offer to the A-^iceroy in the event
ofa Russian invasion, sincerely attached to us. Rajpootana
is almost entirely under native rulers, and is apparently con
tented. The princes of Oodeypore, Jodpore, and Jeypore were
only saved from destruction by the Mahrattas through our
intervention, and they have every inducement to hold by us.
Gwalior and Indore are important states from their position
and origin. The rulers of both stuck to us in the Mutiny.
The Scindia of to-day is quite a boy, and is being brought up
to a great extent under English tutelage ; the Maharajah
Holkar, whose demeanour during the Jubilee in England
excited unfavourable comment, has given proofs of his liberal
spirit by subscribing to the Rukma Bai fund. In the Sikh
states of Puttiala, Jheend, and Nabha we have princes sin
cerely attached to our rule ; it is to be hoped that the young
Maharajah of Puttiala will turn out as estimable a prince as
the Gaekwar. Thus, as far as a casual traveller can judge,
neither among the people nor among the princes are there
any reasons for apprehending a repetition of the Mutiny.
It is only in the last few years that Englishmen have
begun seriously to ask themselves what share they are pre
pared to give to the natives of India in the government of
their country. It is a question which was brought forcibly
before the minds of Englishmen by the policy of Lord Ripon

THE B.VBOOS 93
(or of the advisers to whom he listened), and by the loud and
universal outcry which the Ilbert Bill excited amongst the
European community in India, I went to India without
having made up my mind as to whether he was right or
wrong, I felt that the only logical outcome of our system
of education is to give natives an increased share in the
government of tlieir country, and I was inclined to believe
that the violence of the storm against the Ilbert Bill was
due to the natural prejudice of Anglo-Indians, It was only
after I had been two or three months in the country that
the conviction began to grow upon me that Lord Ripon's
policy had done a vast amount of harm ; i,e, that he had
forced forward changes which would certainly come in time,
but for which India was not yet ripe.
At home we hear a great deal of the demand for self-
government on the part of the people of India, It ia not till
one has travelled in India that one can realise from what
an infinitesimal portion of the population this demand really
comes. The mass, of the people do not care, and in many
cases they do not know, whether they are under the rule of
the Queen of England or the Great Mogul, The professional
agitator, who is no more absent from India than he is from
Ireland, finds his audience amongst the urban population.
It is only the inhabitants of the towns, especially of the three
large cities, Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras, that have been
touched by our educational system. The educated natives,
the baboos, are for the most part the sons of traders and shop
keepers. They have learnt a smattering of the principles of
the British Constitution and of European ideas of government,
and they think that they are qualified to step into our shoes at
once and to undertake the task of ruling our complex Indian
Empire, The baboos are drawn from the weakest races in
India, The Bengali, from time immemorial, has been cele
brated for his astuteness and his power of assimilating know
ledge ; but he is lacking in the straightforwardness and the
force of character that distinguish the races of the North-

94 INDIA
West, Baboos are employed in subordinate positions all over
India, as station-masters, as railway clerks, as clerks in public
offices, and they do fairly well, but place them in a position
of real responsibility and they break down. So long as they
can act according to rule, according to precedent, all goes
well ; but should a crisis of unusual nature arise, they are
at a loss how to deal with it. This is the reason why natives
have hitherto succeeded best in the legal profession : many
have attained considerable eminence as judges. There is
another great, and, if possible, more important, objection to
the baboo. He is, as has been said, drawn usually from the
trading classes, i,e, the lower castes of the population. If
he is sent as magistrate into a country district, he com
mands little respect and his influence is nil, for it must
always be remembered that India is one of the most conser
vative countries in the world. If this is the case with a baboo
in a district in Bengal, it would be ten times more so in
a district in Rajpootana or the Punjab ; in fact, it would be
impossible to send him there.
While the foregoing may be said of the majority of
baboos, who are the people who clamour for self-government,
there is a certain sprinkling of native gentlemen throughout
the country who are as highly educated in the ideas of
Western civilisation as we ourselves. These men appreciate
the difficulties of governing a country like India, divided not
only by race antagonism but by the antagonism between two,
not to say three, great religions, and they know that it will
be many years before that Indian nation is formed which the
agitators say already exists. These men are few, and do little
to decrease the real difficulty in the extension of self-govern
ment in India, which is this : The men who have profited
by our system of education have no real influence in the
country, while the men who do possess that influence have
fallen behind in the matter of education. Special facilities
have to be given to Mahommedans entering the uncovenanted
Civil Service, as they cannot compete with Hindoos in the

EDUCATION 95
examinations. The Mahommedans, at any rate, through most
of India form the strongest part of the population, and it is
only natural that they should become disaffected to our rule
if we place them in a subordinate position. Again, higher
education has been made cheap for all, with the result that
the better classes have been excluded from its benefits. As
Sir Alfred Lyall points out, in a country where caste is
everything, a gentleman will not send his son to a school
where he may sit side by side with the sons of his baker or
sweeper. The country gentry, in spite of many blows from
the levelling school of politicians, still possess much local
infiuence. They are looked up to and respected by the
people amongst whom they live. They are almost untouched
by European civilisation ; they have not learnt, as natives so
often do, its worst features, without seeing any of its benefits.
They are in many ways one of the best classes, and unfortu
nately they are one with which the traveller, and indeed
many Anglo-Indians, never come in contact.
One is led by these considerations to the conclusion that
our system of education has been a failure in some important
respects. What can be done to remedy it ? First, let
higher education be made more expensive. Second, assist
the native gentry to form colleges and schools for their sons,
such as the Chiefs' College at Lahore, and the Mahommedan
College at Futtyghur, so that the natural leaders of the
people may be fitted to occupy their position. The funds
saved by making students pay for the higher branches of
education should be expended in increasing the number of
primary schools (State education should be for the many, not
for the few), and in establishing technical schools. To teach
young Indians to become good foresters and good agricul
turists, to show them that the material benefits of civilisation
are as worthy of their attention as political controversy, is no
mean object. By following out the lines I have indicated
in the matter of education, we shall be able to give without
danger a large and increasing share to natives in the govem-

96 INDIA
ment of their country. The people of India move slowly ; we
must not try to force forward changes for which they are not
fit. The great danger to India is from well-meaning but ill-
informed politicians at home, or, as Baron Hiibner says in his
excellent ' aperpu politique ' on India, ' the only people whom
the English have to fear in India are themselves,'
No Englishman can leave India without a feeling of just
pride in the splendid fabric which has been created by his
countrymen, and a great admiration for the men who have
been engaged in the work. We have given peace and good
government to a country which for centuries has been the
scene of warfare, plundering, and oppression. By throwing
men on their own responsibility, which brings out all that is
best in them, we have supplied a class of men fit to carry
out the task which we have set ourselves. We have under
taken a great responsibility towards India ; let us hope that
through our own folly we may not cause our great work —
the greatest England has ever accomplished — to tumble to
pieces like a pack of cards.

PAET III.
TTIF COLONIES.

CHAPTER I,
BORNEO,
Wednesday, Marcii 30th. — At 8 a,m, moored alongside the
coal-jetty at Singapore close to a large four-master. She
was a new ship, and had brought out 3,600 tons of coal,
the largest cargo ever brought to Singapore, Sailing vessels
bring coal here and then go up to Rangoon for a homeward
cargo of rice. After breakfast went up to bring Mrs, Nanson,
a fellow-passenger in the ' Mirzapore,' to see the yacht. As
we were driving along I saw Beaumont-Nesbitt in another
garry, to my great surprise ; he was on a trip round the
world with the two Watneys, In the course of the morning
Pemberton, who had been waiting for us a fortnight, turned
up on board, and also the Sultan of Johore, whom I had
last seen when he raced with me in the ' Norman ' at Cowes,
In the afternoon we went to see Beaumont and Lord and
Lady Stafford off to China in the ' Bokhara,' Had tea with
the Sultan, and dined with the Nansons,
Thursday, Marcii 31st. — Father and I went with Captain
Cameron, the officer in charge of public works at Singapore,
to see the forts. The whole of the works have been com
pleted, at the cost of the Straits Government, and the em
placements in all the forts are ready. At present only two
guns are mounted, and these are 4^-ton muzzle-loaders.
The new 9-2-inch breechloaders, which are to be supplied H

98 THE COLONIES
from Woolwich at the cost of the Home Government, are of
course not completed, and it may be years under the present
system before they are sent out. It is hard, when the colony
has made such efforts to protect itself, that there should be
so little response at home. The forts are only constructed
with a view of withstanding a sudden attack, and as long as
our navy remains what it is they are not likely to have to
deal with anything more serious.
The great difficulty in Singapore, as in many other of our
smaller dependencies, is the manning of the guns. There is
only one battery of artillery, who are obviously insufficient
to garrison four or five forts, each mounting five or six guns.
The one regiment of European infantry would probably be
occupied in protecting the landings, and the battalion of Sikh
police, who are a fine body of men, in keeping the Chinese
in order. There seems always to be a danger of a revolt
amongst the Chinese, who are very numerous in Singapore,
It is one of the few places out of China where they have per
manently settled. They are buying much of the land in the
island, and it must be allowed that the prosperity of the port
is in great measure due to them.
Sir Frederick Weld is governor of the Straits Settlements,
which include Penang, Malacca, Province Wellesley, and the
three native states, Johore, Salungore, and Perak. Sir Fred
erick was originally a sheep-farmer in New Zealand, where
he entered Parliament ; and he was governor of Tasmania
before he was appointed to his present post. The trade of
the Straits Settlements has increased enormously since the
opening of the Suez Canal, and the revenue shows a good
surplus over expenditure.
In the aftemoon we steamed round in the ' Sunbeam ' to
Johore, Friday, April 1st.- — Pemberton and I spent the' morning
with Abdurrahman, the Sultan's private secretary, and with
the head of the police. Both were good fellows ; Abdurrah
man was educated in England, and is certainly clever. It was

SARAWAK 99
difficult to get from them much information about Johore,
It is the oldest of the Malay states. The original inhabitants
came from Sumatra, and at one time the Johore State ex
tended over Rhio and the other islands south of Singapore,
as well as over some of the coast of Sumatra, At present
the state is fairly prosperous, though much undeveloped, be
cause it is covered with a vast forest. There are a few tea
and tobacco planters ; gambier, sago, and a certain amount
of timber are also exported. The revenue is principally
derived from the Chinese,
In the afternoon we drove back to Singapore, and, having
embarked Mr, Crocker, who was going out to take Mr,
Treacher's place as governor of the British North Borneo
Company's territory, left for Sarawak soon after midnight,
April 2nd and 3rd. — At sea. There were only very light
airs, and it was as calm as a millpond. It was hot, but not
so hot as it had been in the Bay of Bengal, Near the equator
there is far more rain than farther north. At Singapore it
rains every day, and, if the rain does not exactly cool the air,
it renders it a trifle fresher,
Monday, April ith. — Felt our way up the Sarawak River,
which is full of rocks and other dangers, and anchored off
the town at 11, The Rajah unfortunately was away, but
Mr, Maxwell and Major Day did the honours of the place.
It is a neat little town ; the court-house, prison, and other
public buildings are most creditable, Sarawak is a wonder
ful instance of English enterprise. Sir James Brooke, the
uncle of the present Rajah, was originally in the Indian civil
service. He overstayed his leave in England, and, being in
danger of losing his appointment, fitted out a small schooner,
in which he attacked and put down the Malay pirates, the
great pest of the China seas, some fifty years ago. The
people of Sarawak, who had been oppressed by the pirates,
elected him to be their Rajah, He organised the adminis
tration of the country, he kept a small a force with some
gunboats to put down the pirates along the coast, and

100 THE COLONIES
gradually extended his territories. Originally his dominion
only extended for ten miles or so round Sarawak ; now there
are over two hundred miles of sea-coast. There was a
dangerous insurrection of the Chinese thirty-five years ago,
but since then there has been no very serious difficulty. The
army consists of three hundred men, principally dyaks, who
are trained to both rifle and gun drill. The administration
of this large country is carried on by about thirty Europeans,
who are paid in the same way and have the same pensions as
Indian civil servants, Europeans are in charge of districts.
Justice is administered by Mahommedans for the Malays,
who, it must be remembered, are an invading race in Borneo,
and are concentrated in the coast towns. The people of the
country, the land-dyaks, are very simple, and for them
justice is of a very paternal nature, administered through
their chiefs. In the Supreme Court a European sits with
Malay chiefs as advisers. The revenue is derived mainly
from opium, ergo from the Chinese, There is a small poll
tax, but no land tax, as in India, Sago, timber, and gam
bier are the principal exports. Coffee and tobacco have
been tried on the Baroness Burdett-Coutts's farms, but have
not succeeded well. The sago palm is indigenous to Borneo ;
seven-eighths of the sago crop of the world comes from the
island, one-half from Sarawak alone, Mr, Crocker suggests
in a pamphlet that twenty thousand families should be com
pelled to grow sago ; the plantations should be fenced with
bilian to prevent the ravages of pigs ; the land would not
be wasted in the same way as it is now, and the revenue
would be increased by 350,000 dollars.
The Rajah is at present in an anomalous position. He is
an independent prince, and yet still a British subject. If
the Government were to take him formally under British pro
tection, the Foreign Office would probably claim some right
of interference in the country. The Rajah might raise
objections, but it would be jiossible to surmount them. The
real difficulty from the Rajah's point of view is to secure the

LABUAN 101
continuity of tlie little state. It will probably before long
become a Crown colony. We cleared the river at sunset, and
shaped our course for Labuan,
Wednesday, April 6th. — A current had set us thirty miles to
the north-east, so we entered Victoria Harbour, Labuan, from
the north, Mr, Hamilton, the harbour-master, post-master,
police-officer, &c., and Governor and Mrs, Leys came on
board as soon as we anchored. Father, Pemberton, and I
went for a walk with Hamilton round the maidan, a beautiful
piece of turf, past the prison, in which there are ten prisoners,
costing the colony 40Z, a year each — 4L for food and 36Z, for
accommodation and attendants — past the church, a pretty
little building in which Hamilton reads service every Sunday
to a congregation of one to six people, and so to Government
House, a large roomy bungalow rather out of repair, in a
very pretty park, Hamilton is a retired naval officer, and a
very nice fellow. He leads a lonely life, but apparently
makes himself very happy with boat sailing. One cannot
help feeling a great respect for men who are serving their
country in out-of-the-way stations like this. We dined with
Governor and Mrs, Leys,
Labuan was occupied in 1846, and is one of the many
instances of the ignorance of officials on colonial matters.
Coal had been discovered in the island ; it was on the high
road to China, and it was feared that some foreign power
might step in. An elaborate staff was sent out, troops were
quartered there, and a very large sum of money expended on
barracks and public buildings. Only after this was it dis
covered that the coal-seam, being at an angle of 45°, could not
be worked because of the difficulty of dealing with the water.
The colony, whose revenues do not much exceed 3,000Z, a year,
is now saddled with a large pension list, on which there are two
chaplains, and all expenditure on improvements is prevented
till some of the pensioners die off. There are five thousand
inhabitants, very peaceful, and mostly occupied in agriculture.
The trade, such as it is, is iu the hands of Chinese, who, as

102 THE COLONIES
usual pay the greater proportion of the revenue. It is
perhaps worth noting that Sir John Pope Hennessy, who
has achieved an unenviable reputation in Hong Kong, Barba
does, and Mauritius, began his career and married in Labuan,
Thursday, April 7th. — Steamed up the river to Brunei in
the ' Lorna Doone,' a steamer belonging to the Rajah Brooke,
as the bar prevented us going up in the ' Sunbeam,' On the
right of the entrance to the river are the Muara coal-mines,
worked by Messrs, Cowie, We took thirty tons of their coal
at Labuan ; it burnt away quickly, but it was easy to get
steam with. Some Russians had been in to look at the
mines a few days before ; the Messrs, Cowie are greatly in
want of capital, so unless we keep our eyes open they may pass
into hands in which we would rather not see them. To the
left of the Brunei River is the broad entrance to the Limbang
River, and to the east of this again the district of Trusan,
which has just been annexed by the Rajah Brooke, The
Sultan of Brunei, who is a Malay, at one time ruled over
nearly all the north of Borneo, He disposed of the eastern
portion of his territory to the North Borneo Company ; the
Rajah Brooke has gradually encroached on him from the west,
and by annexing Trusan has almost completely hemmed him
in. His territory is now not much larger than Sarawak was
fifty years ago. The town of Brunei is built entirely on piles
right in the middle of the river, and the only communication
from house to house is by canoe. The shops, kept by Chinese,
are in house-boats. We called on the Sultan in the after
noon. It is almost impossible to imagine a more miserable
or incapable-looking lot of men than the Sultan and his
ministers. They are only invaders in Borneo, and it will be
well when the last remnant of their power is swept away.
On board the ' Sunbeam ' at 6 and to sea,
Friday, April Sth. — We were steaming along the coast.
From 6 to 8 a,m, we had a fine view of Kina Balu (the
Chinese Widow), a mountain 13,700 feet high. At 4 p,m,
anchored in Kudat Harbour, an inlet on the western side of

KUDAT 103
Malludo Bay, in the extreme north-eastern corner of Borneo,
After dinner Mr. Davis, the North Borneo Company's resi
dent in charge of the district, and Doctor Lamb called for
me to go in pursuit of wild-cattle (tumbadows) by moon
light. We paddled in a native canoe for about an hour up
the bay, and then entered a small creek completely overhung
by mangroves. The harbours of Borneo are infested with
crocodiles, and one thought that if we did upset over the root
of a mangrove tree it would be by no means pleasant ; one
crocodile did flop into the water a few yards from us. When
we disembarked we had to walk for nearly a hundred yards
along a slippery bridge of thin trunks resting on piles without
a handrail. Mr, Davis slipped off once, and got up to his
waist in water, and the thought of being seized by a crocodile
did not make it any pleasanter. On reaching terra firma we
made our way for a quarter of a mile along a rough path
through the jungle, which brought us out on the most lovely
country imaginable for sport. There was a succession of
small hills and hollows, mostly covered with long grass, but
nicely broken up by bushes and patches of jungle, which
would have made stalking easy. Deer kept barking close to
us all night, but we reserved our fire for the wild-cattle. At
last we came on some of them, but they were off before we
could put in a shot, and made a tremendous noise as they
crashed away through the bushes. We had not gone three
hundred yards when another bolted out of some bushes close
in front of us, but it was so dark that we never saw him till he
turned, A little farther on about twenty crossed in front of
us. We both fired, and thought we wounded one, as he sepa
rated from the rest, but we could not pick him up. On the
way back to the boat we got within twenty-five yards of one,
and all of us fired. He was evidently hard hit, but just
managed to stumble into the jungle,' and we searched for an
' At Port Darwin I had a letter from Mr, Davis, saying that he had been
out on this ground three weeks later and found that beast, I have his
horns at home.

104 THE COLONIES
hour without success. As far aS I could make out by the
dim light the tumbadow are quite black, and about the size
of Scotch cattle. On our way back to the boat we flred at
deer. Just before 2 the moon came out, and Davies got a
small buck ; it was a tough job cleaning it and getting it
back to the boat. We did not get on board till 6, when the
' Sunbeam ' was nearly nnder way,
Saturda,y, April 9th. — Navigation through the Mallawalle
Channel, with the sunken rocks and absence of all beacons,
was difficult, but the passage was safely accomplished. It
was not till we had shaped a course for Sandakan that we
just touched on a reef which was not marked in the chart.
Anchored in Sandakan Harbour at midnight. It is a splendid
bay, twenty miles deep, with an entrance a mile and a quarter
broad. The high land on the north side of the entrance is a
good leading mark, and there are no dangers, Sandakan
may in time become one of the important ports of the Far
East, Sunday, April 10th. — Governor Treacher, Mr, Callaghan,
the Resident at Darvel Bay, and Mr, Von Donop came to
lunch. At 4.30 father read service in a little chapel built
on piles, with a matting roof After service we went up to
the club. They have two billiard tables, which ought to be
sufficient for the requirements of Sandakan — some twenty
European residents.
Monday, Apiril llth. — Des Graz and I went with
Mr. Cook along the south side of the harbour after pig.
We walked along the beach, while his two dogs hunted
the jungle. We only found two small pigs, and these
they soon ran down. The coup de grace was given with
the rifle at a range one yard. It was not an exciting
sport ; but I am told that if you get a big boar at bay
there is some fun in it. The sun was right overhead ; by
noon it was terribly hot on the sandy beach, and we
were glad to cross over to a wooded island on the north
side of the harbour. We only saw some mouse-deer, and

THE NORTH BORNEO COWrANY 105
they were too pretty and too small to shoot at with a heavy
rifle. Tuesday, Apiril 12th. — In the morning Mr. Abrahamson,
of the flrm of Abrahamson & Co., came on board to try and
interest us in his company. His firm cuts and exports
timber to China. Bilian, which is very durable, and almost
invaluable, as it withstands the ravages of the white ant,
grows profusely in Borneo. During the last eight months
of 1886 Abrahamson & Co. paid a dividend of 17 per cent.
They have only one small saw-mill at present, and require
more capital to extend operations. We lunched at Govern
ment House, In the afternoon we had a rifle competition
among the men. The forecastle-cook. Weaver, and G, Smith,
both Naval Reserve men, shot well ; the former made nine
teen, the latter seventeen, out of a possible twenty. We left
Sandakan at 9 p.m. The whole European population came
down to the quay (alongside which we were lying to take
in water), and gave us three hearty cheers as we slipped our
moorings. The North Borneo Company was formed in 1877, and
received its charter in 1881, Its territory has seven hundred
miles of sea-coast, on which there are several good harbours,
including Gaya, Kudat, and Sandakan, Except during the
monsoon season in the China vSea the water is smooth, and
the Company's officials go from station to station in a steam
launch. The revenue and trade have grown steadily since the
incorporation of the Company, The expenditure has hitherto
exceeded the revenue, as it naturally must do in opening up
a new country; but it is estimated that in 1888 there will
be a balance on the right side. The whole of North Borneo
is one vast forest, which forms an almost inexhaustible
mine of wealth. Besides the bilian or iron wood, several
kinds of wood resembling mahogany are exported. Gutta
percha, indiarubber, beeswax, rattans, and a number of valu
able gums are yielded by the forest. At many places in the
interior are limestone caves, in which the edible bird's-nests

106 THE COLONIES
are found. From Darvel Bay come pearl oysters, and from
many places along the coast trepang, or bSche-de-mer. The
trade is principally with China,
Under the influence of thirty Englishmen, who rule over
some one hundred and flfty thousand people, the country is
making gradual progress towards civilisation. The rule of
the North Borneo Company is acceptable to the native popu
lation as a whole, especially to the inhabitants of the interior,
who have hitherto been plundered and oppressed by the
Malays on the sea-coast. The Company have had no serious
difficulty with the natives. The Company's officials say they
are received well wherever they go, even amongst tribes in the
interior who have never seen a white man before. The
native chiefs are left in authority, and are only prevented
from quarrelling with their neighbours ; the practice of head
hunting is gradually being stamped out. The great need of
the country is population. The Chinese spread year by year
in greater numbers over the islands of the Eastern Archi
pelago ; some people think that they will ultimately be
entirely populated by Chinese, They are good colonists and
are well received by the North Borneo Company, but some
of the officials think that it is their duty to develop the
native population, and to prevent it being swamped by the
ubiquitous Celestial, It is my belief that the Company will
not only succeed in the work of government but as an
investment. The country has enormous natural resources in
its timber forests, which should increase in value as the
timber supply becomes scarcer in Burmah and other forest
countries of the East, As the country becomes cleared Mr.
Crocker proposes to largely introduce the cultivation of the
pepper-plant, which is indigenous to Borneo, and which
should do well.
In many ways the North Borneo Company is one of the
most interesting undertakings of the present time. It carries
us back to the early days of the East India Company, more
than two centuries ago. But while the East India Company

A SPORTING EXPEDITION 107
was at first a purely trading concern, and only in the latter
part of its existence had the duties of govemment forced upon
it, the North Borneo Company occupies itself solely with the
government of its territory ; it leaves trade in private hands,
and only derives an inchrect benefit from it. Then again,
while the former had to deal with a country which had known
centuries of civilisation and had many arts and manufactures,
the latter has to deal with a country which has not as yet
advanced beyond the higher stages of barbarism, and in which
the only articles of trade are the natural products of forest
and sea. The North Borneo Company is a great civilising
influence : I hope it may succeed.
Wednesday, Apiril 13th. — During the morning we entered
Darvel Bay, an inlet fifty miles deep and thu-ty miles wide,
Callaghan told me that a large island on the south side of
the bay, by name Timbu Mata, swarmed with deer, and they
were easily to be got at on a high grassy point at the south
east corner of the island. The islands near the mouth of the
bay are inhabited by Bajows, who had an ill reputation as
pirates in the past. One of their villages had lately been
bombarded by H,M,S, ' Zephyr,' acting with Governor
Treacher and Callaghan, in consequence of an inter-tribal row,
Callaghan assured us that there was no danger of their attack
ing Europeans, but admitted that the Company had little
control in these parts, I got permission to take the cutter
away for two days, while the ' Sunbeam ' went on to Silam,
some thirty miles off, that the party might visit the bird's-
nest caves at Madai, My crew consisted of Beach, Frogbrook,
G. Smith, and C, Smith, each armed with a rifie, cutlass, and
revolver. We were dropped about seven miles from the
island, and closed the land towards sunset. As we passed
the north-east corner of the island we rowed over the most
lovely bottom I have ever seen. There were enormous bits
of white aoral, seaweed resembling huge flowers and of every
colour, and large brown sea-urchins. There were numbers
of fish swimming amongst the coral, and there was a thin fish

108 THE COLONIES
from one to three feet long which danced along the top of the
water, often for several hundred yards, on its tail ; the men
called it a skip-jack. The hills on the island were covered
with a dense jungle, and mangroves fringed the water's edge,
but after rounding the corner we made out a grassy ridge
about two miles ahead of us. With considerable difficulty,
for it was dark, and after grounding several times on the reef,
which ran a long way out from the shore, we brought up for
the night a few hundred yards from the beach under a grassy
point. We had a cover vyhich would have made a regular
house ofthe boat ; but thinking that if any unfriendly Bajows
did turn up we should be caught in a trap, we determined to
brave the heavy dew,
Thursday, Apiril 14<th. — At dawn we found we were off
a sandy beach in a break in the mangroves, and saw some
deer feeding on the ridge above us. The water ran off very
shallow and we had to wade ashore, I took Frogbrook with
ine and started after them. It was a pretty stiff pull up
the hillside, which was covered with a short green grass,
and being broken up into hollows was as perfect a place for
stalking as could be imagined. We kept along the top of
the ridge till we got to a point 150 yards from the deer.
Thinking this too far we stalked about fifty yards nearer, and
got in a beautiful position for a shot, but, alas ! we could not
see them, I thought they had been disturbed, when, raising
my head a little higher, I saw a doe and a fawn. We wanted
meat for the ship, so we fired, and the fawn fell. The rest of
the herd, who had been out of sight, ran up out of a hollow,
I got an easy chance at a nice buck, and bagged him. It was
a tough job getting them back to the boat, as it had begun to
get hot.
As we were sitting on the beach eating our breakfast, we
heard the noise of paddles behind the mangroves. We at
once seized our weapons, ready for what might turn up, but
were much relieved when we saw the North Borneo easign
floating from the stem of the canoe, Ii; was a native chief

EAJOAVS 1 09
whom Calla.ghan had sent down from Silam to look after us.
They had paddled all night. The prahu was very narrow,
with outriggers on both sides. Over the chiefs seat was an
awning of beautifully made matting, and four gaily painted
shields hung on the sides of the boat, after the manner of the
Vikings, The chief had two beautiful weapons — a Malay
krees with a fine ivory handle, and a broad knife like a
Ghoorka's, with a handle of carved wood ; both had wonderful
edges to the blades. After breakfast the chief and I started
with two of our men to explore farther. We climbed up to
the top of the ridge, where we found a cool breeze. We
took a turn round through one or two patches of jungle and
through some long grass, but saw nothing. When we got
back to the boat we found Frogbrook and Beach in a state of
considerable excitement. During our absence two prahus
and five or six smaller canoes full of Bajows had turned up,
Frogbrook and Beach behaved with great tact, and shook
hands with them as soon as they landed ; the chief's retinue
were able to converse with them a little, and all passed off
smoothly. They inspected our gear, and then went to fish
farther along the coast. In the evening we again went up
on the ridge, and though we saw several lots of does I only
saw one buck, and that was disturbed. We hauled off our
boat from the shore for the night. The two Bajow prahus
were anchored half a mile off, and we thought it possible
that we might be attacked. There was really no danger, but
none of us slept well, and loaded rifies and revolvers were
kept close handy,
Friday, April 15th. — Up on the ridge again at dawn, but
saw nothing but two or three does. The ground was dis
turbed by the chiefs men and the Bajows ; the grass only
extends for half a mile, so the deer are easily scared away
into the jungle. We got under weigh after breakfast, and
sailed out into the middle of the bay to wait for the ' Sun
beam,' They did not pick us up till 1 o'clock. The two
hours before had been bad ones — it is no joke being in an

110 THE COLONIES
open boat under a vertical sun. At 8 p,m, we passed
between Sibutu and Tawi-Tawi, one of the larger islands
of the Sulu group, and shaped our course for Macassar,
April IGth to Aprril ISth. — At sea,
April 19th. — Anchored off Macassar at noon. Macassar
is one of the oldest European settlements in the East, The
church in the fort, which was built by the Portuguese, bears
the date 1606, i.e. three years after the East India Company
received its charter ; the fort was built in 1656, The chief
product of the Celebes is coffee, but whether the Celebes
plantations were devastated by the disease in 1878 in the
same way as the plantations of Ceylon I could not discover.
We were struck by the number of cattle and ponies which
were feeding on the maidans in the town, Sumba and
Madura are the great places for cattle, and Timer for ponies,
in the Dutch possessions,
Wednesday, Apiril 20th. — Breakfasted at the ' Logement
Macassar,' Several Dutch officers were breakfasting at the
same hotel. One of them, who spoke English well, came up
and spoke to us afterwards. He was a nice fellow ; he had
served out here for twelve years, and had been wounded in
the Acheen war (Sumatra), The Acheen war is continually
draining the Dutch resources ; they have not sufficient force
to take the bull by the horns as we have done in Upper
Burmah, We saw a number of recruits being drilled by
Dutch instructors; they are mostly Javanese, are brought
here to be drilled, and then sent on to Acheen, It rather
astonished us to see the Dutch officers without sun-topes.
We left at 9 p,m, under steam,
Thursday, April 21st. — Under sail again at last, Moonie's
birthday. Visit from ' Neptune ' in the evening. We had
crossed the line on Monday,
Friday, April 22nd. — Passed out of the Java Sea into the
Indian Ocean through the Alias Strait, Lombok Peak on
one side rises to 12,600 feet; Sumbawa on the other is

ALBANY 1 1 1
9,000, The latter is reputed to be the most active volcano
in the world,
April 23rd to May 9th.- — At sea. For the greater part
of the time we were close-hauled in the south-east trade,
which drove us out to 700 miles west of Cape Leeuwin, The
day after we lost the trades, we came in for the tail-end of a
gale from the southward, and then westerly winds took us
into Albany, With reading and navigation the time passed
quickly.

112 THE COLONIES

CHAPTER II,
WESTERN AUSTRALIA.
Monday, May 9th. — We anchored off Albany at 3 P.M.
It is a snug harbour with a very narrow entrance into King
George's Sound, which is easily defensible. During the
Russian scare the inhabitants expended some 1501. in pre
parations for burning their coal-hulks in case an enemy's
cruiser appeared, and for some months two corvettes were
kept here, Albany is a small town with good plain houses.
The ' White Hart Inn,' the ' Ship Inn,' and the sight of none
but English faces after so many months in the East made
one feel as if one was at home again,
Tuesday, May 10th. — In the aftemoon Mabelle, B,, and
I went for a ride with Mr, Booker and Mr, Dymes (an old
Eton man) along Middleton Beach, which will no doubt
some day be the esplanade of Albany,
Wednesday, Ma^y lltli. — The others went out to Torbay
to see the first section of the new line to Perth and a fine
' carry ' forest, A Mr, Hassell and his brother were going
out to their station, forty-two miles in the Perth direction,
Mr, Loftie, the Government Resident, asked them if they
would allow me to accompany them, and with the usual
hospitality of Australians they at once agreed. Major
Young, the crack Wimbledon shot, who is in charge of the
railway, kindly lent me a horse. We started at 9,30,
stopped for an hour at Chorkerup to have some lunch and
give the horses a feed, and reached the station at 5, For the
seventeen miles up to Chorkerup the country is covered with
a heathery -looking scrub and poor trees. It is rather like the

KEiNDENUP 1 13
country round Bournemouth, the pines being replaced by
gums and black-boys. After we got over a ridge some
twenty-five miles from Albany the land improved ; the trees
were bigger, and instead of the scrub there was poor grass.
The station was in a little valley two miles from the road.
For half a mile along the valley the ground was cleared and
fenced ; two fields of arable, the rest pasture. For some way
outside the clearing the trees had been ring-barked. Ring-
barking improves the carrying capacities of the land im
mensely, but it gives the country a very desolate appearance.
At the station we found Mrs. Albert and Mrs. Arthur Has
sell, who were both nice. We had high tea at 7 o'clock, and
Mrs, Arthur sang very charmingly to us afterwards, A long
yarn with Mr, Hassell over our cigars. It is striking how
nearly every one we have met abuses Western Australia, and
tells us that we must not take what we see here as a specimen
of what they call ' the Colonies,' The great difficulty in West
ern Australia is the want of fresh water. The water in most
of the creeks is brackish, which, when it does not contain too
great a percentage of salt, suits sheep well ; but it makes
travelling through the bush at times a great hardship, Mr,
Albert Hassell said he had often had to drink brackish water,
and Arthur Hassell said he had once been two days without
water at all. The only part of the country which is settled
is that near the coast, especially in the south-west division.
The land is taken up in patches, for much of it is absolutely
worthless ; Mr, Hassell and his brothers have one station
100 miles to the west of Kendenup, another 120 miles
to the east, and a chain of places in between. The feed on
the coast is so rich that stock and sheep soon get ' coasty '
from over-eating, A strip of land thirty miles broad in
which there is hardly any food or water has to be crossed,
and half a flock of sheep have been known to die after being
only twenty-four hours on the coast. Want of labour is
another great difficulty with which farmers and squatters
have to contend, Mr, Hassell complained both of the

114 THE COLONIES
labourers in the colony and of the class of emigrants. The
former will not work except for ruinous wages, the latter
cannot do the work even if they would ; both have a rooted
objection to living in the bush, and prefer precarious employ
ment in the towns. The convicts were better labourers than any
that can be obtained now, Mr, Albert Hassell impressed me
strongly ; he is a thoroughly straightforward, self-reliant
man. He had been a member of the Legislative Council,
Thursday, May 12th. — There was a light frost, and the
water struck one as bitterly cold, after being so long in the
tropics. After breakfast looked round the homestead. The
principal feature is the sheep-shearing shed, where there
is room for twenty shearers to work at once. Shearers are
paid by the score ; some men will shear one hundred sheep in
the day, but the average is about fifty. Shearers will race
against one another, and the master has to be continually by
to make them shear steadily. Lord Wolseley's brother has
invented a machine which has taken nine and a quarter
ounces of wool off a sheep that has been already shorn by a
good shearer ; but there is no saving in labour, as a man is
needed to tend each pair of shears, A sheep will yield from
three to six pounds of wool, as the wool is clean or greasy.
There are several teams of horses, which, when they are not
employed in carting produce to Albany, take in sandalwood.
The sandalwood is cut some twenty miles farther inland, but
the supply is becoming exhausted. After inspecting a wild
pony which had just been brought in, Mr, Albert Hassell and
I started off after kangaroo with a black fellow, by name
' Pinnup,' to carry our rifles. We saw nothing till we got
on to ground where there was some scrub under the trees
which had been partly burnt. Then we saw several lots of
kangaroo, generally from two to five together, and once there
were ten. It was very still, the ground was very hard, and
we only once got within two hundred yards of kangaroo
which were not on the move, and then just as I was about to
take a shot off they went. The ground in many places was

KENDENUP 115
covered with the most lovely heaths of all kinds and all
colours, chiefly pink and white. We came across one or two
patches of a little plant with a bright purple fiower, which Mr,
Hassell called ' holly,' but which only resembles an English
holly in the shape and prickliness of its leaves. With a short
experience it seemed to me that it would be easier to get
lost in the bush than in the American forests. In the after
noon we tried to shoot some black cockatoos, which have a
lovely red tail, but they were too wary. We saw some white
cockatoos, and shot three ' twenty-eights,' a bluish-green
parrot which is good eating. Just at sunset, mother,
Mabelle, Des Graz, and Pemberton turned up from Albany,
At 11 Des Graz and Pemberton went out after opossum, as
the moon was full. In opossum-hunting a dog is necessary to
find the game ; he trees them, and then barks underneath till
the sportsman arrives, Des Graz and Pemberton each shot one.
Friday, May 13th. — A showery day. Mother and Des
Graz went back into town at 11. Arthur Hassell and I
strolled along the creek and bagged a black duck, a fine bird
about as big as a mallard. After lunch we all went for a
drive to some salt lakes about four miles from the station.
We went at full trot through the bush, jumping logs and
worming our way amongst the trees. It was beautiful to
watch the way in which Mr. Hassell drove ; at times a clump
of trees seemed so thick that it would be impossible to get
through, but he always judged the distance to a nicety. On
one of the lakes was a flock of ducks, and I ought to have
had one. The other was dry ; the bottom was sandy and the
shore covered with small shells. Mr, Townshend, a neigh
bouring farmer, turned up to tea, with three kangaroo dogs,
one almost a pure-bred greyhound ; another brindle-marked,
a cross between a mastiff and greyhound ; the third a rough-
coated dog,
Saturday, May lith. — Up at 6, Mabelle, Pemberton,
Mr, Albert Hassell, Townshend, Pinnnp, and I started out
at 8, It was cold for the first hour, and we saw no kangaroo, i2

116 THE COLONIES
When we did at last catch sight of a band we were too far
off when they saw us, and did not get on terms with them.
It was not long before another band crossed in front of us.
We rode at them as hard as we could go. The dogs each
pursued a different kangaroo ; I rode after the white puppy,
but just as he got within twenty yards of his game he
chucked it. The others I found had killed a 'joey' (a small
male). About a mile farther on we came on another band,
and got separated as before, Pinnup and I were riding the
brindled dog when we saw a large ' boomer ' (an old male).
We at once turned off after him as hard as we could go, but
only the puppy with us, Pinnup soon left me behind ; his
mount, a nice little mare that had been raced at Perth, was
faster than mine, and I could not get through the bush as
quickly as an old hand, I was pulling up rather nonplussed
when I heard some one ' cooey,' It turned out to be Pinnup,
who said that the ' boomer ' was very much done, but that
he was afraid that I might get lost if he pursued him —
a piece of thoughtfulness which struck me considerably.
We soon found Townshend, and then the brindled dog
appeared, having evidently killed. As he would ' shew ' we
made him take us to the place, and up jumped a doe very
much bitten about the tail. She did not go 200 yards
before the dog had hold of her again, whereupon we killed
her with a stirrup iron. The others who had ridden some
other kangaroos came up and we rode home. At 1,30 we
started into town ; Mr, and Mrs, Hassell, Mabelle, and Pem
berton in the buggy, and I on Mr, Young's horse. We were
in town at 7, having done the forty-two miles, seven of
which were through heavy sand, in five hours and a half
The distances travelled here without change of horses are
astonishing, Sunday, May 15th. — To church at 11, In the afternoon
father and I went for a walk with Mr, Young and Mr, Loftie,
Mr, Young told me that the line to Perth is to be finished in
two years, and will greatly improve the value of land in the

ALBANY 117
south-west part of the colony. At present Western Australia
imports nearly all her corn, chaff, and hay from the other
colonies. The cost of bringing it to Melbourne or Adelaide
by rail and of sending it by sea to Albany or Perth is less
than the cost of cartage from the interior. The railway
corapany have a very favourable grant ; for every section of
twenty miles completed they can select 240,000 acres within
twenty miles of the line on either side, but freehold pro
prietors may not be ousted, Mr, Young also told me that
there was finer timber farther west than the ' carry ' forest
at Torbay, The trees were 300 or 400 feet high, ran up
to 90 feet without a branch, and at that height measured
15 feet through by the theodolite. In some places they
grew so close together that it was almost impossible to get
through them. Mr. and Mrs. Albert, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur
Hassell, and Hare dined on board. The latter is a son of
the late owner of Hurstmonceux ; he was educated in New
Zealand, and though quite a young fellow is doing very well
here as a solicitor.
Monday, May Wth. — I had always had an idea that the
Australian blacks were one of the lowest types of the human
race, and I certainly did not expect to find them good riders,
and in some cases useful farm hands. In Western Australia
each big station has a tribe belonging to it, who lived on
the ground before the settlers came. They call themselves
by the name of the owner of the station, and work for him
when labour is required and when they feel inclined to.
They never work continuously for more than a few months —
the love for bush life is too strong — and Government compels
settlers to allow their black hands sixty days in the bush a
year, I was much struck by the manly bearing of the blacks
at Kendenup, after what one had been accustomed to in
India, Many blacks talk English well; Pinnup talked
perfect English, Mr. Hassell says he once overheard a
Somersetshire man say to a black, as they were stacking hay,
' Gie us that 'ere fark ; ' to which the black replied, ' Why

118 THE COLONIES
don't you say "fork"? You can't talk English,' The natives
will eat almost anything, from snakes and white ants up to
kangaroos. They drive the latter and spear them. Over
5,000Z, worth of skins were exported from Western Australia
last year, chiefiy to be used in bookbinding.
We stayed on board all the morning and lunched at the
hotel, Des Graz and I, attended by Frogbrook, went over
to Middleton Beach in the afternoon to try after quail. We
only saw one lot, out of which we each bagged one ; Des
Graz also shot a pigeon with metallic bronze wings. Though
we saw little game, we had a jolly walk in the most perfect
air imaginable ; the climate is very pleasant here at this
time of year, Mr, and Mrs, Loftie and Mr, Young came
to dinner, immediately after which we went to a dance given
by the Hassells at the Court House, It was a barrack-like
room, but the fioor was excellent. We were duly introduced
to all the country cousins ; some of them, who had the right
of being asked as the oldest inhabitants, were curious, but
every one seemed to enjoy themselves, and the evening passed
pleasantly, Tuesday, May Vlth. — Went ashore to say our last fare
wells. Steamed out of the harbour at 12, and made sail with
the wind at north-east as soon as we were clear of Breaksea
Island, Western Australia is perhaps the colony about which
least is known at home. Though possessing the largest ex
tent of territory of all, it is the most backward of the Austral
asian group in population and material development, and it
is the only one which still remains a Crown colony. Its
territory is over 1,000,000 square miles in extent, but in
1885 the population was only 35,000 ; the imports amounted
to 650,000L (three-fifths from the other colonies and two-
fifths from Great Britain), and the exports to less than half
a million. The Swan River Settlement was founded in 1820, chiefly

WESTERN AUSTRALIA 119
to prevent France taking possession of this part of Australia,
For many years the colony made little progress, owing to the
reckless way in which land was granted to capitalists. The
settlements were very scattered and unable to support one
another, and at last the disproportion between land, capital,
and labour grew so great that the colonists petitioned the
Home Government for the importation of convict labour.
The first batch of convicts arrived in Perth in 1850, just
as transportation to the other Australian colonies was being
brought to an end. Western Australia remained a convict
colony till 1868, when, partly owing to the pressure brought
to bear by the other colonies, and joartly owing to a change
in opinion in the colony herself, transportation to Western
Australia finally ceased. One curious relic of these days
still remains, A West Australian going to Adelaide or Mel
bourne has to provide himself with a passport stating that he
is not and never has been a convict. During the governor
ship of Mr, (now Sir Frederick) Weld, 1809-74, the colony
made considerable progress ; though this progress need not
be altogether attributed to the cessation of convict labour,
A representative constitution, consisting of a Legislative
Council, with six official and twelve elected members, was
granted, and the colony began to borrow money for public
works. In 1877 the colony petitioned for responsible govern
ment, but it was refused by the Colonial Office, on the ground
that the colony was not yet sufficiently developed, A second
petition has been sent home this year (1887) by Sir Napier
Broome, which will probably be successful.
Physically, Western Australia may be divided into three
main divisions. Down nearly the whole length of the coast
run ranges of mountains, which seldom rise to a greater
height than 3,000 feet. The western and south-western
parts of the colony which lie between the mountains and the
sea are well watered on the whole, thickly timbered, and in
many places fertile. Behind the mountains lies the central
or lake district, which is in places fit for pastoral purposes.

1 20 THE COLONIES
Between this and the South Australian border lies the great
Victoi-ian desert.
The cultivated area, which does not in all amount to
100,000 acres, lies in the western and south-western districts,
most of the land taken up for pastoral purposes being also in
the same part of the colony. Along the coast between Albany
and Cape Leeuwin are splendid forests of carry, or blue gum.
In the Darling range, which runs parallel to the coast behind
Perth, grows the jarra, a most durable wood ; at Lloyd's it is
allowed twelve years, as against fourteen years for teak, for
ships, A considerable quantity is exported for piles, ship
building, &c. In some of the river valleys on the west coast
and in the Darling Range there is good arable land, A
little wheat and other cereals for hay are grown, but at pre
sent the difficulty and expense of transport in the interior is
so great that it is cheaiier to import wheat, chaff, and hay
from South Australia, English fruits fiourish throughout the
south-west. Vines are cultivated extensively in the neigh
bourhood of Perth, and good wine is made. Bananas and
other tropical fruits are also grown.
The central district is for the most part open country,
and much of it is suited for pastoral purposes. Its capacities
for stock-carrying at present are not fully known, though
there are stations in places. The vegetation on the, rivers
on the northern coast is tropical, and a kind of pine grows
abundantlj'', useful for spars of ships, planks, &c.
While the capacities of the lake district are not fully
known, the capacities of the so-called desert country are even
less known, though it has been crossed several times. Colonel
Warburton, who traversed it in 1874, found water in native
wells all the way, so it is probable the country may not
be so bad as is supposed. In the last few years valuable
country has been discovered which was previously supposed
to be desert. In 1879 Mr, John Forrest, the Survey or-
f Jeneral, made an expedition in the north-east of the colony.
On the banks of the Fitzroy and Glenelg Rivers he discovered

WESTERN .\ISTKAI,L\ 121
laud admirably suited for growing sugar-cane. To the south
of this he discovered a splendid tract of pastoral country
20,000,000 acres in extent. The Kimberley district, as
it is called, lies north of the nineteenth degree of latitude,
but it is 1,000 feet above the sea and has a good climate.
Special steps have been taken to settle this splendid district,
and the discovery of gold-bearing reefs at Kimberley, though
at present they are not profitable, will tend to attract popu
lation. At the southern end of the colony a large tract of
pastoral country has also in the last few years been discovered
by an expedition starting from Esperance Bay, When we
consider that it is only a few years ago that the whole of
the centre of Australia was thought to be a vast desert by
the early explorers, and that now there are stations in the
McDonnell ranges right in the centre of the continent, we
may expect still to see a great increase in the known habit
able area of Western Australia, Water, as all over Australia,
is the great need. But though much of the water in West
Australia is brackish, stock will drink it and thrive on it if
there is not too great a percentage of salt ; and droughts are
less severe than in the other colonies.
Wool, as may be expected, is the main article of export.
While there are nearly 2,000,000 sheep, there are only 5,000
head of cattle, but 30,000 horses. The poison plant is the
bane of the West Australian stock farmer, and as horses
seem less affected by it, and as West Australia is handier to
the markets in India, Ceylon, and Singapore, we may expect
to see her become the great horse-growing colony. Besides
jarra and carry, which have been already mentioned, sandal
wood is exported ; but the quantity of the latter is falling
off. The mineral resources of the country are as yet unde
veloped or undiscovered. Copper and lead are worked to a
small extent, and the discovery of the Kimberley gold fields
may give an impetus to prospecting.
From what has been said it will be seen that Western
Australia is in much the same stage of development that

122 ^^ THE COLONIES
New South Wales or Victoria were in thirty years ago.
Though doubtless she does not possess so much good land
in proportion to her area as does Victoria or New South
Wales, she does possess a large quantity of good land — a
quantity, moreover, which is unknown. In spite of the
disparaging way in which Western Australians speak of
their country, I think Western Australia offers the best field
for a young man going out with little or no capital. It is
less settled, it is more undeveloped, it is a country of great
possibilities, and in my belief has a great future before it.

CHAPTER III,
SOUTH AUSTRALIA,
Muy 18th to May 23rd.— At sea. For the first three
days we had the wind light from the nortli ; the weather was
warm and pleasant. On May 22nd the wind began to
freshen from the westward, and by the afternoon it was
blowing a heavy gale, with a grand sea rolling up behind us.
The rollers of the Southern Ocean are like huge mountains
compared to the waves in the Channel, On May 23rd we
made Kangaroo Island at daybreak. We had a delightful
sail in smooth water during the day. Run at noon 265
knots ; it would have been nearly 300 if we had not had to
shorten sail during the night to avoid making the land too
soon. Tuesday, May 24th. — Stood in for Glenelg at daybreak,
and brought up off the pier. We were boarded before we
anchored by the members of the Holdfast Bay Yacht Club,
and a little later by the Mayor of Glenelg, Mr, Stock, a jovial
barrister. He drove father and me up to Government House
to the levee held in honour of the Queen's birthday. The
number of people in uniform astonished me. There were
volunteer officers, militia officers, the officers of the colonial
man-of-war ' Protector,' and of the ' Japanese man-of-war
' Ryujo,' besides five hundred civilians. Lunched with Sir
William Robinson, the Governor, Lempriere, his private
secretary, had held Callaghan's post in Borneo for two or
three years, so we had a great yarn over Timbu Mata, We
went to some races in the afternoon, which were not very
wonderful, and dined quietly on board the yacht.

124 THE COLONIES
Wednesday, Muy 25th. — Mr, Stock and a Miss Wigley
took us for a drive in the hills which bound the Adelaide
plain. We learnt a good deal of the state of affairs in the
colony from Miss Wigley's point of view. The last three
seasons have been very bad ones from want of rain ; many
squatters have been ruined, and every one has had to reduce
his expenditure, as the prosperity of the whole colony de
pends on the squatting interest. This season there has been
plenty of rain, and the prospect is brighter. The political
world apparently is completely divorced from the social world ;
very few members of the House of Assembly (the Lower
House) are known in society. Political power is in the
hands of the ' larrikins ' ; the squatters and farmers who
have made the colony have but little inSuence, The nature
of their occupation keeps them on their stations far away
from the centre of government, while the working-man settles
in the big town, and if he cannot find employment clamours
to the Government for work.
We had a pleasant drive. For six miles we drove across
a rich-looking plain. We passed several orchards and vine
yards, and in the fields, which were all fenced with wire or
timber, there were many teams ploughing. The hills are
very pretty and well-wooded; Mount Lofty, the highest
point, is over 2,000 feet. On the way back we had a fine
view over the plain, with Adelaide at our feet, and the Port
in the far distance,
Thursday, May 26th. — Went ashore early, and walked
with the Miss Wigleys to see the historical gum-tree under
which the colony was proclaimed in 1836, At noon we
steamed round in the ' Sunbeam ' to Port Adelaide, which is
six miles from the sea up a narrow creek. The channel has
been deepened to twenty feet at low water at the expenditure
of three-quarters of a million. This expenditure might have
been reproductive had the trade of the Port remained in the
hands of sailing vessels, but the bulk is now done by the
large steamers of the P, and 0. and Orient lines, who land

ADELAIDE 125
their cargo at Glenelg, As we went up the creek the crews
of several vessels cheered us ; at the Port every vessel had
' Welcome ' flying at the masthead, and the quays were
crowded with people, who cheered vigorously, Australians
know how to be enthusiastic. The Mayor and Corporation
of Port Adelaide and the members of the South Australian
Yacht Club came on board at once to present addresses.
Judge Bundey kindly asked me to go for a fishing trip in his
yacht, the only one that is in commission at this time of
year, but I explained to him that after being four weeks out
of five at sea one wished to see something of the country.
We went by train up to Adelaide ; Pemberton and I went to
stay with Chief Justice Way, who has a charming villa in
North Adelaide, and the rest of the family stayed with the
Governor, At dinner were Dr, Way, the Chief's brother,
Sharpe, the Chief's associate, Dr, Stirling, the professor of
medicine at the University, and Sir Herbert Sandford, a
charming old gentleman, who had served many years in India
at Sattara and Bijapur, and who had come out as Commis
sioner for the Exhibition, They were all men worth meeting,
and we passed a pleasant evening discussing politics ; the
opinions of most were strongly Conservative, Dr, Stirling,
evidently a very able man, and his brother had lost their
seats at the last election. They were not content to become
mere delegates and give up their opinions at the dictation of
the electors.
Friday, May 27th. — Our host is most charming, and the
man above all others to stay with for those who want in
formation about the colony. At every meal, when we were
alone," he was giving us a lecture on something interesting.
He is the son of a great dissenting minister, and was edu
cated partly in England, He soon made his way at the bar
here and before he was forty became Chief Justice, He
was only in Parliament for one session, but he held an im
portant position. He is a firm friend and supporter of the
present Governor, who is not very popular. During the

126 THE COLONIES
morning we went to the Exhibition building, which is still
far from ready, and also looked round the University, a small
but nice building with good lecture-rooms. There are
about a hundred students, most of them studying law
and medicine. In the evening Pemberton, the Chief, and I
went by train to Mintaro, about seventy miles north of
Adelaide, Mr, Weston, his manager, met us, and drove us
over to the Chief's station,
Saturday, May 2Sth. — A bright frosty morning. From
the windows we had a view over a smiling valley, which
would have looked like an immense park but for the patches
of brown newly ploughed land. Much of the scenery in the
bush in Australia is very park-like, the trees are so often
scattered about singly or in clumps. After breakfast we
walked round the place. At Kadlunga the Chief has 4,000
acres of good grass land. He goes in for breeding stud
sheep (merinos, of course), and, though the land would carry
more, there is only one sheep to the acre. He has a good
avenue of insignis, the trees planted far apart, but doing
well, and a plantation of wattles (a kind of acacia). The
bark of the wattle is used for tanning. The tree dies naturally
at seven or eight years old ; it is generally cut after five
years, and the bark yields 401. an acre for the five years'
growth. In the garden there were vines, oranges, and all
sorts of English fruit-trees, and just outside was a beautiful
row of willows and a hedge of the old familiar bramble. All
the willows in Australia are supposed to have come originally
from St. Helena ; in the old days outward-bound ships used
to call there. At 11 we started in the buggy for Clare.
On the way we called at Hill River Station, which is very
prettily situated on the side of a hill with a large plantation
of insignis above it. Mr. Angas, son of George Fife Angas,
one of the original colonists, lives at Colingrove, but his
manager, Mr. Adams, kindly showed us round. Mr. Angas
has some splendid shorthorns — for the last two years he
has had the champion cow of Australia — some good pigs.

KADLUNGA 127
and good sheep, but unfortunately we had no time to go out
on the run to see the latter. There is a nice garden round
the house, in which a fine row of olive-trees, and two small
oaks with their leaves just turning, the first we have seen
since we left England, were the chief features. It was four
miles farther to Clare, a pretty little town of a thousand
inhabitants. The houses are substantially built of grey stone
and roofed with corrugated iron. The latter and iron wire for
fencing are very important features in the development of
Australia. We lunched at a good hotel, and at 3 embarked
on the coach for Saddleworth, twenty-two miles distant.
For ten miles we drove through a narrow valley, the hills
on each side well wooded and very pretty. We were much
struck by the comfortable appearance of the workmen's
dwellings, each surrounded by a patch of ground. By de
grees the valley broadened out, and the land on both sides
was under corn with vineyards at intervals. There are
many Poles and Germans settled in this valley, and the most
successful farmer is a German who never crops his land two
years running. At Auburn we saw a football match going
on ; there were some thirty players on each side, who were
scattered all over the field. The Australians have football
rules of their own ; ' goal-sneak ' is one of the important
posts. We caught the train at Saddleworth at 6, and
were back in town soon after 9,
Sunday, May 29th. — To the cathedral at 11 ; a good
choral service. After seeing the number of churches, and
the way they are kept up in the colonies, I feel less inclined
to tremble at the prospect of Disestablishment at home. It
seems to me that people in the colonies have, as a whole,
far stronger religious convictions than we have at home.
The whole family lunched with the Chief Justice, In the
afternoon we went to call on the Barr-Smiths, who have a
large house about four miles out of town. We met Sir
Thomas Elder, a nice old gentleman. He is one of the
largest squatters in South Australia ; in future years he

128 THE COLONIES
will probably be remembered chiefly for the introduction
of camels, which have made the opening up of the centre of
the continent possible, and which have been the means of
saving many lives in seasons of drought,
Monday, May 30t.h. — Went down with the Governor,
father, the Chief, and a large party to lunch on board the
Japanese training-ship ' Ryujo,' She is the first vessel that
they have sent to sea without any Englishmen on board —
captain, engineers, or petty officers. The officers seemed
nice fellows, and they are very popular ashore. Many talk
a little English or French ; there is an English naval cajj-
tain with English assistants in charge of the naval establish
ment at Tokio, I was struck by the fiue physique of the
men ; they seemed superior to their officers, who were
keener to show us some paper fiowers and two dolls, made
by the firemen, than to take us round the vessel. At lunch
the Governor made an excellent little speech, with a happy
allusion to the true lover's knot with which the fiags of
England and Japan were bound together on the wall behind
the captain. In the afternoon there was an ' at home ' on
board the ' Sunbeam,' at which all the elite of Adelaide
were present, Mr, and Mrs, Weston had come in from Kad
lunga, He is a very nice fellow. He is the son of a
farmer at Staplehurst, and though that is twenty miles from
Normanhurst it formed a bond of sympathy in this far-off
land, Tuesday, May 31st. — The Governor took a large party
on a coach to Marble Hill, his residence in the hills, some
thirteen miles from town. Besides the family there were
two Miss Hawkers, nice clever girls. Captain and Mrs,
Mecham, and one or two other people. It was a pretty
drive and we enjoyed it. In the evening Pemberton and
I went to a rinking party given by Messrs, CresweU, Phillip-
son, and Howard, which was fairly amusing, Rinking has
just come in again as a great rage in Australia,
Wednesday, June 1st. — In the morning the Chief took us

ADELAIDE 129
to see Mr, Goyder, the Surveyor-General, a very able man.
The line which he has drawn, separating the land which will
grow wheat from the land which will not, has made his
name famous. It practically separates the salt-bush country,
which commences a hundred miles north of Adelaide, from
the grass country. During the good seasons, four or five
years ago, wheat was grown in the salt-bush country, and
some people said that Mr, Goyder was a fool. Bad seasons
came; all the farmers who had attempted to grow wheat
beyond his limit were ruined, and Mr, Goyder's judgment
was universally admitted to be right, Mr. Goyder talked to
us for more than half an hour on the land system ; I wish
I could have taken down in shorthand all he said. He took
us into the Land Office, which is arranged so that the most
stupid man can find for himself what are the vacant lots in
any hundred in which he wishes to settle. The arrangement
of the plans is admirable and well worth seeing. We lunched
with the Mayor of Adelaide, Mr, Smith, where we met Sir
Henry Ayers, the President of the Legislative Council, a
very nice old gentleman, Mr, Stock, and Mr, Parsons, the
Resident of the Northern Territory. In the afternoon Pem
berton and I went to see the lawn-tennis at the recreation
ground, I met White- White, who had been at school with
me at Bournemouth, At 5 all our party, except father, left
for the north. We travelled en prince, a saloon and two
first-class carriages being reserved for us, Australian hospi
tality extends to the railways ; during the whole time we
were in Australia we had free passes, and at Glenelg a notice
was posted up in the station to say that every one belonging
to the ' Sunbeam ' might travel free. At 11,15 we arrived
at Terowie, where the broad gauge (five feet) ends. The
o-auge farther north is three feet six inches. In Victoria the
gauge is universally five feet; in New South Wales they
have the English gauge, four feet eight and a half inches ; and
in Queensland the gauge is three feet six inches. It is a
great pity that the colonies hould not have constructed their
K

130 THE COLONIES
railways on some homogeneous system. The change of
gauge is a great inconvenience to travellers now, and in
future years when traffic increases it will lead to enormous
expense. Thursday, June 2nd. — Arrived at Cockburn at 6 A,M,,
where we were met by Mr. Wilson, the manager of the Broken
Hill Mine. Mr. Parsons and I drove together in a buggy,
and had an interesting discussion on the prospects of the
Northem Territory. The climate seems to be fair for the
tropics; in the hot weather it is often under 80°. The
country is watered by numerous rivers, along the banks
of which there is good soil suitable for sugar-cane, &c. The
Northern Territory is rich in minerals, and in the interior
there is country suitable for sheep and cattle. From Cock-
burn to Broken Hill is thirty-three miles. The country is
uninteresting; the soil is red, and almost the only plant is
the dull grey salt-bush, which is excellent feed for stock.
Crossing the Barrier Range, which separates South Australia
from New South Wales, we saw several mines. At 1
o'clock we reached Broken Hill. A new mining town, as
one expected, is a curious collection of little dolls' houses.
They are built of wood and corrugated iron, but many of the
miners live in tents. After lunch with Mr, and Mrs, Wilson
we went down the mine by McCuUoch's shaft. At this end
of the mine the silver is found principally in lead. In many
places drops, or masses of drops, of chloride of silver, were
pointed out to us which contain seventy-five per cent, of
silver. The average yield of silver from the whole mine is
fifty to seventy ounces to the ton, in many parts it is over
two hundred ounces, and choice bits of ore yield over one
thousand ounces. Iron, manganese, and all the other neces
sary fluxes, except limestone, are found in the mine, which,
where transport is so deficient, is a great saving in expense.
The colours of some of the ores were lovely; but to have
appreciated their richness one ought to have been an expert.
Any one, however, can comprehend that the quantity of silver

BROKEN HILL 131
in a lode, the width of which varies from 60 to 132 feet,
must be enormous, I was much struck by the miners ; they
looked nice steady fellows. They earn 10s, a day, and work
by contract. The trades-unions objected to the contract
system, but the demand for employment has hitherto been so
great that Mr, Wilson has been able to keep them in hand.
After dinner we went up to see the smelting furnaces, which
are lighted by electric light. With 800 tons of coke they
smelt about 1,000 tons of ore, which yields 250 tons of
bullion, Friday, June 3rd. — To-day we went down the other
(south-east) end of the mine, where the silver is found
chiefly in kaoline, a porcelain clay, which in many places
is quite soft. There was also lead and iron here and there ;
in fact, there are few mines in which the ores are so jumbled
up together as at Broken Hill. Drove back with Wilson,
who gave us some interesting experiences of life on a cattle
station. Owing to a difficulty with the local committee
Wilson resigned, and a new manager, an American, has been
appointed, with a salary of 4,000i. a year. We came back
by Silverton, which made the journey over forty miles, passing
through rather a better country. We left Cockbum at 7 P,M,
A yarn with Baxter, the son of a man who had been
thirty-five years with grandfather. He is making the tram
way from Broken Hill to Cockburn, and has been twelve
years with Millar Brothers, of whom he speaks very highly,
Messrs, Millar are the contractors for the railway from Albany
to Perth, for the railway in the Northern Territory, which
should in a few years stretch across the continent, and are
by far the biggest firm in the colonies. It is worth noting
that the Broken Hill Mine shares are now selling for 95^, ;
nine months ago they were worth 18Z,'
Saturday, June 4th. — Arrived at Terowie 4,30 a,m,, and
reached Adelaide at 12, In the afternoon Pemberton and I
went with Gordon, Colonel Wardrop, and Colonel St, Quintin,
• They are now worth 300Z. (February 1888), K 2

132 THE COLONIES
to the opening meet of the Hunt Club. It poured in torrents,
but there were some sixty horsemen at the meet, of whom
fifteen were in pink. The nags for the most part were
rather a seedy-looking lot, but there was no question about
their jumping powers. The object of the chase is a drag.
The fences are generally of timber, some of them very stiff.
Wire fences, of which there are a good many, are capped
by rails nailed from post to post. When, as often happens,
the rail is knocked off by the leading man, and bare wire
remains, it is by no means a pleasant jump, but we saw two
or three men negotiate it successfully. It was not a good
day for the horsemen, as there were so many roads to be
crossed, but it let those who were in carriages get a good
view. The headlong pace at which our Jehu took us was
wonderful, but he was a good driver, and we did not upset
like some less lucky people in another cab. The finish was
at Mr, Chambers', where we were introduced to Alan Baker,
the Master, a pleasant fellow, and an undeniably hard rider,
Pemberton and I dined with his brother, Mr, R, C, Baker,
a member of the Legislative Council, to celebrate the Fourth
of June, The Bishop, Dean Marryat, and Ralli, who had been
at Eton with me, were the only other Etonians besides our host
and ourselves. The ' Sunbeam ' started to-day for Melbourne
with father and the doctor on board,
Sunday, June 5th. — To the cathedral in the moming.
Lunched with Sir Thomas Elder and dined at Government
House. Monday, June 6th. — The Chief, Pemberton, and I left
Montefiore at 9 in a cab-wagonette. They are good traps ;
they have a roof to them, with flaps which let down on each
side if it rains, and do not interfere with the view if it is
fine. We mounted into the Mount Lofty Range about
three miles from the sea, where it is low, and drove through
undulating country, something like the Downs, toNoarlunga,
twenty-one miles from Montefiore, in two hours — not bad
going. We crossed the Onkaparinga by a foot-bridge, and

ADELAIDE 133
met the carriage on the top of the opposite hill. To Noar
lunga we had been travelling south ; we now tumed east,
and a few miles up and down some steep hills brought us to
Sea View, The country we had passed through is chiefly in
the hands of big farmers, and is one of the longest-settled
parts of the colony. The Chief told us that along this road
there was very good society in the early days. At Sea View
the Chief has 4,000 acres, partly freehold, partly leasehold,
partly selected. He has 600 sheep, a few horses and cattle,
and a few acres under crop. In the hollows vines, oaks,
and elms were planted, and on the tops of the hills were
some plantations of firs and olives, which were doing well.
The Onkaparinga runs through a deep picturesque canon
to the north of the house. To the south there is a fine view
of the Willunga Range and Aldinga Bay ; on a clear day
Kangaroo Island can be seen across the Gulf. At 3 we
started on our homeward journey. For some miles we passed
through a poor sandy country, covered with scrub-gums,
black-boys, and heaths. In the valleys the country improved.
On Eyre's Flat there were some splendid gums, and in the
Stort Valley there were good grass meadows, blackwoods
with their pretty dark-green foliage growing along the creek,
and regular English hedgerows with the leaves on the turn.
We passed Kangarilla, a pretty little village, Clarendon,
where there was a fine vineyard, and Belair, where we had
been with Mr. Stock, and reached Montefiore at 6,30,
We, did the eighteen miles from Clarendon to Adelaide
in ursder two hours with the same pair of horses that
took us to Noarlunga in the morning. They had thus done
forty miles on the road in four hours, besides travelling
ten miles across country. In the hills we passed through
this afternoon the land was in the hands of small farmers
(' cockatoos ') or labourers. The labourer's allotment is a patch
of one or two acres. We saw several people either building
their houses or fencing their ground ; the ' magic of property '
was evident. In spite of the wet we had a most enjoyable

134 THE COLONIES
day, and saw by far the prettiest country we have yet
seen. T'xendrty. June 7th. — Left Adelaide at 6,50, arrived at
Murray Bridge at 10, where Mr. Reid, who had been with
grandfather on the Runcorn Bridge contract, and who is now
in charge of the southern lines, met me. The Murray, the
one great river of Australia, is here rather broader than the
Thames at Pangbourne. The soil on the hills on either bank
is poor, the country behind them is poorer still, so that the
splendid supply of water cannot be utilised. Where the
valley broadens out there are large swamps on each side of
the river, which in ordinary seasons are the haunts of all
kinds of duck. This year there have been large floods on
the Darling, the main tributary of the Murray, and the ducks
have not come down. We were out all day, but saw none.
We saw numberless coots and six black swan. The latter
we had driven to us, and bagged one as they flew overhead ;
he came down with a tremendous thud into the water. In
the evening the rest of the party arrived from Adelaide and
put up at the hotel, which seemed most comfortable,
Wednesday, June Sth. — Mr, Macfarlane, his son, and three
daughters came to take us in their steam yacht down to
Wellington Lodge, their station on Lake Alexandrina, It
gave us a good opportunity of seeing the lower course of the
river. It is no broader than above Murray Bridge at the
place where it enters Lake Alexandrina, a broad sheet of
water twenty or thirty miles across. As far as and even
above Murray Bridge the river is over fifty feet deep, which
accounts for its narrowness. Unfortunately the outlet from
Lake Alexandrina to the sea is very narrow, and has a bar
which makes it almost impracticable for navigation. On the
right bank we saw Sir William Jervois's station, one of the
few stations on this part of the river, Wellington Lodge
is a good specimen of an Australian station. The house is
a collection of long one-storeyed buildings, with a broad
verandah. There is a first-class kitchen garden, Un-

MURRAY BRIDGE 135
fortunately we had no time to go out on the run, and started
back immediately after lunch, Mr, Macfarlane, who is the
brother of the crofter M,P,, is a regular old Tory ; his son is
a very nice fellow, and his daughters pleasant. We dined
at the sumptuous refreshment-room at Murray Bridge with
Reid, and the rest of the party left by the mail train for
Ballarat Reid had seen a good deal of the Black Trackers
when he was on the northern line. Their powers of tracking
even over the hardest ground are wonderful, and they are
employed by troopers to hunt up criminals, and to search for
people who have got ' bushed,' It must be a terrible death
to die, A man generally goes mad ; he takes off his coat,
then his waistcoat, as he goes along, and is found stark naked.
There have been many hair-breadth escapes. One man, he
told me, was found with a revolver in his hand on the point
of shooting himself; the crows were all round him, and he was
determined that they should not pick him while life was left,
Thursday, June 9th. — We went out at 5, and tried the
swamps above the bridge, but got nothing. Just as day
broke we saw one or two big mobs of teal and duck flying
down the river. After breakfast we tried the swamps below
the bridge ; we had no better luck ourselves, but the man who
was driving the swamps to us bagged two teal and two wid
geon. At 6,30 we joined the mail train, Mr, Mais, the en
gineer-in-chief, and Mr, Pendleton, the traffic manager, were
going to make an inspection of the new line to Mount Gam
bier, Mr, Mais was a charming old gentleman who had
many interesting experiences to tell of his recent travels in
Europe and America, At Bordertown we transferred into
narrow-gauge carriages, and went on by special train to Nar-
racoorte, where we put up at a fairly comfortable hotel. All
hotels in Australian country towns are much the same. The
feeding is plentiful, but would not suit a delicate palate ; the
beds are clean. The uniform charge is half-a-crown for a
bed, and for each meal,
Friday, June 10th. — Left Narracoorte at 9.30, Messrs.

136 THE COLONIES
Moore and Blanche, the contractors for the new line, joined
us. The country is flat, and near Narracoorte is park-like,
but for most of the way it is regular bush, and the ground is
covered with brackens. The line goes to the west of a large
run belonging to the Robertsons of Struan, and right through
Mr, Riddoch's run, which is more than forty miles across.
Near Mount Gambier the bush is replaced by green paddocks
and black potato fields. We lunched at the hotel kept by
Mr, Thurston, the Mayor of Mount Gambier. It was rain
ing, but after lunch Reid, Craig, and I went for a walk round
by the Blue Lake and the Forest Department's plantations to
Moorak, Mount Gambier is an extinct volcano with three
different craters, in each of which there is a lake, which are
on a level with one another. The formation of the whole
south-east district of South Australia is very curious. There
is a large underground supply of water ; at certain places the
crust of limestone is broken through and large streams of
water have been found, A boat was lowered on to one of
these streams, but the current was too strong to undertake
any expedition. There is a fine plantation of blue gums and
insignis extending for three miles along the south face of the
mountain. The Forest Department supply trees gratis, so
there has been a good deal of planting on the stations round
the Mount, At Moorak alone there are seven- miles of plan
tations — of course narrow belts — which are doing well,
Moorak is the chief station on the property of Dr, Brown,
who came out here forty years ago and bought most of the
land round Mount Gambier for a mere song. It now lets at
31. to 41. an acre for potato-growing, and at 37.s, Gd. for
wheat. It is only let for potatoes every four years, Mr.
Williams, Dr, Brown's manager, kindly promised to arrange
a day's kangarooing,
Saturday, June llth. — Reid, Craig, and I drove over to
the mouth of the Glenelg River, twenty-four miles from Mount
Ga.mbier, For the first few miles we passed through splendid
grass paddocks and potato fields, but for the rest of the way

MOUNT GAMBIER 137
through most uninteresting bush. Two miles from the river
we crossed the border into Victoria, After some lunch we
rowed through a pretty lagoon to the mouth of the river,
which, like the Murray mouth, is very narrow and obstructed
by a bar. Low sandy hills run along the coast, and there
was a grand swell rolling in on the beach. There was a fiock
of two hundred black swan on the lagoon. We spent the
whole afternoon after them. I killed one with the rifle, and
Reid bagged one with his gun. They are fine birds, but
useless for the table unless carefully prepared.
Sunday, June 12th. — We rowed about five miles up the
river, and were much disappointed in the scenery after what
we had been told. The banks are high limestone cliffs, and
what little vegetation there was was very dull. We were back
at the Mount at 5. The Mayor took me to a nice evening
service at a church which he had largely helped to erect.
Monday, June 13th. — Mr, Williams came in at 7,30 to
take us out to the kangaroo hunt. We drove twenty miles,
for the latter part of the way through large paddocks, to
the meet. The beaters were ten horsemen, headed by
Mr, Kennedy, a fine old Scotchman, the manager of Coolak
Station, Cameron, another ofthe beaters, with his Glengarry
cap and sandy beard, looked as if he had come straight off
the Scotch hills. There are many Scotchmen in this dis
trict ; they are good sheep-men. We were eleven guns in all,
and were soon extended in line. The first drive produced
five or six kangaroo, the second the same, and the third
would have been a blank had not a mob come right into the
middle of us when we were talking it all over, Mr, Ellis, on
whose ground we were shooting, shot well,' although he had
lost an eye. He was a nice fellow. The first drive after
lunch was the best of all. At one time they came by so
thick that two guns would have been useful, 1 got five
and my neighbour four, including ' bushers,' a small sort of
kangaroo with a pretty coat. We both made some egregious
misses ; a kangaroo will carry away a lot of buckshot even at

133 THE COLONIES
thirty yards' range. Our total bag for the day was between
sixty and seventy kangaroo. There were about a dozen
emus in the paddock where we were shooting. They are a
handsome bird, with brown plumage. Reid and I spent the
evening at Moorak.
Tuesday, June 14th. — We drove out with Mr, Williams to
Mount Shank, another extinct volcano, ten miles to the south
of Mount Gambier on the Macdonnell Bay road. The land
round Mount Shank • is not so rich as that round Mount
Gambier, but there is good feed for sheep. We drove over
a good part of Captain Gardner's run, but saw nothing but
one hare. We again spent the evening at Moorak ; Mr.
Williams has been most kind to us.
Wednesday, June 15th. — To-day we went outwith Mr, and
Mrs, Craig to Peeweena, to the north of Mount Gambier, On
the way out we stalked a flock of native companion, a kind of
large crane. They are curious birds to watch ; they dance,
they bow to one another, and they hop about in the most
ridiculous way. They are very wary, and we did not get a
shot. Peeweena is Mr, Kennedy's station, and he kindly sent
his boy with us. We had a shot at a couple of duck, and
bagged a hare, but that was all we saw. Sport near Mount
Gambier is a thing of the past. In places where they used
to kill 60,000 kangaroo in a year they do not kill 600 now ;
the ducks are up the Darling, and there are no snipe. We
dined with Mr, and Mrs, C'-aig, and then went to the station.
Father and Mabelle arrived from Melbourne by the same
train as Sir William Robinson, Mr, Ramsay, the Chief Secre
tary, Mr, Baker, and other leading people from Adelaide,
Thursday, June 16th. — In the morning the railway was
opened. The Governor made an excellent speech, the school
children sang ' God save the Queen ' and the ' Song of
Australia,' three cheers were given for the Queen and the
Governor, and the ceremony was over. Met Mr, John Riddoch,
' I have just received an Australian paper giving an account of a ter
rible bush -fire in the Mount Gambier district, which did great damage en
the Moorak and Mount Shank runs.

MOUNT GAMBIER 139
one of the biggest squatters in South Australia, There is a
growing outcry against large estates, especially where they
are so well situated as Mr, Riddoch's, Unless squatters meet
the growing demand for land in this district by breaking up
part of their runs into farms. Government will be pressed to
pass a measure which will deal hardly with them. After
lunch rode out with Jack Riddoch, the Master, to the meet of
the drag hounds. There were hundreds of people in carriages
or on the roads, but not more than twenty intending to
follow the hounds. There were five and half couple of hounds,
much of the foot-beagle stamp, and they were not fast
enough to keep away from the field. In fact, the hunting
part of the day was a mere farce, and there were seldom
more than two or three hounds in front of the huntsman, who
was the hardest rider out. I had a splendid mount, by name
Banyenong, which Mr, Newton borrowed for me. We began
by jumping in and out of a road. I tried to steady my
animal at the first fence, and he hit it hard ; I was told
to race at my fences by some one in the next field, and
Banyenong never touched anything afterwards. Just as we
were getting settled down we came to the check, having
gone about a mile. When we started again the excitement
was increased by the knowledge that there was wire running
along the top of some of the fences about five inches above
the rail. It had been taken down for a few panels in each
fence, but not knowing where these were I jumped three
places with wire in them, but, as Banyenong jumped big,
escaped a fall. We crossed the road to and fro amongst the
carriages, and as the fences along the road are generally the
biggest, this added to the excitement. Two miles farther
brought us to the finish near Mr. Frew's house. It was a
grand ride — a better fencer I never rode — but of sport there
was none. In the evening there was a large banquet in the
town hall. The Govemor led off as usual with a good
speech ; the Chief Secretary did not wish to declare the
policy of the Government, so confined himself to local affairs.

140 THE COLONIES
which were not interesting. He made one good remark :
he said that the Government were determined to teach the
people of the colony self-dependence, i.e. not to turn to
the Government for help for every possible purpose. Mr.
Baker, Mr. Glen, and Mr. Riddoch made the best speeches,
the latter deprecating the outcry against the pastoral in
terest. A local man, by name Paltridge, who proposed ' The
Houses of Parliament,' provoked great outcry by declaring
that the Government had made the country a country of
paupers. The early days, he said, had been the day of the
squatter ; then came the day of the farmer ; now it was
the day of the working-man — a remark eminently true, it
seemed to me. Ward, the insolvent member, who has a
great reputation for eloquence, made a wretched speech. It
was an interesting evening on the whole, if it did nothing
but show the narrow-mindedness of the local men. I sat
between Mr. Blanch and Mr. Leek, an old Tasmanian, who
was a great traveller, and told me many stories of the early
colonial days. My slumbers were somewhat disturbed by the
putting to bed of an inebriated banqueter in the next room.
Friday, June 17iA.— Walked round the town with father.
It is a flourishing place of 6,000 inhabitants, about the third
biggest town in South Australia. We left at 2 by special
train. Reid and Craig went with us to Narracoorte, where
we dined. At Bordertown we joined the mail train for
Melbourne.

South Australia was founded in 1836 by the South
Australia Land Colonisation Company, who obtained from
Government a grant of the country discovered by Captain
Flinders some years before. It was to be self-supporting —
the proceeds of the sale of lands being devoted to the intro
duction of fresh immigrants ; it was a non-convict colony, and
there was no established church. For the first two years it was
a hard struggle to live, till one or two plucky men arrived over-

SOUTH AUSTRALIA 141
land from New South Wales with stock. Others soon followed,
and the meat supply of South Australia was assured. In 1843,
just at the moment when an impetus was wanted, rich
deposits of copper were discovered at Kapunda, and a year
later at Burra-Burra. For the next few years the whole
existence of the colony centred on the Burra-Burra mine,
from which 700,000Z. worth of copper was exported in the
first three years. In 1844 the exports were only 82,000L ;
in 1850 they amounted to 432,0001., i.e. they had quintupled
in six years. In 1851, when the yield from Burra-Burra
began to decline, the discovery of gold in Victoria gave a
fresh impetus to South Australia and to the Australian
colonies generally. For a time, indeed. South Australia was
denuded of her male population; but, the first fever over,
the diggers returned to their homes, and found a more
regular and more profitable employment in growing wheat
to feed the rapidly increasing population in Victoria. From
1855 to 1862, during Sir Richard Macdonnell's governor
ship, the colony made great progress. Exploration to the
far north was vigorously carried on ; the construction of rail
ways was begun, and responsible government was inaugu
rated. Fresh copper mines were discovered at Moonta and
Wallaroo, in Yorke's Peninsula, surpassing even in richness
the great Burra-Burra, In 1862 the Northern Territory
was annexed. In 1870 the overland telegraph to Port
Darwin was completed, which brought the colonies into
communication with the rest of the world. It was a tre
mendous work, and, accomplished as it was by South
Australia alone, must ever redound to the credit of the
enterprise of the colony. In spite of occasional commercial
depressions, in spite of rust in the wheat. South Australia
has made continual progress till the last few years, though
her progress has not been so rapid as that of the colonies
who have a larger extent of good land accessible from their
capitals, and who have had discoveries of gold and silver
to attract population.

142 THE COLONIES
South Australia, as most people know, is a misnomer;
for, including the Northern Territory, the colony stretches
from one side of the continent to the other. The country
is for the most part flat ; the mountain ranges are few
and do not anywhere rise to much over 3,000 feet. The
Mount Lofty Range, which runs north from Cape Jervis
past Adelaide, and the Flinders Range, which runs north
from the head of Spencer's Gulf, are the most important in
the southern part of the colony ; while in the centre of the
continent are the McDonnell and Musgrave Ranges, in the
valleys of which there is good land now taken up for stations.
I had certainly no idea that there was any inhabitable land
in the centre of the continent before we landed in Australia,
and I suppose there are not many people at home who have
ever heard of the McDonnell Ranges.
Adelaide stands on the plain between St, Vincent's Gulf
and the Mount Lofty Range, about six miles both from Port
Adelaide, the docks, and from Glenelg, the watering-place of
the city. The town stands in a beautiful situation, and is
admirably laid out. It is exactly a mile square. Within
this limit is the business part of the town, the public
buildings, the Parliament Houses, and Government House,
On each side of the town the ground falls away, and a space
of half a mile wide has been reserved as park lands. Outside
this are the suburbs, the most important of which is North
Adelaide, the residential suburb. One of the great features
in Adelaide are the lovely views from many of the streets
of the woody Mount Lofty Range. The morning and
evening lights on the hills were often very beautiful.
South Australia, like all the rest of the continent, suffers
greatly from want of water. There are many streams, such
as Cooper's Creek, the Finke River, &c,, rising in the hills
in the centre of the continent, which in a wet season are
large rivers, but in time of drought are merely a string of
water holes, and sometimes are dried up altogether. The
waters of none of them reach the sea, but are lost in the great

THE MURRAY 143
shallow salt lakes. Lake Torrens, Lake Eyre, and Lake Frome,
which lie to the north of Spencer's Gulf, There are several
fine rivers in the north which are fed by the tropical rains ;
but in the south the only important river is the Murr.ay,
which for the last 300 miles of its course flows within the
boundaries of South Australia, There are two important
drawbacks which prevent South Australia deriving full
benefit from the river. Though from New South Wales to
the Morgan bend, and even below Morgan, there may be
good land on either bank, for the lower part of its course the
river flows between barren limestone hills. Behind these on
the east stretches the ' Ninety Mile Desert ' to the borders of
Victoria, so terrible in the early days of overlanding ; while
on the west, between them and the Mount Lofty Range, is
another strip of worthless country. For irrigation purposes,
therefore, the value of the river is to a great extent dimin
ished, while there is also a serious impediment to navigation.
The Murray River, like the Glenelg, enters the sea by a very
narrow and shallow mouth. The swell of the Great Southern
Ocean, which beats continuously on this exposed coast,
renders any attempt to clear it by dredging useless, and it can
never become a great highway into the interior from the sea.
Yet, if South Australia has a poor rainfall and is in
differently supplied with rivers, it has, like many other parts
of Australia, a remarkable underground supply of water.
Between the Gawler Ranges and the coast — i.e. in Eyre's
Peninsula — water is found at always the same depth, and
though every means may be used to reduce the water-level
in the well, it is impossible to do so. Artesian wells have
been tried in many places with great success, and it is pos
sible, and even probable, that they may revolutionise the
character of the arid districts. At Hergott there is a well
with a flow of over 100,000 gallons per day, which rises in a
pipe 60 feet above the surface of the ground ; and again at
Coward, on the Overland Railway line, a well with a flow
of 1,200,000 gallons per day has been completed.

144 THE COLONIES
Fortunately for Adelaide most of the best land, and that
which has the most certain rainfall, lies near the capital. Mr.
Goyder's line, crossing Eyre's Peninsula, bends to the north
round the head of Spencer's Gulf, and then, sweeping south to
about one hundred miles north of Adelaide, extends to the
New South Wales border. The salt-bush country, some of
which we saw on our journey to visit the Broken Hill Mine,
is by no means valueless. Sheep greedily eat the salt-bush
(which in appearance is rather like the sage-bush of the
western plains of America), and in bad seasons it does not
suffer from drought. Though the bulk of the good land in
South Australia is on the plains near Adelaide, there is a
patch of wonderfully rich soil round Mount Gambier. North
of Mount Gambier, along the Victorian border, there is a strip
of good land fitted for agriculture, though at present it is
under sheep. This district has the advantage of a climate
and rainfall like that of the southern districts of Victoria.
The centre of South Australia is by no means a worthless
country. The railway is already constructed to Hergott
Springs, 400 miles north of Adelaide, and is being con
tinued to the Peak, some 150 miles farther north. There
are sheep or cattle stations all along on either side of the
line, and about the McDonnell Ranges there are also stations.
The opening up of these northern districts has been greatly
facilitated by camels. Mr. Lindsay, the explorer, who was in
Adelaide at the time of our visit, discovered on his last trip
a large tract of country — previously supposed to be desert —
which he describes as being as good as the country on the
Barcoo, the best sheep country in Queensland, There are
already stations near the spot where Burke and Wills (the
famous explorers) lay down to die. It may almost be said
that South Australia has as great undiscovered resources
in its Central Territory as Western Australia, When the
Transcontinental Railway is completed, which it undoubtedly
will be in the next ten years, we may see South Australia
become almost as great a stock-raising and wool-growing

PARLIAMENT ll")
country as the Eastern colonies, besides topping the London
market with its wheat.
Having now, I hope, given some idea of the country and
its resources, let us turn our attention to the people. All
the Australian colonies have at their head a governor ap
pointed by the Home Government, who, like the Queen, is
bound to carry out the policy of the ministry of the day. His
influence to many may appear chiefly social, but if he is a man
of ability and tact like Sir Hercules Robinson, he has a con
siderable amount of political influence. In each colony
Parliament consists of two Houses — a Legislative Assembly
elected by manhood suffrage with a six months' residency
qualification, and a Legislative Council elected on a property
qualification (the members of the latter being distinguished
by the title of Honourable), Every colonial House of
Assembly has its larrikin menibers, who distinguish them
selves by the violence of their language and the inso
lence of their demeanour in the House (but it must be
admitted that scenes almost as disgraceful take place in our
own House df Parliament), But it is not the larrikin mem
bers altogether who take away the character of the Houses,
A very large proportion of the members, it seemed to me,
were men of mediocre ability, whose aims, if they were not
personal, were at any rate bounded by the views of their own
particular district. To judge by the few speeches I heard
and the demands which were put forward there is but little
' colonial spirit,' if I may so call it. As long as the interests
of their own particular district are advanced, many menibers
seem to care little for the general interests of the colony.
They press the Government to undertake a railway or some
other public work in their district, not caring whether the
undertaking will prove remunerative, or whether the state
of the colonial finances justify the expenditure. Just before
we arrived in South Australia, four of the best members, men
of talent and of public spirit, had lost their seats; this,
coupled with the introduction of the payment of members, L

146 THE COLONIES
the bill for which was passed while we were there, seems to
show the increasing preference of the democracy for men
who wiU be mere instruments of the popular will. The argu
ment put forward on all sides for the payment of members
was that, where nearly every one is engaged in making
money, few can afford to give their time gratuitously to
political affairs. The only argument which I happened to
see against payment of members was in a petty local news
paper. The writer of the article said payment of members
was doubtless a good thing, but that in the present state of
South Australian finance it had better be deferred. The
fact that payment of members would contribute to turn re
presentatives into mere delegates, would foster petty interests
rather than public spirit, and so derogate from the inherent
character of Parliament, was entirely lost sight of ; and only
once while we were in the colonies did I hear this view of
the question put forward, and that was in an excellent article
in the ' Sydney Morning Herald.' Though I have spoken
rather plainly of a considerable proportion of the members of
the South Australian Legislature, there are men of public
spirit in both Houses, but more especially in the Upper
House. The South Australian Houses, however, did not
seem to me to contain any men of the same calibre as Mr.
Gillies or Mr, Deakin in Victoria,
As Mr, Paltridge said at Mount Gambier, ' Now is the
day of the working-man ; the days of the squatter and the
farmer are gone,' The squatter may have had some influence
in the Legislature in the early days, when his run was close
to the capital and when the working-class population was
small ; but now he is being driven back by the natural
course of events to the extremes of civilisation. If the
squatter is by the nature of his occupation kept at a distance
from the capital, the working-man, on the other hand, con
centrates there, and can put more direct pressure on the
Government, One-third of the population in each colony is
concentrated in Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide, In South

THE ¦^^'ORKING-MAN 147
Australia, out of a total population of 300,000, 100,000 are
in and around Adelaide, It is most unfortunate that there
should be this concentration of population in the big towns
(or rather I should say capitals, for no town in South Aus
tralia besides Adelaide has a population of more than 7,000
inhabitants). Those whose impressions are derived from Mr.
Froude's account of Australia in ' Oceana,' and from the num
bers of unemployed quoted in the newspapers, may imagine
that there is a great want of employmemt in the colonies.
On the contrary there is a great want of labour in many
country districts (and even in towns at a reasonable rate of
wages. But while the profits of pastoralists, agriculturists,
and merchants have fallen in these bad times, wages remain
at the same high rate through the action of trades-unions).
The class of emigrant we send out now, drawn as he is to a
great extent from our overcrowded cities, has a rooted disin
clination for country life, which is perhaps rougher and more
lonely, but certainly freer, than it is here. If he cannot find
employment in town he gets up a deputation to Government.
If work is provided in the country, it hardly ever happens
that all those who have accepted work turn up at the ap
pointed place. Several cases of this sort happened while we
were in Australia. The Government have not been strong
enough hitherto to resist the demand to lay on the whole
country the burden of supporting the so-called unemployed.
It seems that the South Australian Government which has
just come into office realises this. The Chief Secretary said
at Mount Gambier that they were determined to try and
teach the people the virtue of self-dependence — a virtue
which Englishmen are supposed to possess in an eminent
degree. This determination has been carried out. The
Commissioner of Public Works the other day, in reply to
a deputation demanding employment, said that he failed
to see that it was the duty of the Government to provide
relief works, though he was willing to press on the works
in his department as much as was justifiable. There is the

148 THE COLONIES
more reason for the refusal of the Government to provide
work, in that the want of employment is the direct con
sequence of the action of the trades- unions, who keep up a
rate of wages beyond what employers in these bad times can
afford to pay. Their tyranny is pushed to an altogether un
reasonable extent. Three cases of their interference at Port
Adelaide struck me especially, (1) One day two seamen
were warned by their union because they had carried a few
sacks of potatoes from their schooner to a shed, which was
supposed to be the work of lumpers, (2) Another day the
carters' union sent a complaint to Government that the
cartage rates were greatly reduced owing to the competition
of the railways. They apparently thought that the Govern
ment, who had constructed the railway for the convenience of
and at the expense of the whole community, should do their
best to prevent its paying to gratify the interest of a very
small class, (3) On another occasion a steward who had
misconducted himself was dismissed from some South Aus
tralian vessel. The union at once warned the ship-owners
that they would prevent the ship going to sea if they offended
again. In this case their action was fatal to maintaining
discipline on board ship.
On the whole, it seemed to me that the colonial working-
man is far more prejudiced by class interest, less educated,
and less intelligent than the working-men in large towns at
home. His own interests come first, the interests of the
colony second. He avers that the progress of the colony is
retarded by the accumulation of property in the hands of
the squatter, without considering that they were forced to
acquire the freehold of this property by the laws allowing
free selection, and never allowing that they themselves are
doing much to retard progress by fettering the employ
ment of capital. Far more labour would be employed on the
land, olive-growing and other industries would be carried
on, could labour be had at a cheaper rate. But there is a
distinct gain b}^ this action on the part of the working-man

THE squatter" 149
in the colonies. The colonies are indeed for those who will
work the working-man's paradise. The standard of comfort
is very high ; a man thinks he is starving unless he has
three meat meals a day. There is no such thing as poverty
as we understand it. But I should like to see the working-
man acknowledge that he means to maintain this standard
of comfort at whatever price, and not accuse others of being
a bar to development of the country where he is himself in
great measure the real obstacle.
The squatter, as I have said, is the object of the hatred of
the working-men. His occupation prevents him or deters
him from entering political life, and he has therefore al
lowed judgment to go against himself by default. There
may be one or two members such as the Messrs, Hawker,
who represent the squatting interest in Parliament, but they
are very few. It is always the object with colonial govern
ments to settle people on the land. In the early days the
sqatter held enormous tracts of country at a small rental from
the Government, often under one penny per acre. As popu
lation increased and more land was wanted, the Government
thought it was unjust that so much land should be in the
hands of a few men. They therefore brought in a law which
allowed free selection — i,e, that a man might go right into the
middle of a squatter's run and select perhaps a bit of his best
land. This process was called ' killing the squatter,' To
defend themselves against the free selector the squatter was
forced to purchase the freehold of his land or as much of it as
he could. He had to borrow money from the banks at a
ruinous rate of interest to buy up the freehold from Govern
ment and to buy out the selector. Lots of men, of course,
could not raise the money, or ruined themselves in so doing,
and had to surrender a part of their run or leave it altogether.
Now again, after the lapse of some twenty years, there is an
outcry against accumulation of property in the squatters' hands,
raised by the people who forced him to buy it. The squatter
is naturally disinclined to sell ; the value of his land is

150 THE COLONIES
increasing every year, and he hopes to recoup himself for the
loss he sustained when he was forced to buy. The squatter, it
seems to me, is wrong in refusing to part with any portion of
his land. He ought to meet the growing demand by timely
concession, and so avert the storm which threatens to burst
on his head. By breaking up a certain portion into farms
he would satisfy the demand. He might even do well to sell
a certain portion, for a day may come when he will be forced
to sell at greatly depreciated prices owing to the quantity of
land in the market. I heard whisperings of the possibility
of a progressive land-tax being imposed. This would compel
many to sell, and I heard of one squatter who said that it
would force him to turn off over thirty men in his employment.
But, however wrong one may think the squatter in certain
instances, one cannot help feeling great admiration for a
class which contains some of the noblest types of the British
race. It is the squatter who has made Australia what she
is ; it is the squatter who is the backbone of the country now.
It is he who feeds the large population in the towns, and not
the bolstered-up manufactures which the Australian takes so
much pains to protect, A man who in the earlier days of
the Colonies drove his cattle or sheep out into the wilderness
in search of pasture, enduring perils from blacks and perils
from drought, cutting himself off for months, perhaps for
years, from civilisation, must have had some grit in him, and
deserved a good return for the risks which he ran both to life
and property. Many of the colossal fortunes that have been
made by squatters in the colonies have been made by men
who started with no capital but their own pluck and perse
verance. One of the richest men in Melbourne died while
we were there, I was told that he had come out to the
colonies some forty years ago almost without resources. He
landed in Adelaide, and saw that there was great want of
stock there. He went on to Sydney and bought a few cattle
with all the little money he had, and started to drive them
overland to Adelaide, The country he had to traverse was

THE SQUATTER 151
quite unknown to him or to any one ; there were great risks
from the blacks and from want of water. In spite of all he
got through, sold his cattle at a handsome profit, which
enabled him to start on a bigger scale. Squatting is, in most
places, a very different thing now to what it was forty years
ago ; but on the back stations in Queensland, and in central
Australia, it is much the same. Men who go to take up new
country risk the same perils as their fathers, and cut them
selves off in the same way from civilisation. No one can say
that the squatter who has made his fortune is illiberal. The
capitals of the different colonies are full oftheir gifts — libraries,
halls in the colleges, public buildings of every kind. If the
day of the squatter is indeed passing away, they deserve
generous treatment from their successors for all that they
have done for their country.

152

THE COLONIES

CHAPTER IV.
VICTORIA,
Saturday, June ISth. — We breakfasted at Geelong, and
arrived in Melbourne at 10. The rest of the family were stay
ing at Government House ; Pemberton and I had our quarters
at the club for which Mr. Gowan-Evans, at the request of
the Chief Justice, had kindly put down our names. Collins
Street, in which the Melbourne Club is situated, is a fine
street about three-quarters of a mile long. There are some
very good shops in it, and some fine buildings, chiefly banks.
Between 12 and 1 o'clock it was crowded with people ' doing
the block,' and one certainly seldom sees so many pretty
and nicely dressed girls together. Sir Henry and Lady
Lock lunched on board the 'Sunbeam,' which was lying
alongside the quay at Williamstown, some six miles from
Melbourne by train. In the afternoon there was an ' at
home,' We dined at Government House, where we met the
Premier, Mr, Gillies, a pleasant-faced man ; Mr, Deakin, who
has just returned from England with a great reputation for
his success at the Colonial Conference ; the Attorney-General,
an Irishman, but veiy strong against Home Rule ; Sir George
and Lady Verdun, and others. Sir Henry and Lady Lock
are both nice and very popular in the colony. Every one
tells me in Melbourne that the whole of Victoria is at Lady
Lock's feet,
Sunday, June 19th. — Walked to church at South Yarra,
through the charming botanical garden, with Major Rhodes,

MELBOURNE 153
brother of the Misses Rhodes who live at Fairlight, He is a
Royal Engineer, and has a five years' appointment in the
colony ; his duties consist chiefly in superintending the de
fences. In the afternoon called on Mrs, L, L, Lewis, where
I met Miss Croker, Bell, and Gibbs, late of Keble College,
Oxford, Mrs, Lewis is a friend of the Chief Justice's ; she
is a clever Httle woman, and very kind,
Monday, June 20th. — In the afternoon we went to see the
review of the colonial troops. The permanent artillery, of
which there are three batteries, is said by critics to compare
favourably with any artillery at home. The infantry, who
are on a kind of a militia basis, went by well, but I was most
struck by the mounted rifles. They are 1,000 strong, and
being mainly recruited from farmers or from men on
stations, can ride well. Though they may not look very
smart, they are a very serviceable body of men, and could at a
pinch cover a hundred miles in the day. The cadets, boj's
from ten to sixteen, went by last, and went by very well too.
In all the State schools they have an excellent system of
drilling the bigger boys. There are some three thousand
cadets in all, though there were only 800 on parade to-day,
and Rhodes told me that at the military tournament a
detachment from the Geelong Grammar School won the
prize for bayonet exercise, Des Graz, Traill (one of the
A,-D.-C,'s), and I dined at the club, and went to the Sumners'
dance. The floor and music were perfect ; every one danced
well — people dance for dancing's sake in Australia — and
there were some very nice-looking people,
Tuesday, June 21st. — Mr, Grice took a large party, in
cluding the Sumners, Miss Watson, Gibbs, and others, on
his coach to a meet of the harriers, some thirteen miles out of
town. We drove through a pretty country ; there were
well-timbered paddocks, but only a little cultivation near the
road, while there was a good view of the Dandenong ranges
in the distance. There were about forty people at the meet,
including several ladies, who cut out a good deal of the work.

154

THE COLONIES

Traill had given me a mount on what he said was a hack, so
I attempted nothing above three rails. We did nothing in
the moming, as there was no scent. The enclosures were
small, and the obstacles, with the exception of a wall with a
stiff rail on the far side, were not formidable. Our party left
the hounds at 2.30, In the afternoon they had a good run
over a very stiff country, and nearly every one got falls,
Pemberton, Mr, Gowan-Evans, Keating, and I dined with
Mr, Lewis at the ' Bohemians,' The ' club ' was very loyal ;
in the middle of dinner some one proposed the health of the
Queen, which was drunk with great cheering, and every one
sang ' God save the Queen,' The whole town was illuminated
to-night in honour of the Jubilee, and the streets were
crammed in spite of the rain. The traffic was admirably
regulated, and the crowd most orderly,
Wednesday, June 22nd. — In the afternoon Pemberton and
I went over the Parliament building, which is still in course
of construction, with Mr, Jenkins, the clerk of council, a
most agreeable man. The library and billiard-rooms are
most comfortable — in fact. Parliament Houses here are often
said to be a regular club. Dined at Government House, and
then came the great Jubilee Ball, I don't suppose such
enormous numbers have ever been handled so successfully.
The ordinary ball-room, which has a splendid floor, holds
1,500 people, and a temporary room, covering an acre of
ground, had been erected at the side, so there was always
room to dance. The costumes were excellent, with the ex
ception of a few men in cricketing flannels,
Thursday, June 24th. — In the morning we went to see the
Law Courts; they are rather in excess of the present re
quirements, but there will be business enough to fill them
before long. At 1,30 we went to the opening of the Queen's
Hall in the Parliament building by the Governor, The
Queen's Hall is the same size as the House of Commons ; on
either side of it are the Legislative Council and Legislative
Assembly Chambers, while the library stretches across the

MELBOURNE 155
end of all three — a most convenient arrangement. The
ceremony was a charming one in every way ; it was above
all a nice compliment from the Parliament of democratic
Victoria to christen the hall after the Queen. After the
Governor had declared the hall open, Mr, Gillies proposed
the healths of the Queen, the Royal Family, and the Gover
nor, while a band in the gallery played ' God save the
Queen,' ' God bless the Prince of Wales,' and ' A Fine Old
English Gentleman,' The Governor made a neat speech in
reply, and the ceremony was over in half an hour. In the
aftemoon there was an ' at home ' on board the yacht.
Dined at Government House, and went to a Jubilee Concert
in the Exhibition building. The best part of the entertain
ment was three ballads : ' Home, Sweet Home,' ' The Harp
that once in Tara's Halls,' and ' Edinburgh Town,' charm
ingly sung by Miss Amy Sherwin, a popular Australian
singer, Friday, June 24th. — Went to the mint in the morning.
Father and I lunched on board the 'Nelson' off Williams
town with the officers of the Victorian navy, as well as of
the Sydney and Melbourne naval volunteers, Pemberton and
I dined with Mr, Gowan-Evans, and afterwards went with
him to a dance at the John Simpson's,
Saturday, June 25th. — The Governor and party were going
to the races at Caulfield, so I cut the lunch given to father
by the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria and joined them.
Caulfield course is about six miles from Melbourne, along a
very bad road ; the roads in the Melbourne suburbs are
about the worst it has ever been my pleasure to travel on.
Met the Grices, Miss Watson, and the Sumners, and spent a
pleasant afternoon in spite of the cold wind. There was
some fair racing and one steeplechase. At 7 went to the
Imperial Federation banquet given to father as Treasurer
of the League, There were eighty or ninety people present ;
most of them looked men of standing, and very few were
under thirty. Father made a good speech in reply to the

156'

THE COLONIES

toast of his health ; but we were, of course, more interested
to hear Mr, Gillies, He spoke slowly but with great weight,
and his speech was all the more interesting as he entirely
committed himself to Imperial Federation — i,e, the continu
ance of the connection between England and the colonies.
All the speakers agreed that the time had not yet come for
any scheme of political federation, Mr, Purves, Q,C., who
proposed the health of the Houses of Parliament, made a
violent attack on the want of disinterestedness amongst the
members, but Pemberton and I had left before this, so our
recollections of the dinner were pleasant. We reached the
Armytages at 10.30, and as we had learnt by experience to
secure our dances beforehand, we had a very good time till
12 o'clock, Sunday, June 26th. — Went to hear Dr, Cameron Lees at
the Scotch Church, He preached an excellent sermon, which
would have been a good plea for the University Settlement
in East London against Toynbee Hall, Mabelle and I went
down to the yacht in the afternoon, to which father and
mother had retired, because his eyes were so bad, Pemberton
and I had tea at the Grices', Nearly every one in the
Colonies has high tea on Sundays,
Monday, June 27th. — Merivale and I left by the 11
o'clock train for Ballaarat, At the station I met a Mr,
Russell of Etchingham, and in the train we travelled with
a Captain Bridges, who knew Admiral Hoskins and other
mutual friends. From Melbourne to Geelong the country is
flat, bare of trees, and stony ; from Geelong to Ballaarat it
is undulating and weU timbered ; it was a bright day, so the
country looked at its best, Ballaarat is well situated, but
most of the houses are wooden shanties, Sturt Street, of
which one hears so much in Australia, is broad and has an
avenue of trees in the centre, but, with the exception of the
Town HaU and one or two others, there are no good buildings
in the street. We had just time to run up to the lake, a
splendid .sheet of water. Three-quarters of an hour on a

CARNGHAM 157
branch line through a country studded with heaps of white
gravel from the old surface diggings brought us to Smyths-
dale, where we were met by George Russell, The ten-mile
drive to Carngham through the keen evening air behind a
spanking team of chesnuts was very jolly, Mr. Philip
Russell, George Russell's father, is a nice old gentleman,
and was till lately M,L,C, ; but he is getting infirm now.
Carngham is very famous for its sheep, and the whole house
is full of prizes.
Tuesday, June 28tli. — Breakfast at 8. During the morning
we had a great game of polo : Russell, Merivale, and I agaiust
three of the station hands. Though Merivale and I had
never played before, our side won by four goals to two.
There had been a sharp frost in the morning, but it was
warm enough playing polo. After lunch we rode over
to Lake Burrumbeet, some seven miles off. Carngham is
situated in the valley of a small creek, the country on each
side of which is flat and sparsely timbered. All the Carngham
paddocks are cleared of dead timber, so that there is not that
desolate look about the station which one sees so often in
Australia. We had a fine view across the lake to ' Brcildoune,'
Sir Samuel Wilson's station, which Froude describes in
' Oceana.' It was a lovely afternoon for a ride, and George
Russell kept us entertained with amusing stories. He is a
shrewd fellow ; he has stood twice for Parliament, but un
fortunately against a strong candidate. The Colonial Parlia
ments want more men of the George Russell stamp, who can
take an independent view of a question,
Wednesday, June 29th. — A bitterly cold morning. We
left Carngham soon after 8 in a dogcart and tandem. The
team was good, so was the road, and we ran the eighteen
miles into Ballaarat in an hour and thirty-five minutes,
Merivale and I went at once to the Band and Albion Mine,
which is a mile from the town. The ' Band of Hope Mine,'
as it was originally called, is a wonderful instance of British
pluck and endurance. The borings were commenced in '55

158 THE COLONIES
(when the alluvial diggings were beginning to be worked out)
by a band of miners who had saved enough to keep them fbr
two or three years. They worked for seven or eight years,
encountering innumerable difficulties before they had any
return. At last they struck the rich vein of quartz for which
they had been looking all along, and the mine has paid well
ever since. At the office we found Mr, Sargent, the present
manager of the mine, who has been in it since '56, and is re
puted to be the best mining authority in the Ballaarat
district. He showed us some plans, and explained that the
Ballaarat plain was once a river valley, which was filled by
lava from the craters of the Great Dividing Range, It is in
the old river-bed, which is easily distinguishable, that they
now find the alluvial gold after boring perhaps through rock
and quartz. In the Band and Albion they are below this
(i.e, 1,300 feet from the surface), and Mr, Sargent told us
that in his opinion quartz-mining in the Ballaarat district
was only in its infancy ; they have just ordered new plant
for the Band and Albion to go down to 3,000 feet, I only
had time to go round the works on the surface. The quartz
is crushed to dust by stampers, and then washed over blankets
and sheets of quicksilver, which collect a certain portion of
the gold. The liquid mud fiows into circular drums, which
extract more gold, the gold sinking to the bottom as the drum
revolves. The refuse is scorched in a furnace, sulphur and
arsenic are given off in fumes, and the latter is collected in
the form of dust in the flues at the back of the furnace.
What remains is oxide of iron, which makes excellent red
paint, its peculiar excellence being that it will not blister.
It is used for painting all kinds of ironwork, such as bridges
or the bottoms of ships. It is sold chiefly in Sydney as the
best English paint, but some has been sent home to John
Elder & Co, It is only by preventing all waste that such
things as mining are made to pay,
I left Merivale to go down the mine, and travelled with
George Russell to Geelong, He went on to Melbourne, and

COLAC 159
I took a slow train back to Colac, which is to the south-west
of Geelong, about 100 mfles from Melbourne, Willie Robert
son, who rowed ih last year's Oxford eight, met me at the
station. His place, ' The Hill,' is well situated, with a good
view over the Colac, which is some three miles across. His
father has gone home for a year or two and left him to look
after the place in his absence. He has not much to do, as
most of the land is let in farms. The size of the farms
varies from 100 to 500 acres, but the majority are under
250 acres. As at Mount Gambier, 41. an acre is the rent
of potato land, but most of Mr, Robertson's land is let for
dairy-farming and grazing. The country round Colac is
in this respect much more like England than any I have
seen yet. It is a pity that more big squatters do not see
their way to letting their land, for the more people there
are on the land the more people there are on the side of
order. The building societies in Melbourne, which advance
a man money to build his own house, are some of the
most conservative institutions in the country, ' The Hill '
is a two-storeyed house, and Willie Robertson has a most
comfortable room, adorned with Oxford photograjDhs, oars,
caps, &c. We had a very jolly evening chatting over old
times, and one could almost imagine oneself back in Oxford
again, Thursday, June SOth. — A lovely bright morning, I
wanted Robertson to take me for a drive into the splendid
forests in the Cape Otway peninsula, which is only forty-two
miles from Colac, but the roads were bad, and there was a
ploughing match in one of their flelds at which it was im
portant for him to be present. There were some flfteen
ploughs at work — treble-furrow, double-furrow, and single-
furrow ploughs — and to the uninitiated the ploughing
appeared to be good. There was hardly a single ' quiver '
(which we found was the proper expression after listening to
the conversation of several farmers) in the furrows of the
champion ploughman of Victoria, We rode round the town

160

THE COLONIES

of Colac, which is prettily situated close to the lake, and past
the botanical garden. We went back to lunch and then
drove over to Mr, Jim Robertson's, who lives about six miles
from ' The Hill,' He has a very nice house and nice grounds,
much more like an English country-place than any I
have seen yet. They took me up to the top of the ' Red
Rock,' which is on the edge of a deep crater, and in spite of
the dull aftemoon we had a good view all round. We were
in the middle of a great lake district : to the west was Lake
Carangamite, the largest lake in Victoria, which is about forty
miles long and about fifteen across ; to the south-east was Lake
Colac, and to the east another la,rge lake. All of them are salt.
Between the lakes were ranges of hills, and the flats between
the hUls and the lakes were studded with small newly built
farm-houses, Mr, Robertson sent us back in his phaeton to
fetch Pemberton, who had missed the morning train, and who
arrived about five. We had time before he came to walk
round the garden and look at the English trees, oaks, elms,
&c,, which were doing well. We had a pleasant evening at
the Robertsons', Mrs, and Miss Robertson were both nice,
and we had two or three games at pyramids after they had
retired, Fnday, July 1st. — A very wet morning, Mr, Robertson
drove us into Colac with his fine team of bays, who went
along at a slapping pace in spite of the awful state of the
district road, I was very sorry to say good-bye to Willie
Robertson, and wished I had seen more of him. We reached
Melbourne at 4,30, and went out to Toorak to pay some duty
calls. We dined at the club with Traill, and went to a
dance at the Robert Molesworth's, It was the best dance by
far we were at in Melbourne ; all our friends were there, and
there were not too many people,
Saturday, July 2nci,— Pemberton left us at 6,30 a,m, to
stay with a distant cousin of his, by name Bree, at Hamilton, in
the western district of Victoria, At 10 Chariie Egerton
arrived overiand from Adelaide, We spent the mormng

MELBOURNE 161
loafing about town, and in the afternoon went to a tennis
party at the Herbert Power's iu Toorak, where we met the
Miss Mannings, Miss Chiunery, Fiskin, and other people,
Rhodes, Charlie, and I dined at the club, and went to see the
' Silver King ' at the Princess', It is a good theatre, and the
play was fairly acted,
Sunday, July 3rd. — Egerton and I went to church in
South Yarra, and then walked on to lunch with Mr, Russell
at Toorak, Mr, Russell was out here till ten years ago, and
was an M,L,A, and a Radical, Mr, Gowan-Evans and Dr.
Cameron Lees were the only other guests. After lunch we
called on Mr, Blackwood, an old Balliol man and a keen
sportsman. He has a very nice place, with a grand view
over Sandwich and Hobson's Bay, Spent a pleasant even
ing with the Bunnys at St, Kilda, Mrs, Bunny is a charm
ing old German lady ; curiously enough I found out she was
the aunt ofthe Captain Bunny whom I met at Secunderabad,
Miss Bunny has the most lovely voice I have heard for a long
time. Had tea at the Lewis' at 8 o'clock, and walked home
with Rhodes, In his opinion Melbourne is very strongly
defended ; the entrance to Port Phillip is narrow, the forts
are well placed and armed with the newest type of breech
loading guns, and such a fire could be concentrated on any
attacking vessel that it would be difficult for a first-class
ironclad to pass them, while a second-class ironclad would
have no chance at all,
Monday, July 4th. — Took Egerton to the Parliament
House, round which we were kindly shown by Mr, Jenkins,
Mr, Jenkins is a most interesting man, and very ready to
impart information. He told us two things which struck me
particularly. First, that it was very improbable that the
members of the Lower House in Victoria would be increased
beyond a hundred. There is a feeling in the colony that a
more numerous assembly is unwieldly, and cannot efficiently
transact business. Every man in the colonial Houses of
Parliament must speak, or his constituents will have nothing M

162 THE COLONIES
to say to him. Secondly, that while he and his contempo
raries look upon England as home, the young generation
that is gTowing up look upon Australia as their home, and
have none of the sentiment of their fathers for the ' old
country,' There is one interesting relic in the Victorian
Houses of Parliament — the Speaker's chair of the first Par
liament elected uuder the Reform Act of 1832, It was
presented to Parliament by the son of the Speaker, Lord Can
terbury, when he was Governor of Victoria, In the afternoon
we went down to Flemington, the course where the ' Melbourne
Cup ' and the Grand National are run. We saw ' Royal Oak,'
' Frying Pan,' and some other cracks, but unfortunately had
no time to go round the course ; I should have liked to have
had a good look at the four feet six inches timber fences, four
miles over which can be no joke, Egerton left for Sydney by
the mail, Tuesday, July 5th. — In the afternoon I went to see the
University, which is about two miles from the centre of the
town. Sir Samuel Wilson gave 30,000Z, for a large hall, built
in the style of our college halls, in which the examinations are
held, and three sides of a small quadrangle are finished, in
which there are some lecture rooms and the registrar's office.
The professors live in small houses onthe edge ofthe University
grounds, and behind them are the affiliated colleges. Trinity
College and Ormonde College (the Scotch College) are the
only ones at present finished ; a Wesleyan college is building,
and doubtless more will soon follow. Most of the benefits of
an university education, it seems to me, are lost by putting
all the students belonging to one denomination together, but
in the colonies they are far less cosmopolitan on religious
matters than we are at home, Tbe Roman Catholics hold
aloof from the State schools, and set up schools of their own,
though in the State schools there is hardly any religious teach-
iiio-. At the University there are about one hundred and
fifty resident undergraduates ; the others live at home or iu
lodgings.

THE BLACK SPUR 103
I was at the Parliament Houses at 5, just in time to see
Mr, Deakin rise aud attempt to make his expected statement
about the doings of the Colonial Conference, But Bent, the
leader of the Opposition, rose to a point of order, and, being
supported by Clarke and Gaunson (a regular ' larrikin'),
refused to let it be made, though at least four-fifths of the
House were evidently anxious to hear it, Mr. Jenkins told
me that the statement would probably come on after the
dinner hour, but when I returned the House had adjourned,
I was much disappointed, as I wanted to hear Mr, Deakin
speak, and also to hear how the Colonial Conference had been
worked, Mr, Deakin is an able man, and occupies a prominent
position for a man who is only just over thirty. He is a Radical
in politics, but he is a sound Radical, and I think would
not consent to a foolish measure just to catch the popular
vote. He has the advantage of being an Australian by
birth (a considerable introduction to popularity amongst the
masses), and in my opinion will be, in future years, the fore
most statesman of Australia,
Wednesday, July Gth. — Left Prince's Bridge at 0,10 a,m,,
and arrived at Lilydale at 7,50, At 9 the coach started fbr
Healesville, There was a thick fog, and we could not see a
hundred yards on either side of the road, which for the first
five miles was good, and for the remaining nine miles about
as bad as it could be. It was full of huge holes a foot or two
deep in mud, but our horses stuck to their work well, and we
reaohed Healesville at 11,30, by which time it had begun to
rain hard, I rode from Healesville to I'ernshaw (seven
miles), and by the time Iwas over the ridge into the valley of
the Watt it had cleared up. The road ran through a thick
forest with pretty peeps here and there, and Fernshaw is a
picturesque cluster of houses on the banks of the Watt, which
here is a purling trout stream. The trout, I am told, run up
to six or seven pounds, and the fishing is good in the season.
The big trees (the object of my visit), which are supposed to
be bigger than the giants of the Yosemite valley, grow along
M 2

104

THE COLONIES

the Watt valley or on the Black Spur, a spur of the Dande
nong range. They certainly tower into the air a tremendous
height, but they were not so big round the trunk nor so close
together as I had expected. The big trees may be interest
ing, but the charming things on the Black Spur are the
masses of tree-ferns, and the dark-green myrtles with their
moss-covered trunks, which fill all the hollows. Mine host
at the inn, by name Boyle, gave me an excellent lunch. He
had evidently seen better days, and told me that at one time
he was in receipt of thousands of pounds yearly for pottery
on the Staffordshire line, but he was at great pains to assure
me that he was perfectly happy in his present position. His
wife, on the other hand, regretted past days, and complained
bitterly of the loudness of the dress of Australian ladies.
During all the time I was at lunch they were bobbing in and
out, each with his own story, and they kept me thoroughly
amused, 1 had a pleasant ride back to St, Hubert's, The
spot where the road crosses the Yarra is as beautiful as the
glades in the mountains. The wattles on the banks of the
river are a lovely blue-green, and have much denser foliage
than the ordinary gums, while the turf beneath them was as
green as an English meadow. Young Franpois Castella re
ceived me most hospitably, though I had invited myself, and
turned out to be a very good fellow,
Thursday, July 7th. — A cold bright morning. After
breakfast we spent two hours in the cellars tasting various
St, Hubert wines, but unless one is a connoisseur any
opinion is valueless ; the white wines seemed to me to be better
than the red. At St, Hubert's they have about four hundred
acres under vines. Besides the want of experience on the
part of the winegrowers, the newness of the soil seems to
prevent colonial wine from being comparable to Bordeaux,
Both obstacles should be removed by time, Castella told me
that he had spent several months in the Margaux vineyard,
and the owner had given him every opportunity of seeing how
the wine is made, Paul de CasteUa, cousin of Franpois, came

ST. HUBERT'S 105
over at 11, wanting to take me a drive round the country,
but unfortunately I had no time, Mr, P de Castella, who
lives at Yering, only a mile from St. Hubert's, bought his
place from the original owner of the whole Lilydale valley.
The latter had come overland from Sydney with stock in
search of good country, and when he arrived on the hills
overlooking the valley he thought he had reached at last
the land of promise. And well he may have done so, for
since I have been in Australia I have seen nothing more lovely
than the view from St, Hubert's this morning. Half a mile
in front of St, Hubert's the Yarra wound its way amongst
clumps of wattles, its waters glancing in the bright morning
sun ; beyond the river stretched a park-like plain, while in
the distance some ten miles off rose a perfect amphitheatre of
wooded hills. The clumps of wattle on the river bank were,
a few years ago, the home of herds of fallow-deer, but they
have now been driven farther into the mountains,
I travelled to Melbourne with De Pury, a neighbour of
Castella's, and also a Swiss, Met Pemberton in Melbourne,
and caught the 5 o'clock express for Sydney, The Chinese
Commissioners were in the same train, and for some time
five of their following were in our carriage, conversing not
altogether in the best English, We arrived at Albany, the
border town, at 11,

It is most curious to read the reports of the earliest settlers
at Port Phillip, when one has just seen the flourishing city
of Melbourne with its widely extended suburbs. Colonel
Collins, after three months' sojourn on the shores of Port
Phillip in 1804, wrote : ' When all the disadvantages attend
ing this bay are publicly known, it cannot be supposed that
commercial people will be very desirous of visiting Port Phillip,'
This prediction, like so many of those of the early explorers
of Australia, has been remarkably falsified. It was not till
thirty years later, i,e, 1834, that the Messrs, Henty (of a West

166

THE COLONIES

Sussex family) formed the first settlement at Portland in
Victoria, Melbourne was founded in 1835, so that this city
of 300,000 inhabitants is only just over fifty years old; a
growth which has hardly been equalled by the towns of
Western America, In the first ten years of its existence the
population of the Port PhiUip settlement increased from 200 to
32,000, and four years later, in 1850, numbered 76,000, Up to
this time the development of the colony had depended entirely
on its pastoral and agricultural resources ; in 1850 there were
already 6,000,000 sheep, besides 400,000 cattle and 21,000
horses. The year 1851 was to see great changes ; it is the most
important year in the history of Victoria, as well as in the
history of Australia, In that year Victoria was separated from
Now South Wales and erected into an independent colony with
semi-responsible government, i.e, a legislative council was ap
pointed, consisting often members appointed bythe Governor
and twenty elected members. Responsible government in the
form of two Houses as now existing was not granted till six
years later. But 1851 is to be remembered for an even more
remarkable circumstance than this. During the course of
the year gold was discovered at many places in the colony,
and on September 8 it was discovered at Ballaarat, Gold had
been at the same time discovered in New South Wales, but
the fields in Victoria were soon found to be more productive.
There was a tremendous rush to the fields, not only in the
colony itself, but from the neighbouring colonies and the old
country. Merchants, sailors, clerks, farmers, left their occu
pations in the mad thirst for gold. South Australia, as we
have seen, was almost denuded for a time of her male popula
tion. Government at first attempted to stem the rush, but
they soon found it impossible, and contented themselves with
issuing licences to dig. The output of gold for seven or eight
years after the discovery averaged rather over 2,500,000 oz, per
annum, which, taking the ounce of gold roughly as worth £4
the ounce, were worth £10,000,000 steriing. The population
in 1854 was 312,000, i,e, it had quadrupled in four years. The

VICTORIA 107
.g-reat point to be remembered about the discovery of gold is
that it did not benefit only or chiefly those engaged in gold
mining. It was of a more permanent benefit to the farmer
and agricultural labourer. An enormous population had been
attracted by the gold fever, which required to be fed. The
prices of agricultural produce, the value of land, and the
wages of labourers rose rapidly, and the prosperity of the
colony from that time has advanced with giant strides,
Victoria, it is hardly necessary to state, lies in the S,E,
corner of the Australian continent. Its area is rather less
than that of Great Britain, and it is therefore far smaller than
South Australia, Queensland, or New South Wales, The
country is far more generally mountainous and hilly. The
main mountain range runs from east to west through the
whole length of the colony, forming the watershed between
the tributaries of the Murray and the rivers which flow direct
into the Southern Ocean, This range near the New South
Wales border is known as the Australian Alps, and rises to
the height of 7,000 feet ; while in the middle of the colony
it is called the Pyrenees, and does not rise above 5,000 feet.
The climate is far more like that of England than that of the
other colonies, and in many parts of the colony it is bitterly
cold in winter. At Ballaarat and in the surrounding country,
which is nearly 2,000 feet above the sea, snow often falls ;
there was a heavy fall of snow while we were in Victoria iu
the month of June, The Australian Alps of course are
covered with snow for a considerable part of the year. The
rainfall is more regular and more evenly distributed than in the
other colonies, and consequently the land is more generally
fertile. Most of the country that I saw can be best described
as park-like grass-land studded with timber. In many parts
there are large open plains; on the mountain ranges and in the
Cape Otway peninsula are large forests. The gum-trees on the
Black Spur are not very valuable. In fact Victoria imports
timber from Western Australia for certain purposes, Victoria,
as we have said, is far better supplied than mosf of the other

168 THE COLONIES
colonies with rivers, though none of them are of any great size.
The lakes, like those in South Australia, are salt.
As the population of Victoria is about the same as that
of New South Wales, though its area is little more than a
fourth that of the latter colony, it may be imagined that the
average under cultivation is larger. In New South Wales
about 900,000 acres are under cultivation on an area of 199
million acres. In Victoria 2^ million acres are cultivated on
a total of 56 million. Wheat occupies nearly half the land
in cultivation, and the average yield is 9 bushels to the acre.
In South Australia the average is about 6 bushels, but the
quality is better. In New South Wales the average is greater,
but the quality is inferior. All English corn crops, vegetables,
and fruits are grown. Hops are grown in some places,
though Tasmania is the Kent of the Antipodes, Besides
these, tobacco, olives, maize, and vines are the chief things
under cultivation. Wine is produced to a very large extent,
and before long we may expect to see the colonies rival France
for all but the most delicate sorts of wine. Owing to its
thicker population and the larger area under cultivation,
Victoria appears to the traveller far more like England than
the other colonies. The stations or runs are fewer in number
and smaller in size than in the other colonies. There are
422 runs, of which the averge size is 20,000 acres. This, to
English ideas, appears very large, but it is only on good land
in Australia that one acre will support a sheep. The average
rental paid to the State for these runs is rather under Id. an
acre, but much of the land in Victoria is far more valuable
than this. There is a large tract on the western border of
the colony which is worth from 101. to 201. an acre for pastoral
purposes, and in many places 41. an acre rent is paid for
potato land.
Turning from the country to the people, I must say that
I left Victoria with a highly favourable impression. In
democratic Victoria the Australian democracy is seen at its
best, perhaps because for the last thirty years Victoria has been

ADVANTAGES OF MELROURNE 169
on the whole the most prosperous of the Australian colonies,
perhaps because she has always been democratic and had not
to deal with the hierarchic influence of squatters,
Melbourne is the city most favourably situated for com
merce in the Australian colonies, and hence probably the
reason why the Victorians have taken the lead in commerce.
It is generally remarked by travellers that there is a more
business-like air about the streets of Melbourne tha.n about
the streets of Sydney, Brisbane, or Adelaide. Melbourne
is nearer to England by two days' steaming than Sydney ;
she is as near to most of the New Zealand ports, and she is
the natural transhipping port for Tasmania. Then, again,
Melbourne is more fortunate than the capitals of the other
colonies in being able to tap nearly all the territory of Victoria,
Brisbane only taps the country lying immediately inland.
The greater part of the trade of Queensland passes through
Rockhampton, Cairns, Mackay, Cooktown, and other ports.
Sydney is situated at one end of an immense territory. As
we have seen, the trade of the Broken Mill Mine is entirely
with Adelaide ; the pastoral districts in the far west are
tapped by the Murray ; while the railway from Melbourne
to Deniliquin draws all the trade of the Riverina, the richest
district of New South Wales, to the Victorian capital, Mel
bourne, and the colony of Victoria generally, have many natural
advantages over the sister colonies, which have much to do
with the prosperity and something to do with the character of
her inhabitants.
Then, again, the population attracted by the gold dis
coveries was almost altogether democratic, and the influence
of the squatter was probably swamped earlier here than in the
other colonies. The democracy has, so to speak, had the field
to itself, and has been able to work its will as it chose. Under
the premiership of Sir Graham Berry from 1877 to 1880 the
democracy pushed its demands to the utmost pitch, a general
want of confidence was created, all kinds of property were de
preciated fifty per cent,, and trade was temporarily paralysed.

170 THE COLONIES
The doings of the Graham Berry Ministry culminated in the
dismissal of all the Government servants in consequence of
the refusal of the Legislative Council to pass a Money Bill on
to which he had attached an obnoxious measure. The ' Black
Wednesday ' dispute terminated in a compromise, but it
created a great revulsion of feeling. It seems to me that the
present satisfactory condition of politics in Victoria is in no
small measure due to Sir Graham Berry, The Victorian de
mocracy has been through the fire and has come out purified ;
it has seen what democratic doctrines lead to when pushed
to the utmost extreme, and it has not that antipathy to pro
perty which is noticeable amongst certain classes in the other
colonies. The condition of politics in Victoria is not only satis
factory in the way that I have indicated. There are many
men in the Victorian House of Parliament to whom the re
marks would apply that I have made about the public men
of South Australia; the Victorian House, like the Houses of
the other colonies, has its larrikin members ; but the Victorians
seemed to me on the whole to be free from narrow-minded
prejudices. Their views seemed not to be bound up in the
advantage of their own particular district ; they seemed to
have more public spirit, and they seemed to be keener on
the prosperity of the whole colony and of Australasia gene
rally. On the New Hebrides question and the New Guinea
question they vigorously supported Queensland in denouncing
the policy of the Home Government, although these questions
hardly touched Victoria personally at all, Mr, Deakin is an
excellent representative of the Victorian spirit. At the
Colonial Conference he constantly caused serious embarrass
ment to the Home Government by refusing to accept the
terms which they proposed for colonial defence, and which
would probably have been accepted by a majority of the other
delegates. By insisting on terms which he could recommend
as fair to the Victorian Houses, by preventing the Home
Government from seeming to deal with the colonies in a

VICTORIAN SPIRIT J 71
niggardly spirit, he showed true loyalty, and did much to
preserve the connection between the old country and her
children. The Victorians are independent ; they have
supreme confidence in themselves ; but they will be loyal to
us so long as we show ourselves worthy of the traditions of
Englishmen, The outburst of loyalty during the Jubilee at
Melbourne will never be forgotten by those who saw it, I wish
we could take a lesson from them ; I wish we in the old
country had a little more of that independent spirit and
confidence in ourselves which now chiefiy characterise our
countrymen beyond the seas.

172 THE COLONIES

CHAPTER V,
NEW SOUTH WALES,
Friday, July Sth. — We arrived at Wagga-Wagga at
2 A,M, and put up at a very fair hotel. In the moming Mr,
Gowlland, the manager of one of the banks, who had been
asked to look after us by Macdonald, took us for a walk round
the town. It is a flourishing place, of about 5,000 inhabitants,
and the centre of a big pastoral district. There is a con
siderable Chinese quarter ; it astonished me a good deal to
find so many Chinese in the country towns in Australia ; but
they appear to do all the vegetable-growing, and much of the
poorer paid sorts of labour, such as cleaning land, &c. The
Murrumbidgee, which runs almost through the town, was in
high flood, and Macdonald, who turned up at eleven, had to
leave his buggy on the other side and come across in a boat.
We went for a few minutes to the Riverina Club, a nice little
place, and after some lunch started on our twenty-four-mile
drive to Wantabadgery, The country is hilly and well
wooded, and at times we had very pretty views. The land
is mostly in the hands of squatters, but we passed a few
selectors' houses. Wantabadgery run, like all the land in the
neighbourhood, is freehold property. The land law of 1871,
allowing selectors to take up land at random, compelled the
squatters to buy the freehold of their runs. They could buy
the land from Government at IL an aore; but it often cost
them more than 2L an acre to buy out the selectors, who
naturally selected the best ofthe land if they could. There are
45,000 acres in Wantabadgery run, and it carries 42,000

WANTABADGERY 173
sheep, 500 cattle, and some 70 horses. The head station is
charmingly situated in the valley of the Murrumbidgee, with
fine grass paddocks in front, sloping away to the river, which
is fringed with big gums. The station is the ordinary one-
storeyed building, with a broad verandah, but very comfort
able. We had tea at 7 ; on most stations the ordinary drink
at every meal is tea,
Saturday, July 9th. — A hard frost. After breakfast Claude
Macdonald and Nash (a Rugbeian) started off lamb-marking,
Pemberton and I strolled down to a lagoon in front of the
house, where we saw two or three big mobs of ducks, but only
bagged a widgeon. At 10 we went for a ride round the run,
which is hilly and not very thickly timbered. Much of the
timber had been ' rung,' ' Ringing ' is done by Chinese at 9d.
an acre, and it nearly doubles the carrying capacities of the
run. The paddocks were about two miles across, and divided
by wire fences with timber posts and top rails, which cost about
40Z. a mile. Two ofour three horses were splendid fencers, and
we jumped every fence we came across ; fortunately there was
always a gate handy for the third man, Macdonald and Pem
berton changed horses in the middle of the day, and Pember
ton surmounted his first fence in grand style ; it is not often
that the first fence a man jumps in his life is a four-foot post
and rail. We passed a nice herd of Herefords in one paddock,
and in the afternoon came to the paddock where they were
lamb-marking. All the lambs (about 2,000) in a paddock
have to be marked in one day. The branding, ear-marking,
and other processes only take half a minute, and seem to give
the minimum of pain. There are four or five catchers, and the
speed at which the operation can be done depends chiefiy on
them. In the evening it came on to rain hard, or we had in
tended to go out after ducks.
Sunday, July 10th. — A lovely bright day after the rain.
We spent part of the morning in writing letters &c,, and then
went for a walk to the camp of some opossum hunters. Both
men were out, but they had a lot of skins with the fur in o-ood

174 THE COLONIES
condition. The skins are worth 5s, a dozen to the hunters.
Coming over the hills overlooking the station I backed myself
to run the distance, whatever it was, in six minutes. The dis
tance did not seem, more than half a mile, but the first part
was down a very steep hill with lots of fallen timber about,
which made the going bad. After lunch I ran the match,
while the others played tennis on a very fair court. In
the evening we had a good deal of sacred music, as both
Macdonalds and Nash are musical, and after supper Fal
coner Macdonald read prayers. It was altogether a charming
Sunday, spent with three very nice fellows,
Monday, July llth. — Nash and Claude Macdonald went
off early lamb-marking. We tried the lagoons near the river
and though there were ducks on nearly every one we only
bagged a couple. After lunch we drove into Wagga, We
had just time to go to the club, where we were introduced
to a Mr, Fosbury, and caught the five o'clock train for Sydney,
We dined at Junee, where there is a big hotel, but the feeding
was rough,
Tuesday, July 12th. — Arrived at Sydney at 7 a,m, and took
up our quarters at the Union Club, where Egerton, Des Graz,
and the Doctor were staying. After breakfast we went to the
Post Office, one of the finest public buildings in Australia,
Sydney, to my mind, is a nicer town than Melbourne ; the
streets are narrower, and none of them will compare with
Collins street ; but the general run ofthe houses are better, and
the suburbs of Wollahra and Darling Point surpass e^en
Toorak, We lunched on board the ' Sunbeam,' We were
lying in Farm Cove, and just outside us were the ' Nelson,'
' Diamond,' and ' Opal,' the four ships of the German squadron,
and the ' Riujo,' Sir Harry Parkes, the Premier, a remark
able-looking old man, with a powerful head and long white
hair, Mr, Salomons, Mr, and Mrs, Wise (he late of Queen's
College, Oxford, a winner of the Mile Championship, and,
though only twenty-nine, Attorney-General) , and Mr , Reynolds,
gunnery-lieutenant of the ' Nelson,' lunched on board. After

PARLIAMENT 175
lunch there was an ' at home,' At four I took Miss Parkes
and Mrs, Wise ashore, and called for Sir Harry at the
Colonial Secretary's office. He took me on to the Parliament
House, a wretched building, which will not compare with the
splendid House of Parliament in Melbourne, It is difficult to
understand why they do not commemorate the centenary of
the colony by building a new Parliament House, instead of
spending the money they have collected on a Great Hall, as
they apparently intend to do. Sir Harry took me in by a
private door, and I suddenly found myself plunged into a small
room where all the ministers were sitting, I was duly
introduced all round, but there was not much opportunity for
conversation. It was question time in the Lower House,
and not very amusing, so Wise took me in to the Legislative
Council, where I was introduced to Mr, Dalley (of Soudan
Contingent fame). After some discussion Mr, Salomons moved
the second reading of the Payment of Members Bill in a calm
and judicious speech, Dr, Garron opposed ir and spoke very
well. Then Mr, Dalley rose to make what was expected to
be the speech of the evening. Some of his arguments were
extremely able, especially that which he put forward for the
payment of members out of the consolidated revenue rather
than by a special tax on each district, but his speech was not
so well delivered as I had expected, A look round the
benches of the Upper House certainly left a more favour
able impression as to the class of men by whom New
South Wales is governed than a visit to the Lower House,
In the Legislative Council of New South Wales the squatting
interest is well represented, while the Legislative Assembly
contains more than its proportion of larrikin members.
At the club I met Winthrop, We had not seen each
other since we left Eton, as we had just missed meeting in
India and in Burmah. Charlie, father, and I went to dine
with Admiral and Mrs. Fairfax, who have a charming house
on the north shore. We met Sir Frederick Darley (the
Chief Justice), Lady Darley, Miss Dundas, three of the Ger-

176 THE COLONIES
man captains. Captain Hammill, of the ' Nelson,' Erskine,
and others,
Wednesday, July 13th. — Met G, E, and J, 0, Fairfax, late
of Balliol, and Alison, whom we had seen in Melbourne.
Lunched at Government House, where the family were stay
ing, and took a great liking to Lord Carrington, as every one
else does. After lunch B, Cunliffe Pemberton, WaUington, and
I went to a rinking party given by Mrs, Dew, at which all
Sydney seemed to be present, Pemberton and I afterwards
called on the Mannings, whom we had met in Melbourne,
After dinner Charlie and I attended a lecture by Mr, Bevan
on New Guinea, at which father took the chair, and went on
to an ' at home ' at the Josephs, where there was some very
nice music. We met some pleasant people, including Miss
Watt, Miss Cox, and others,
lliursday, Jidy 14th. — The Union Club is very comfort
able, but hardly so pleasant as the Melbourne Club, A great
number of people lunch there, but there are not so many
people in the smoking-room in the evening, and they do not
all seem to know one another as they do in Melbourne, At
both clubs more than half the people one meets are English
men, and to see and hear more of Australian life one should
go to some other club. In the afternoon there was an ' at
home ' at Government House, and we had some good games
at lawn tennis. In the evening the Royal Sydney Yacht
Squadron gave father a dinner at the Bauman Cafe, at which
Mr, Fairfax, the proprietor of the ' Sydney Moming Herald,'
took the chair. I sat between Gef. Fairfax and Milson, the
Vice-Commodore, a very nice fellow. The latter owns the
' Waitangi,' a twenty-tonner, which won the Intercolonial
Yacht Race last year. To judge by the number of people
present, yachting seems a more popular amusement in Sydney
than in Adelaide or Melbourne,
Friday, July 2nd. — Fairfax took me in the morning to
the University, which is about two miles from Government
House, in a not very pleasant part of the town. We

SYDNEY 1 7 7
travelled on one of the terrible steam tramways, which
are the curse of the Sydney streets, and which cause about
two deaths per week. They are Government property, so I
suppose there is little chance of their being replaced by the
cable trams which they have in Melbourne and on the North
Shore. The University stands on the top of a hill, with the
reserve sloping away in front of it ; it is a beautiful building
in Gothic style. To the left is the Medical School, built of
the same yellow stone ; but to the right is a hideous museura
built of bricks, which entirely mars the beauty of the en
semble. There is a fine hall with stained-glass windows,
representing the founders of the different colleges at Oxford
and Cambridge, In the design of the buildings, as well as
the way in which the courses are arranged, they have tried
to imitate as far as possible the universities of the old
country. The Sydney University is much indebted to private
munificence, and a bequest has lately been left for building a
new library. At the back of the University are the Church
of England college, the Scotch college, and the Catholic
college, but there are not more than twenty or thirty students
in each. In the afternoon I went to a rinking party given
by a large family of Campbells. I met Edgar, a Balliol
contemporary. Miss Watt, the Miss Mannings, and several
other friends, and spent a pleasant afternodn, though the
weather was rather too hot for rinking in one's best clothes.
Pemberton and I dined with the Wises, and went on to a
dance at the Tooths, Mr. Tooth had been in the Eton
eight in '63, and I met his cousin, who had rowed in trial
eights with_ me. The room was rather too crowded for
dancing. Saturday, July 1 Gth. — Lunched on board the ' Nelson ' with
Reynolds, where I met Broadley, Bailey, and a nice lot of
fellows. In the afternoon a large party of us drove down to
a tea-picnic at La Perouse, a small fort at the entrance to
Botany Bay. Sydney is surrounded by wretched country,

178 THE COLONIES
covered with heath and bushes, very like the country round
Albany, Dined at the Club with Riddle and Charlie, and left
by the 9 o'clock train with Brooks, a nephew of the Campbells
of Hurstmonceux, Sunday, July 17th. — -We breakfasted at Junee, from which
we travelled almost due west on the line to Hay, We
travelled with Mr, Watt, an accomplished man speaking
three or four languages, who is chairman of the land board of
the district, and Mr, Fosbury, who is also on the land board.
Both were very pleasant. The land board superintends
surveys and titles to land, and sees that the provisions ofthe
Land Act are not evaded by dummy selections &c. We
lunched at Narrandera, a small rising town, where, as at
Wagga, there is a considerable Chinese quarter. From
Narrandera the line to Jerilderie branches off to the south
west. The country, like that between Junee and Narran
dera, was flat, but more open ; and the timber was smaU,
We reached Jerilderie at eight, where we were met by a
Mr, Chesney, and put up at the hotel for the night. The
road was too bad from the recent rain for us to get out to
Coree, Mr. McCaughey's station, in the dark.
Monday, Jidy ISth. — It took us two hours and a half to
do the twelve miles out to Coree. The road lay over a per
fectly flat plain, which in places was good going, and in
places very heatvy and covered with water. Coree station is
a comfortable one-storeyed house, and has a good garden,
beyond which flows the Billabong, We had two hours to
spare before lunch, so we went with Chesney to the sheep-
wash, which is more elaborate than any I have seen hitherto.
The sheep are put through a cold-water wash, and left for
ten or twelve hours in a shed to steam. The next moming
they are put through a hot-water bath, in which they are
well scrubbed, and from which they pass on to some rollers
under a cold-water douche. A sheep appears to be pretty
roughly treated during the operation, but I am told that
old hands who have been through the wash once or twice like

COREE 179
it. Special paddocks are kept for them to dry on, and they
are shorn as soon as dry, i,e, in two days. The enormous
quantity of soap used in the wash is made on the station ;
there are very few necessary things that they cannot make
on a station, Mr, McCaughey came in to lunch, after which
we inspected the sheep that are going to the Deniliquin
show, some pure merinos, and some Americans of the Vermont
breed, which have been introduced a good deal lately into
Australia, Mr, McCaughey spent the afternoon in the wool-
shed drafting ewes ; Brooks, Chesney, and I rode over to the
Yanko creek, about four miles off. There was a lot of water
in the paddocks we crossed, but the going was fair, and these
bush-horses have the most comfortable canter imaginable.
The Riverina is almost perfectly flat, the country is gene
rally open plain, but in parts there are belts of inferior
timber (swamp box &c,) every two or three miles. Along
the borders of the creeks there are sand ridges, undulating
ground on which pines grow intermingled with the gums.
The sand ridge by the Yanko creek is very pretty, the trees
grow in clumps as if they had been planted, and it is a great
relief to see a little variation in foliage. The creek was in
flood, but not over the dam which we had ridden to see. As
far as the eye could reach the creek was covered with mob
, after mob of ducks, some swimming about within forty yards of
us, while every pool of water in the hollows near the creek had
a mob or two of ducks on it. It was a sight that one will
never see again, and made one long to have a day at them.
The feed (grass and clover intermixed) on the flats near the
creek looked as rich as an English hay meadow just before it
is cut, I have not seen anything like it in Australia, but I
am told that the short grass on the bare plain has more
nutritious properties than this rich-looking stuff. We had a
jolly ride back, the evening was so lovely. Nothing could be
more delightful than the climate of Riverina at this time of
year, as it was neither too hot nor too cold. We had a pleasant
evening discussing colonial politics and Home Rule. Chesney,

180 THE COLONIES
a shrewd man, who has only just come out from the North
of Ireland, was strongly in favour of Home Rule, while Mr,
McCaughey was equally strong against. All squatters and
most of the people one meets are anti-Gladstonians, but the
balance of opinion in the colonies, especially amongst the
democracy, is in favour of Home Rule, We had two or
three games of billiards, but the table, though fair, was not
in very good order.
I was rather astonished when we came in from our ride
this evening to see some seventy men gathered round the
door of the store, and still more astonished when I was told
that they were ' sun-downers,' The ' sun-downer,' so called
because he is not entitled to food and shelter till after sun
down, is to be seen on every bush-road in Australia, with his
blanket strapped on his back and his bflly in his hand. He
goes from station to station, in the same way that a tramp
goes from workhouse to workhouse, and it is the custom of
the country to supply him with rations and shelter. Though
in habits like a tramp they are better clothed and better fed,
and are as a rule strong able-bodied men and boys, Mr,
McCaughey told me that sometimes two hundred turned up
at Coree on the same night. It is a considerable strain on
the resources of a station to feed a large and uncertain num
ber of men every day, who seldom do any work in return.
But in spite of this it is said that the squatter gains by the
system. He has to feed the ' sun-downer,' but on the other
hand he has no poor rates to pay, which would probably
amount to more than the cost of rations, and he has a supply
of labour ever at^his door. Though many sun-downers are
mere loafers, men from the big towns who take a few months'
trip in the summer, there is always amongst them a certain
number of men who are honestly on the look-out for work.
Tuesday, July ISth. — Four wagon loads of prize sheep
started off at seven ; two wagon loads from Coree, and two
from Coonong, which is about twenty miles on the other side
of Jerilderie. The two stations are worked in partnership by

DENILIQUIN 181
the two brothers. At Coonong they breed a number of horses,
three hundred of which were sold last year to an Indian
buyer, some fetching as high a price as 90L Coree run com
prises 167,000 acres, and carries 130,000 sheep besides cattle
and a few horses. At ten we started in a wagonette with a
team of four bays. For ten miles from Coree gates we fol
lowed the stock road. Stock roads in Australia vary in width
from three chains to three miles, the wider places being
called stock reserves. The neighbouring squatters pay Govern
ment a rent for the use of them, and take care naturally
to feed them down pretty close. It would be better, in
the interests of travelling stock, if the Government charged
the squatter no rent, but imposed a severe penalty if his
sheep were found feeding on the reserve. The latter part of
our way lay through two big runs, Mr, Landal's being the
nearest to Deniliquin, The country was much more thickly
covered with timber than Coree or than the country near
Jerilderie, but on Mr, Landal's run very little had been done
in the way of ring-barking, and the fences were poor. We
camped at one o'clock for half an hour and made Deniliquin
at five, having done about fifty miles from Coree, The going
was generally good, as smooth as a billiard-table, but there
were heavy bits wherever there was water. We put up at the
Royal Hotel, and then strolled round the town, Deniliquin
is a pretty little place, at any rate prettier than most of the
country towns in New South Wales ; many of the houses are
built of brick, and along all the streets are rows of pepper^
trees, figs, elms, Norfolk pines, &c. Owing to direct communi
cation by rail the trade of Riverina and of Deniliquin is, in
spite of heavy duties, with Victoria, Why New South Wales
does not push her railway through from Jerilderie to Denili
quin it is difficult to see. Lord Carrington, Colonel Wardrop,
Colonel St, Quintin, and WaUington turned up at six from
Melbourne, As Lord Carrington had been expected to stay
with Mr, McCulloch some three miles out of town, we were
fairly squashed. Mr, Browne, president of the Riverina Pas-

182 THE COLONIES
toral and Agricultural Society, who was our host, entertained
about sixteen at dinner, including Lord Carrington, Sir Henry
Loch, the town council, and others, I sat next Mr, Jameson,
a m.ember of the town council, and had an interesting yam
with him about Riverina and its prospects.
Wednesday, Jidy Wth. — Pemberton turned up at eleven,
having slept at Echuca over night. We drove out to the
racecourse with Sir Arthur Nicholson, who was very kind to
us during our stay, young Browne, and the two Miss Brownes
— a pleasant party. The governors and their parties were
entertained at lunch by the Jockey Club ; we lunched under
the trees with the Parkers, of Quiamong, with whom Miss
Bunny, Miss Panton, and Grossman, who had come out in
the ' Carthage ' and who knew Hastings well, were staying.
There was some fair racing and a good steeplechase. Pem
berton and I walked round the course afterwards and inspected
every fence. Six of the nine were post and rail, very stiff, and
as far we could judge ranging from three feet nine inches to
four feet four inches. Opposite the stand were four, fences
within three hundred yards of one another, the first a post
and raU, the second a brick wall two feet thick with cement
coping, the third a paling, the fourth a log fence about six
feet through at the bottom and two feet through at the top,
I met a Mr, Barbour, the member forthe district, Mr, Russell
and other friends, and spent a pleasant afternoon. We drove
back with the Brownes, and dined quietly at the hotel with
St, Quintin and Wardrop, as the Governor had gone out to
stay with the McCullochs, There was a big ball in the Town
Hall, at which the company was rather mixed, and the dancing
in some cases curious. The fioor, which was poor at the
beginning of the evening, became atrocious at the end, and
dancing was a duty and not a pleasure.
Thursday, Jidy 20th. — Another lovely day, bright and
fresh. Pemberton and I went up with the Brownes and
spent an hour inspecting butter, cheeses, jams, &c. There
were only a few horses and cattle at the show ; all the interest

DENILIQUIN 183
centred on the sheep, which are as fine as can be seen any
where. The McCaugheys took many of the chief prizes, in
cluding the champion prize for rams, but they were taken by
the Coonong sheep and not by those from Coree. Weston,
who had brought some sheep over for sale from the Chief
Justice's station at Kadlunga, took us round and pointed
out the various excellences in the wool. Wolseley's sheep-
shearing machine was at work in one corner of the grounds,
but during part of the day it was stopped by the larrikins ;
there is as strong an objection to machinery amongst the
protected colonial working-men as there was in England in
the first days of the introduction of machinery into manufac
tories. Judging hacks, hunters, buggy horses, teams, &c.,
took up most of the afternoon, Mr, Parker took the first
prize for four-in-hand teams ; Browne was very much handi
capped by having only a low wagonette to drive from. At
seven there was a large banquet in the Town Hall, given
to the governors by the Pastoral and Agricultural Society.
Pemberton and I sat on either side of Sir Arthur Nicholson,
and to my right was Mr, Jameson, with whom I had a long
yarn about irrigation, which is evidently the great question
of the future in this country. He was in favour of payment
of members, and said that in his own case he was anxious to
enter Parliament, but could not afford to do so without pay
ment. There was a portentous toast list, which was got
through most admirably, and no one but a local pressman in
flicted himself too long on his audience. Lord Carrington
made an excellent speech in answer to the formation of the
Republican Union and other disloyal meetings in Sydney,
pointing out that the people have a far more direct influence
on the Government in Australia than they have in America,
Both Lord Carrington and Sir Henry Loch were tremen
dously well received, Mr, Reid made a most witty speech
in returning thanks for Parliament; Colonel St, Quintin
returned thanks in a fine manly way for the visitors, and I
was run in to propose the health of the ladies. I said : —

184 THE COLONIES
' Mr. Chairman, Your Excellencies, and Gentlemen, —
It affords me very great pleasure to propose this toast. My
father, on many occasions and in many places, has spoken
of the great kindness with which we have been received in
Australia, but I have as yet had no opportunity of personally
expressing my gratitude for the pleasure which I have derived
from a visit to the colonies and for the kindness which I
have received on all hands, and not least here in DeniUquia.
Gentlemen, I may seem to be wandering from the point, but
I am about to say that the pleasure which I have derived
from my visit has been in no small degree due to the ladies.
Of the ladies of Australia one cannot speak in too high terms.
(Jeers from the Australians present,) For my part, I left
Adelaide with an uncomfortable feeling about the heart ; I
left Melbourne with a decidedly heavy heart ; I left Sydney
with a heart, if possible, heavier still, and what I shall do
when I leave Deniliquin to-morrow I cannot possibly conceive.
Gentlemen, I beg to give you the toast of " The Ladies," '
Pemberton and I went on to the Brown's (another family
to that of our host), but the room waS' too small for dancing.
The best part of the evening was a long talk in the garden
with young Browne (of Tuppal). His father has about
180,000 acres lying to the east of Deniliquin. In the dry
summer months they drive a portion of their stock up on
to the hills beyond Albury, which are let by their owners.
Riverina should in the future become a great wheat-growing
country when an irrigation system is perfected, Browne
told me that a few years ago they sent home some wheat off
a small two-hundred-acre paddock which topped the London
market, Friday, July 21st. — The special train for Melbourne left at
8,30, Pemberton and I had to part, as he is going to stay
with the Parkers at Quiamong, and is then going to work
up through the back country to Queensland. We both felt
very low ; we have got on so capitally through our travels,
as we both take interest in the same things, Mr. Burns, the

SYDNEY 185
Treasurer of New South Wales, who travelled with us, was
very kind, and gave me the means of getting a good
many reports from the Government printer. A long chat
with Lord Carrington, whom one likes more the more one sees
of him, and a game at whist with Wardrop, WaUington, and
St, Quintin, made the time pass quickly. As far as Echuca
the country is flat, from Echuca to Sandhurst it is undulating,
and round Sandhurst there are wooded hills. The line from
Echuca to Deniliquin was built by a private company, and is
the only line of any length in Australia which is not in the
hands of Government, The flrst line from Sydney was begun
by a private company, but the enormous rise in the price of
labour owing to the discovery of the goldfields upset their
calculations, and they surrendered their contract to Govern
ment, I lunched at Government House in Melbourne, just
had time to go to the Club and see Mr. Gowan Evans, and
caught the mail for Sydney,
Saturday, July 22nd. — It was very cold on the hills
between Goulburn and Sydney, and at one place there was
some sleet, I lunched at the Club with Alison, and then
went to see Lady Carrington and tell her all about Deniliquin,
Paid several duty calls, and spent a pleasant hour listening to
Miss Manning sing. Dined with Bertie and Alison, and
went to the ' Pick-pocket,'
Sunday, July 237'd. — Milson picked me up off the man-
of-war steps at 11, and we went for a sail down the main
harbour, and up Middle Harbour in the ' Waitangi,' It waa
a flne day with a nice breeze, and it was very jolly having a
tiller in one's hands again. Middle Harbour is pretty, wind
ing between wooded hills ; unfortunately just now the foliage
was brown, for it must be much prettier when everything is
green. We anchored three or four miles from the entrance
off a sandy beach, and while the rest of the party were having
a swim, Milson and I cooked chops and steaks on an enor
mous gridiron over a wood fire. They were a good lot of
fellows; Milson himself and a Geiman by name Bauer were

186 THE COLONIES
very nice. Milson has only one man to look after the ' Wai
tangi ' ; his crew is composed entirely of amateurs. Last
year, when he won the intercolonial cup, some of the papers
complained that the sailors' trade was being destroyed ; such
is the reasonableness of the supporters of protection for the
working-man. Dined at the Josephs, where I met Mr, and
Mrs, Angas, and went on board 'The Maitland' at 11,30.
Monday, July 24th. — Arrived in Newcastle at 6 a,m.
Newcastle tls sixty miles from Sydney by sea, but the railway
will be completed before long. There is a good harbour,
which was full of shipping loading with coals. Our train
left at 7. The conversation in the carriage was amusing, as
there was one man who roundly abused squatters and men of
property, and who prophesied that there would be a general
crash in New South Wales in three or four years, and that
merchants and squatters would go down in it. He had been
an unsuccessful man, which explains the delight he seemed
to feel in the prospect. For some hundred miles to the
north of Newcastle the country has the appearance of having
been long settled, Maitland and Singleton are quite old-look
ing towns ; the houses are built of brick, corrugated iron is
rather conspicuous by its absence, and there are one or two
regular village churches. There is a good deal of cultivation.
Near Singleton there are several vineyards, Mr. Munro's
wine being some of the best in the colony, while in the
Hunter valley lucern paddocks are the chief feature. As
we got on the country became more hilly, and the val
leys were covered with a green thistle which is excellent
food for stock. At Murrurundu the line crosses the Liverpool
Range (1,600 feet) and for some distance runs across a
celebrated pastoral district, the Liverpool Plains, At 180
miles from Newcastle we passed Tamworth, which is prettily
situated on the side of a hill. Unfortunately we did not get
into New England, one of the most remarkable districts in
Australia, till it was nearly dark. New England is a high
table-land from 2,500 to 4,500 feet above sea-level, and

HISTORY 187
though its latitude is under 30° the climate is very like ours
at home. Wheat of good quality and all kinds of English
fruits are grown. The chief town of New England is Armi-
dale. We arrived at Tenterfield, some ten miles from the
Queensland border, at 1 a,m. It had been a slow journey
from Newcastle, but it was interesting, as we saw some splen
did country and some very pretty views among the hills.

New South Wales is the only one of the colonies that can
be said to possess a history. Its foundation dates from some
fifty years earlier than most of the other colonies. Botany
Bay was visited by Captain Cook in 1770, and in 1787 the
first batch of convicts arrived in Port Jackson, For more
than fifty years New South Wales continued a convict colony.
It was not till 1849 that transportation thither was finally
abolished owing to the determined wish of the colonists, though
it had practically ceased nine years before. In 1846 the
colonists had been allowed to elect half the members of the
Legislative Council, as they do now in Western Australia, but
in 1851 responsible government was granted in the form of
two Houses, a form which it has since taken in all the colonies.
New South Wales has always been in the main a pastoral
and agricultural colony, and the progress for the first seventy
years of her existence was solely due to the development of
these interests. In 1851 there were already thirteen million
sheep and 1,700,000 cattle. In that year gold was dis
covered, which caused for a time a tremendous rush, but
almost immediately afterwards far richer goldfields were dis
covered at Ballaarat, and gold mining has never played so
important a part in the history of New South Wales as it
has in that of Victoria ; though New South Wales, like the
other colonies, received a great impetus from the attraction of
population to Australia,
Captain Cook took possession of the whole of the eastern
coast of Australia in the name of George III,, so that the

188 THE COLONIES
territory of New South Wales originaUy extended from Ca.pe
Howe to Cape York, In 1851 Victoria became an indepen
dent colony, and in 1859 Queensland was separated from
New South Wales, but even now her territory is larger than
England and France put together. The country is divided
by a range of mountains running north and south at a distance
of thirty to 100 miles from the coast, into the broad western
plains watered by the Murray, Murrumbidgee, and Darling,
and the coast country which is watered by numerous short
rivers with very rich soil along their banks. In the S,E, of
the colony, where the Murray takes its rise, the country is
mountainous ; the highest peak. Mount Kosciusko, is 7,200
feet. These mountains are for a great "part of the year
covered with snow, which renders the Murray River inde
pendent of the rainfall — a most important circumstance in
a country which is constantly visited by droughts. In the
N,E. of the colony there is a high table-land, 3,000 to 4,000
feet above sea-level, which from the nature of its climate and
its products has been named New England, There are one
or two spurs, such as the Liverpool Ranges, which run out to
the west from the main coast range ; but roughly speaking
three- fourths at least of the country consists of the flat western
plains. New South Wales possesses more variety of climate and
products than the other Australian colonies. In Victoria
there is no country like the Riverina and the great western
plains, or like the sub-tropical country in the north-east. In
South Australia there is no country like the Riverina or New
England, while the great western plains in Queensland have no
Murray or Murrumbidgee fed by the perennial snows of Mount
Kosciusko, From an agricultural point of view New South
Wales has a greater future before her than the other colo
nies ; Riverina and the western plains seem a country made
for irrigation. South Australia and Victoria do not possess
the same extent of country suitable for agriculture, while
Queensland has not the water necessary for irrigation.

POLITICS 189
Though gold was first discovered in New South Wales,
and though 38,000,000L worth have been raised since 1851,
the yield has greatly fallen off of late years, and in 1885 only
380,000L worth was produced. Coal now constitutes the
chief mineral wealth. Nearly all the colonies are supplied
with coal from Newcastle, and large quantities are ex
ported to San Francisco and other places. In 1885 the out
put from the coal mines was valued at over one and a quarter
miUion, The silver mines in the Barrier Ranges, including
Broken Hill, are within the New South Wales territory;
but they are closer to Adelaide and connected with the South
Australian railway system, so that none of the trade which
they create is any benefit to Sydney. Yet in spite of her
silver and her coal the prosperity of New South Wales
depends far less on her mineral resources than that of the
other colonies. It is essentially a pastoral and agricultural
country. The main political questions of the day in New South
Wales, as they are in the rest of Australia, are payment
of members, and protection. The Upper House is strongly
against the payment of members bill, and rejected it by a
majority of 2 to 1. The Lower House is as strongly in
favour of it. The ministry are divided on the question,
Mr, Wise and others support the bill ; Sir Henry Parkes is
against it. An attempt is to be made to ascertain the opinion
of the electors, by circulating papers asking them to state
whether they are in favour of the measure or not. If the
result of the plebiscite is favourable, the Upper House will
have to give way or provoke a collision.
New South Wales has been always in name a free trade
colony. There are duties on certain articles, but they are
imposed for purposes of revenue, and not for the protection
of home manufactures. To judge from statistics, the unpro
tected manufactures of New South Wales are certainly in as
prosperous a condition as the heavily protected manufactures
of Victoria. The business-like activity in Melbourne and the

190 THE COLONIES
comparative quietness in Sydney are due to the more favourable
position of Melbourne for intercolonial and home trade, and
cannot in any way be ascribed to protection. Yet, in spite
of the progress of New South Wales manufactures, in spite
of intercolonial jealousy which would tend to preserve free
trade in New South Wales as long as protection reigned in
Victoria, protectionists are gaining ground here as in the rest
of Australia. Sydney, like Melbourne and Adelaide, has its burden of
'unemployed,' though there is as little cause for the Govern
ment supporting the burden. Several thousands of men have
been put to work on a people's park, which will be hardly of
much value to the people of Sydney, as it Is thirty miles off,
and to judge from accounts in the Sydney newspapers the
earnings of these men go chiefly in drink, and in making the
district uninhabitable for ordinary people ; such is the stamp
of men whom the country thinks it necessary to support and the
value of the support to the men themselves. The number of
unemployed in Sydney as well as elsewhere is due mainly to
the trades-unions. The latter are especially tyrannical in
the shipping trade on the east coast of Australia. What they
gain for the men detracts from the efficiency of the ships.
The China Steam Navigation Company of Sydney have just
built some new vessels — nice models and very comfortable,
but in order to secure economy they have only a speed of
10^ knots.
We were not in Sydney long enough to learn very much
of the whole political situation, but the general impression
left on my mind was not so favourable as that with which I
left Victoria. The squatter has more influence in Parliament
and the country, and this provokes the hostility of a certain
section of the working classes. The formation of a repub
lican union, and the disloyal meetings at the Jubilee, may
have been only the work of a few, but there certainly seems
to me to be a greater antagonism of classes in New South
Wales than there is in Victoria, There is not likely to be a

POLITICS 191
general crash such as my travelling companion from New
castle anticipated, but New South Wales may have to pass
through a period of trial such as Victoria experienced under
Sir Graham Berry, She is a great colony, she is loyal to
Australia, we can never forget how loyal she has been to us ;
let us hope that, her time of trial over, she may hereafter
as heretofore lead Australia on to that great future which
assuredly awaits her.

192

CHAPTER VL
QUEENSLAND.
Tuesday, July 25th. — The coach left at six, so I had only
three hours' sleep. There was a sharp white frost, and the
drive through the keen air to Wallangarra was pleasant.
The railway from Tenterfield to Wallangarra, which is on the
border of Queensland, is complete with the exception of one
bridge, so it should be open shortly. The country from
Tenterfield to the border and on to Warwick is very poor ;
it is hilly, rocky, and covered with scrub gums. Round
Warwick there is a good deal of wheat grown, but most of
the wheat on the Queensland downs is subject to rust.
From Warwick to Toowoomba the line passes through a
good specimen of the Darling Downs country, broad open
plains, on which the grass at this time of year looks quite
brown, separated by low ridges covered with timber. We
reached Toowoomba, which seemed a biggish place, and
where there were some pretty gardens, at five. The line
from there, which was made by Peto, Betts, and Brassey,
descends by a steep incline on to the undulating country
which lies between the downs and the coast. The sides of
the hills are heavily timbered, and we had some lovely views
over the low country as the sun was setting. My travelling
companion, by name Coggs, the son of one of the oldest
settlers near Brisbane, knew the country well, and gave me
a good deal of information. Talking of the unemployed, he
said that he had often been to the immigration office and
offered fifteen shillings a week, besides board and lodging.

MARBURGH 193
and had been reviled for his pains by men who had only
just landed, and would be almost useless at their work for a
few months. He and some friends had once been to a meeting
of unemployed, and had each offered to take six men at the
same rate of wages ; one of the agitators shouted out, ' Don't
take it ! The Government will give you more,' Arrived in
Brisbane at 10,30, and put up at the Queensland Club,
where the rooms were comfortable, but the feeding and other
arrangements not up to the level of Sydney and Melbourne,
Egerton, Des Graz, and the Doctor were also staying there,
Wednesday, July 2Gth. — The Governor, Sir Anthony
Musgrave, was to open a show at Marburgh, a German
settlement about ten miles beyond Ipswich, which used in
the early days to be the capital of the colony. Besides
ourselves and the Governor the party included Sir Samuel
Griffith, the premier, who has just returned from the Con
ference, young Musgrave, who stroked the Balliol eight in
'79, the German consul, and others. The line crosses the
Brisbane River just outside the town, and runs the whole way
through bush with small clearings at intervals. At the
station we were met by Mr, Friedrichs, the head of the
German community, and drove six miles on to Marburgh
itself The country was very hilly and covered with forest,
in which the trees were taller and straighter than they are
on the Downs and farther south. The chief interest of the
expedition consisted in seeing what the industrious German
had effected iri this heavily timbered and not very fertile
country, where few Englishmen had been able to make way
at all. We passed several clearings and smiling farms with
fruit-trees in blossom round the homestead. Sugar-cane and
maize are the chief products of the district, and there were
some fine samples of both at the show. The latter was but
a small affair, but there were a good number of horses in
the different classes. We had lunch in a low tent, which was
decidedly hot, the sun to-day having about the same power
as it had in the North of India last February, After lunch
0

191 THE COLONIES
there was the usual portentous list of toasts. The Govemor
spoke well ; he takes a great interest in agriculture, and
seems popular. Mr, Friedrichs made an excellent speech, con
sidering it was in foreign tongue ; but Sir Samuel Griffith
was disappointingly brief. We had a lovely drive under the
shade of the trees to Rosewood, on the other side of Marburgh.
In some places the road was almost like an English country
lane, the foliage was so green and there was so much green
grass at the roadside. Coming down the hill on to Rosewood
we had a splendid view across the low country to the Downs.
We were back in Brisbane at six. At the Club we met De
Burgh Persse, and he, Charlie, and I went to hear the Jubilee
singers, some emancipated American slaves, who gave us a
most wonderful display of part singing, De Burg Persse's
head station is about fifty miles from Brisbane, He told me
¦that in the early days he used to take up new country in the
west, and having stocked it, which took him two or three
years, he used to sell it, and go farther west to take up fresh
country. Stocking fresh country is a hard and rough life,
as it is always on the confines of civilisation. At the Club
in the evening met Mr, Lumley HiU, and Mr, Dawes of the
British India Company, of whom I should have liked to have
seen more,
Thursday, July 27th. — Mabelle B,, Charlie, and I rode
with Persse, while mother drove with Mr, Stevenson to his
house, which is in a nice situation about two miles out of
town. Brisbane is not a bad little town ; but there are
few good buildings. Government House is charmingly situ
ated at a bend of the river, with a beautiful semi-tropical
garden sloping down to the water's edge, while the botanical
gardens are behind it on the one side, and the Parliament
House, a good substantial building, on the other. At twelve
I took Ross, who rowed with me in the Balliol eight of '83,
on board the yacht. He has only been out here six months,
and has already made 150L at the bar, which is not a bad
beginning. We talked over the proceedings of the Con-

BRISBANE 195
ference, and he rather surprised me by saying that his old
schoolfellows at the Brisbane Grammar School were against
paying a contribution towards the increase of the Imperial
navy in colonial waters, and denounced it as a simple tribute.
If they pay anything, they think that the ships should become
the property of the colonial government. If this is the opinion
of the young Queenslander, who may be presumed to belong to
some of the best families in the colony, it argues ill for the
continuance of the connection between the colony and the old
country. We were delayed in starting, and had to stop a,
few miles farther down, throug-h the bursting of two of the
boiler tubes, but we were clear of the river before dark,
Brisbane is sixteen miles from the mouth of the river, which
by dredging has been made practicable for large sailing-
vessels and for the biggest B, I, steamers. We found a nice
breeze from the S.E. in Moreton Bay, and were soon racing
along at over ten knots,
Friday, July 2Sth. — We had a lovely sail with the wind
on the quarter. From four a,m, to four p,m, we averaged
eleven. At six A,m, we were off Indian Head, and at noon
roundfd Breaksea Spit, a very dangerous shoal,
Sa.turday, July 29th. — We dropped anchor off the mouth
of the Fitzroy River soon after daybreak, as we found that the
tide would not allow us to go up till the aftemoon. We landed
at the pilot station in the morning, and had a fine view across
Keppel Bay to Keppel Island and the hills on the north shore
of the river. At three o'clock we proceeded. For the first
ten miles the river is wide, and the banks flat and uninterest
ing. It then curls round by some fine hills on the north
bank, and the bush comes right down to the water's edge.
We had some lovely views as the sun set. At nine p,m, we
brought up in midstream off Rockhampton, The Mayor,
Mr, Kelly, came on board to welcome us. He is a grocer by
trade, and I heard afterwards a red-hot Fenian, Rockhamp
ton is forty miles from the entrance to the river, and, in spite
of enormous sums spent on dredging, and 75,000Z, spent on a

196 THE COLONIES
wall to create a scour, will never become a great port. The
river silts up again as fast as it is dredged ; on one of the
bars there is only four feet at low water, while the tides rise
ten or twelve feet, the night tides rising generaUy about two
feet higher than the tides in the daytime. There is ample
wharf accommodation for more ships than are ever likely to
come here. Opposite where we lay is a big new wharf, which
was only used once while we were at Rockhampton — a good
specimen of the waste of public money. The Government
gives pound for pound, and sometimes two pounds for one,
contributed by the locality on works of this kind, so every
local authority tries to get as much Government money as
possible spent in their own district.
Sunday, July 30th. — At 11 went ashore to church, a fine
stone building, which looked all the finer as most of the
houses in Rockhampton are one-storeyed and built of wood or
of brick, Mr, Ruddock preached a good sermon on the want
of religious teaching in the Queensland Government schools.
In New South Wales an hour every day is allowed for
religious teaching, which can be given by a minister with
the written consent of the child's parents, Mr, Ballard, one
of grandfather's old employes, Dr. and Mrs. Macdonald, and
Mr. Thomson came to lunch. It had been hot on shore, but
it was very cool under the awning in the afternoon.
Monday, July 31st. — Mother, father, Des Graz, Chariie,
and the rest of the family started at 10 in charge of Mr.
Calian and Mr. Fees for Mount Morgan. The road ran for
twenty miles through flat country, timbered but not heavily ;
the grass long but poor, and burnt in many places. We
saw a good many cattle. After crossing the Razor-Back,
which was a terribly stiff pull for the horses, and over which,
until the present road was made, wagons had to be dragged
by means of pulleys, the country is hilly and the road very
bad. After a substantial lunch in the offices of the company,
we went up the mountain.
Mount Morgan is about 1,200 feet above sea-level, and

MOUNT MORGAN 197
stands iri the middle of hills which, like itself, are covered with
timber, Tl:e gold-bearing stone is generally a species of iron
stone, but there is also a considerable quantity of kaoline, or
porcelain-clay, containing a large percentage of gold. At
present they are working the stone from an open cutting
right through the top of the hill. The cutting is 250 feet
long and 1 30 feet iride. When you consider that many gold-
bearing reefs are only a few inches wide, you may almost
literally say that Mount Morgan is a mountain of gold. We
picked up several specimens of stone showing specks of gold,
but some of the richest stone, yielding 32 ounces to the ton,
was of an uninteresting reddish colour. Many tons from one
face of the hill had been crushed showing this high average.
Two hundred feet lower down the hill a tunnel has been
driven in to cross the line of the big reef Two smaller reefs
have already been struck — parallel to the main one — which
yield from one to seven ounces to the ton. The average yield
from all the stone crushed at Mount Morgan is five ounces to
the ton — an extraordinary yield, considering that hardly any
reef in Australia yields over two ounces, and most under one
ounce to the ton.
It is very interesting at Mount Morgan to see the old
and new processes at work side by side. The old process is
much the same as that used for extracting gold from quartz.
The stone is crushed by stampers ; the mud flows over felt
and quicksilver which collects part of the gold, and then into
tanks where it settles. From these it is dug out from time
to time, roasted and treated. The disadvantage of this pro
cess is that nearly as much gold remains in the tailings as is
extracted from the stone.
The new process, in that it has effected a complete revolu
tion in gold-mining, is the most interesting thing at Mount
Morgan. The fact that chloride of lime would turn gold into
a liquid was known to the alchemists of the middle ages, and
for some years it has been used for this purpose at Freiburg,
and also to a small extent in America, An article in tho

198 THE COLONIES
'Town and Country Journal,' describing the process, struck Mr.
Wesley Hall, the manager, when he was in Melbourne. He
came back to Mount Morgan determined to try it, and found
that the mining chemist had been struck by the same article,
and had begun to make experiments. This is the account
Mr. Hall gave us himself of the discovery of the chlorination
process, and he gave it in a very modest way, giving full
credit to the chemist for his share in the discovery.
The chief feature in the process is that no water is used
in the crushing; a very important thing, as during last
summer's drought the stampers had to stand idle for several
months. The stone goes first through a stone-breaker, then
through two sets of rollers which reduce it to a fine powder.
The powder, after being roasted to get off any water, is mixed
with chloride of lime, sulphuric acid, and water, and put in a
barrel which revolves slowly for three or four hours : chlorine
gas released from the lime dissolves the gold. The Uquid is
drawn off into leitching tubs filled with stones which collect
the sand. Thence it passes on into filtering vats which have two
or three feet of charcoal at the bottom. The charcoal collects
all the gold, and there is no waste. The charcoal is thenroasted,
and a dust remains which is 78 per cent, pure gold, this is
melted down into ingots. The latter part ofthe process, i.e, the
charcoal filters, has never been used except at Mount Morgan,
Mount Morgan was first discovered eighteen years ago
by some men who were prospecting for copper. The story
says that they sent for an assayer, who told them that there
was no copper, but that they were standing on a mountain of
gold, ' We don't want gold, give us copper,' replied the first
discoverers of Mount Morgan, and left it in disgust. It was
only three or four years ago that the gold-bearing qualities
of the stone at Mount Morgan were discovered by the people
from whom it takes its name. They sold out for 100,000L
The capital ofthe present company is nominally 1,000,000Z,
in 11. shares (17s, 6cL paid up), which are now selling for OL
The working expenses for the last quarter (i,e, 2nd 1887)

ROCKHAMPTON 1 9 d
were 58,000L : 2,000L per week in wages, and the balance
for the new plant and machinery. They crush about 560 tons
of stone per week, which will be nearly trebled when the new
works are completed. The dividend for last quarter was
50,000L, which is only 3^ per cent, on the present value of the
shares, but the output for next year is estimated at one
million pounds' worth of gold.
We had a most substantial dinner at the little wooden
hotel which has only just been finished. It was built entirely
of wood ; and the partitions did not go up to the ceiling, but
the rooms were clean and the beds comfortable, Egerton,
Des Graz, and I spent a pleasant hour at the office. Fees, a
German, was a good old fellow, and Wesley Hall evidently a
very able man,
Tuesday, August 1st.- — Charlie and I turned out at 7, and
had a swim in one of the dams near the works. It was a nice
fresh morning, and as it clouded over during the day it was
never too hot. Even when the thermometer stands at over
100° in the daytime, they say they always want a blanket at
Mount Morgan at night. We had another look round the
works after breakfast, to impress the different processes on our
memories, Mr, Lyall, the mining nianager, had been eight
years on the Grand Trunk Railway in Canada, had been many
years at Sandhurst, and curiously enough fifteen mouths at
Kendenup, looking after the Hassells' gold mine which came
to nothing. We were back in town in time for lunch, and
for an ' at home ' in the afternoon. At 6 the Naval Volunteers
and Naval Brigade (who are on a kind of militia footing),
about 60 strong in all, paraded in their drill shell, and father
made them a speech. After dinner there was a well-attended
meeting to form a centre of the St, John's Ambulance Associa
tion, at which mother made a long and good speech, though
she was terribly tired after the visit to Mount Morgan, At
10 the ladies of the party, Charlie, Des Graz, and the Doctor
left by train for Springsure and visionary opal mines,
Wednesday, August 2nd. — Writing and reading most of

200 THE COLONIES
the moming. Father and I went for a smart pull in the
' Flash ' before lunch. There is a very pretty reach just below
Rockhampton ; the regular Australian bush on one bank, and
green bushes and trees, like one sees on a river at home, on
the other, with a good view of the hills down the river, Mr.
and Mrs, Macdonald, of Balnagowan, with their son and
daughter-in-law, lunched on board, Mr, Macdonald is a cousin
of Mr, De Salis, whom we met in Sydney, In the afternoon
Mr, Wright and I drove out with Dr, Macdonald to Nine-
Mile Swamp, where we found Dr, Stewart and four or five
other sportsmeri awaiting us. We then posted ourselves
round various swamps a mile or two apart. Dr, Mac
donald, Mr, Wright, and I surrounded a swamp on which
there were any number of ducks, pigmy-geese, and other
kinds of wild fowl, but once put up they were very wild and
flew high. We had several shots at long ranges, but only
managed to bag one duck, Mr, Calian, Mr, Fees, and Dr, and
Mrs, Macdonald dined on board ; we had some nice music
afterwards, as bo^h Mrs, Macdonald and Mr. Fees were
musical, Thursday, August 3rd. — The rest of the party returned
early from Springsure, having found no opals. The only
opal mines of any account are on the Listowel Downs, 200
miles to the south-west of Barcaldine, the terminus of the
Central Queensland railway. At 11 we went to inspect the
Hospital, which stands on a low ridge about a mile outside
the town. From there Dr, Macdonald drove me in his
buck-board to Gracemere, the Archers' place. The Archers,
sons of the British consul at Christiania, were the original
settlers in the Rockhampton district, and for some time
much of the land on both sides of the river belonged to them.
They now have only a few thousand acres on the south side of
the river, and a station up country. Gracemere is a pretty
wooden house covered with creepers, situated on a point
running out into a big lagoon. A garden runs down from
the house to the water, with some good trees in it, pines.

ROCKHAMPTON 201
figs, and cocoa-nuts ; but the flowers have rather come to
grief in the recent drought, Mr, Archer, one of the original
brothers, and Miss Archer, who had just come out from
Norway, were both pleasant. Young Archer, a nephew of
the old gentleman, manages the station, and a very nice
fellow he seemed. They are a flne family, and I wish I could
have seen more of them. After lunch we went to the farra
and saw some of the stud Hereford bulls, as well as some
miirrigated lucerne paddocks. We drove back to town through
the ' Fairy Bower,' a favourite place for picnics from Rock
hampton, where there are some very pretty trees and shrubs
overhanging a creek, I found Mr, Macdonald waiting for
me at the wharf, went on board to say good-bye to the
' Sunbeam ' party, and then we started on our twenty-two
mile drive to Balnagowan, We crossed the river by the
iron bridge, and then turned along the north side in the
direction of the sea. For the best part of the way we drove
along the edge of the flats between the hills and the river,
where there was pretty good timber, and where the feed was
fair. We reached Balnagowan soon after dark. Besides
Mr, McMicking who came out with us, the party consisted
of Mrs, and Miss Macdonald, Miss Jeffreys, young Mac
donald, a good fellow, and Cockburn, who had a curious his
tory. He had passed for the army, then gave it up, and went
out to the Cape, where in a few years he made 30,000L on
the diamond flelds by taking up claims and selling them
at a proflt. After being some time at home he went out
again, speculated in shares, and lost all he had in the panic
of '82, His brother was not much more lucky; he in
vested a large sum in a sugar plantation at Mackay, and was
ruined with many other planters when the price of sugar
fell, and when the regulations of the Griffith ministry with
regard to Kanaka labour came into effect,
Friday, August 5th. —A bright morning, and until 10
o'clock the wind quite cold. The climate at Balnagowan
must be one of the most delightful in the world for the

202 THE COLONIES
Tropics, It is twenty degrees cooler than Rockhampton ;
in the summer the nights are never hot and in winter they
never have a frost. After breakfast young Macdonald drove
Mr, McMicking back into town, and Mr, Macdonald, Cock
burn, and I, with a Kanaka boy in attendance, started on
horseback after ducks. During the morning we tried the
swamps in the bush between the station and the sea ; they were
generally narrow and winding, a very short distance apart,
and as there were ducks on every one we had very good sport,
Mr, Macdonald stalked them and shot at them on the water,
while Cockburn and I posted ourselves a little distance off
on the lagoon on either side of him, and got some very
pretty shots as they flew past. It was very delightful
riding along in the shade of trees in one's shirt-sleeves ; and
it was never too hot. The bush is far prettier and more
varied than any I have been in yet. Beside the many
varieties of gum, there were broad-leaved figs, dark green
cedars (a very pretty tree), and pandanus (a kind of palm)
on the edges of the swamps. In the afternoon we came to
some broad swamps in the open, Mr, Macdonald went on
one side and we on the other, Cockburn concealing himself
behind a tree, and I in a bunch of rushes up to my waist in
water. An immense number of ducks of all kinds — black-
duck, wood-duck, whistlers, teal, &c, — got up as soon as the
first shot was fired, but they flew rather high. Our total
bag for the day was nineteen ducks, a teal, and a plover.
Having no dog we lost nearly a third of what we knocked down,
Saturday, August 6th. — Out with young Macdonald and
Cockburn over much the same ground as yesterday. We
rode first to the beach of Keppel Bay, hard sand stretching
for ten or twelve miles, along which we had a splendid gaUop,
In the afternoon we rode up to Point Look-out, from which
we had a splendid view to the east over Keppel Bay, to the
north along the coast to Emu Park, the embryo Brighton of
Rockhampton, and south to the pilot station at Beachton
and the mouth of the Fitzroy River, whfle to the west we

BALNAGOWAN 203
overlooked the whole station, backed by the Broken Mount,
which is 1,200 feet high and covered with timber to the very
summit. Our bag to-day was only nine ducks. Though
the bags were not heavy, they were two most delightful and
novel days' sport,
Sunday, August 7th. — Mr, Macdonald drove me back in
to town, and we had a long yarn over his station and cattle.
At Balnagowan he has about 10,000 acres of freehold and a
small quantity of leasehold, on which he has 2,000 head of
cattle. On his other station sixty miles on the other side of
Rockhampton he has 4,000 head. Cattle in Rockhampton
are worth from 41. 10s. to 5L The meat-preserving company
at Lakes Creek pay 12s, per cwt, for their cattle, and a good
mob of bullocks will average from 8 cwt, to 8-| cwt, apiece.
In Melbourne fat bullocks are worth from SI. to lOL Mr.
Macdonald took 300 down some months ago and sold them
at an average of 9L 15s, per head. It cost him nearly 4L a
head to get them there, but even so he made a clear profit of
IL a head above what he would have made had he sold them
in Rockhampton, It costs less to drive them overland than
to send them by sea, strange as it may appear; but the
journey takes many months. Young Macdonald was talking
of taking a mob of cattle, whioh Mr, McMicking had just
bought, down to New South Wales, It would be a seven
months' job and a hard and lonely life, but the pay was 3L to
4L a week. We lunched at the Criterion Hotel with Mr,
Robinson, the Rockhampton head of the firm of Walter Reid
and Co,, and at two the tender left the wharf It was quite
cold steaming down the river, and I was glad to keep in the
sun and out of the wind. We got on. board the ' Maranoa '
at six. She is a fine boat, steaming twelve to thirteen knots on
thirty tons of coal, with good accommodation, good food, and
an excellent lot of stewards, I was berthed with Mr, Fitz
gerald, the superintendent of police at Cooktown, who was
very pleasant,
Monday, August Sth. — Judge Cooper, the Supreme Court

204 THE COLONIES
judge of the Northem circuit, was one of our fellow-passen
gers. There has been a fuss about his expenses in Parliament
lately (he is no friend of Griffith), and a committee has been
appointed to inquire into the matter; I hope he will pull
through all right. We had a very pleasant day ; the water
was smooth, there was a nice breeze from the south-east, and
we were generally close to islands or the mainland. We
arrived off Flat-Top island at eleven, where we disembarked
passengers for Mackay, The entrance to the Mackay River,
which is only navigable for small craft, is about two miles
from the island, and Mackay is three or four miles up the
river. The coast is low and sandy, and Mackay did not
look as if it would be a pleasant place. It is the largest
sugar-producing district in the colony, and I heard afterwards
has the nicest society of any; there are many English gentle
men planting there. At three o'clock we entered the Whit
sunday passage. It was very beautiful ; the islands are hilly
and covered with a peculiar kind of pine, known as the
Whitsunday island pine. The lighthouse at the entrance to
the passage signalled to us that there were . French escapees
on the north end of the island. This brings the recidiviste
question rather nearer home. I had always thought that
there were very few escapees in proportion to the fuss made
about them. The scenery at the north end of Whitsunday
passage is almost as beautiful as at the south end ; the green
wooded islets reminded one a good deal of Scotland, We
reached Bowen at 8, It had been our original intention to
drive across country to see Inkerman, Sir Thomas M'lU wraith's
station, and pick up the yacht farther up the coast. Mr. F.
G. Macdonald, the sheriff, a fine old fellow, had arranged
everything for me, but I did not care to undertake the drive
of 120 miles alone when I found the yacht had gone on.
Tuesday, August 9th. — We arrived at Townsville at
6.30. The Custom House officer put me on board the ' Sun
beam,' but he had to go to the ' Chingtu,' one of the China
Steam Navigation Company's boats, on the way. Her looks

TOWNSVILLE 205
were spoilt by the two breaks in her upper deck ; but the
accommodation was good and the ship clean. When I got on
board the yacht I found that mother had been very seedy since
leaving Rockhamjoton, and that they had given up all idea
of visiting the Charters Towers goldfield. Most of the party
went ashore for the morning ; they said that it was a nice town,
with good substantial buildings, and that they saw a much
better class of people in the streets than they did at Rock
hampton, Townsville is ambitious of becoming the capital
of Northern Queensland, Unfortunately, the roadstead is
open to the S,E, trade, and the water runs out shoal for
two miles ; while the anchorage under Magnetic Island is
six miles from the town. We kept gilling about till four
o'clock, and in consequence, though there was a splendid
breeze, we got no farther than Challenger Bay in the Palm
Islands, a very snug anchorage for the night.
Wednesday, August 10th. — We had a good deal of rain
during the night, and there was a lot of rain and mist hang
ing about all day. For about a hundred miles to the north
of the Palm Islands there is a rainy belt, and the force of the
S,E, trade is interrupted ; it would be interesting to know the
reason. After breakfast we landed for an hour on the main
island, on which there was some very pretty tropical jungle.
We were well armed, as the blacks of Northern Queensland
are cannibals ; but the few there were on Palm Islands were
as miserable specimens of the human race as can well be
conceived. Two of them came alongside the vessel last
night in a wretched dug-out clamouring for ' bacca ' ; and
their huts we found were even more wretched than their
boats ; they consisted of shelters made of blankets stretched
round on stakes. In the middle of each shelter was a fire
with women, children, and dogs sitting round it doing abso
lutely nothing. Poor creatures ! they can have no decent
food ; the wonder is that they do not die off faster than they
Bre doing. We were under weigh at twelve, and sailed

206 THE COLONIES
slowly across to the Hinchinbrook channel, the entrance to
which was well buoyed.
Thursday, August llth. — Captain Pennyfather, the police
magistrate at Ingham, had telegraphed overnight to say that
there was splendid duck-shooting and wallaby hunting round
Ingham, Des Graz and I started at seven in the Colonial
Sugar Company's steamer. It is eight miles up to the Vic
toria Wharf; the navigation is difficult, as the river is full of
snags and sandbanks ; but we reached our destination after
grounding twice. We kept a sharp look-out for alligators,
but there were none on the bank this morning. After an
hour's wait we started on the tramway belonging to the
Victoria Sugar Company, a very big concern, which has
mills also in Fiji and the Sandwich Islands. On the river's
edge there was a thick tropical jungle, but as we got away
from it the country became more open, and was covered with
long coarse grass, pandanus, and a few gums. We saw a
good many cattle, but they looked very poor. The engine
driver was a sportsman, and he pulled up once or twice to
give us a shot at a wallaby. We bagged one between us.
She had a young one in her pouch, which one of the fire
men took to tame. At the Victoria Sugar-mill, which is
eight miles from the wharf, we were met by Captain Penny-
father, Mr, Stuart, and Mr, Foster, the Company's manager.
The Victoria Company have 12,000 acres here, 2,000 of which
are under cane. Sugar-cane, I am told, can be grown for
many years on the same soU ; on some particularly rich soils in
New South Wales it has been grown continuously for nine
teen years. The Company employ 100 Chinese, 300 whites,
and about 500 Kanakas, Malays, and Javanese, The Javanese
are lazy and untrustworthy. Whites will not work for the
wages which the Company can afford to pay, and the Chinese,
if employed in too great numbers, are liable to strike. Cut
ting cane is very hard work, and unsuited to a white man ;
but a seasoned man apparently can stand the climate, A
couple of years ago the Company tried white labour. They

THE HERBERT RIVER 207
engaged 100 young emigrants on a six months' agreement
at 18s, a week, everything found. The men worked for
two months, but just as crushing was about to commence
struck for 25s, a week, the wages of an old hand, and,
as the nia,nager naturally refused to accede to their de
mands, broke their contract and marched off to Townsville,
The Kanakas are the best labourers, and the sugar-planters
have been put to great straits by the restrictions of the pre
sent Government on their importation. From the plantation
we drove on to Ingham, called on Mrs, Pennyfather, and had
lunch at a very comfortable hotel, Des Graz and I were
keen to get some shooting, so Captain Pennyfather took us
to some plains about four miles from the township. We saw
a lot of duck, pigmy-geese, and a large mob of wild turkeys,
and some native companions, but everything was so wild from
being often shot at that we only bagged two ducks. As
we were coming back we got into some long grass, which
was swarming with wallaby, but it was too dark to see thera,
A long weary drive with tired horses brought us to Mr,
Foster's, where we dined. We got off in the tramway at ten,
and found Smith and the ' Flash ' waiting for us at the wharf,
Des Graz, Smith, and I rowed, and Captain Pennyfather
steered. It was rather dark, but we only ran aground twice,
fortunately on sandbanks and not on snags. Here, as in Borneo,
the presence of crocodiles did not make the contemplation of
an upset a very pleasant one. It was very hot and muggy,
and we were glad when the rain came on to cool us. We
were on board at one after a very jolly row; it was the best
part of the day,
Friday, August 12th. — Under way at ten, and steamed
through the Hinchinbrook channel, which is very fine, especi
ally towards the northern end. The hills on the island rise
almost straight from the water to over 3,000 feet, while the
mountains in the coast range must be a good deal higher.
We anchored off Cardwell at noon, and most of the party
went ashore. Cardwell is a place of which great expectations

208 THE COLONIES
were formed some years ago, but which has ' gone back,' as
they say in the Colonies, and now only consists of a few
houses. Maize and sweet potatoes are grown to some extent
in the neighbourhood, but there is no market for them. It
was forty miles from Cardwell to Mourilj'an, which we did not
reach till after dark, Mourilyan is a very snug pretty little
harbour, with an entrance between two hills so narrow that
you could throw a stone across it,
Saturday, August 13th. — After breakfast we tried to stalk
a black crane on one of the mud flats in the harbour, impelled
by the pilot, who said he was worth 5L, but he was too wary
for us. At 11 Mr, Levinge, the manager of the Mourilyan
Sugar Company, Mr, Nash, one ofthe partners, and Mr, Camry,
a neighbouring planter, came to fetch us with two or three
sugar-trucks speciaUy rigged up to accommodate the party,
which included six seamen as well as ourselves. The tramway
runs for seven miles through a dense and very beautiful tropical
jungle. It cost a large sum (3,000L a mile) and a good
many lives, as the jungle was very unhealthy. We passed
one or two Chinamen's clearings and some blacks, the latter
rather deflcient in garments. After lunching at Mr, Levinge's
comfortable bungalow, which is on the banks of the Johnson
River, we looked round the mill.
The Mourilyan Sugar Company have 5,000 acres of land
covered with dense tropical jungle, 800 acres of which have
been cleared. At first, after the jungle has been cut and the
rubbish burnt, the cane is planted with hoes between the
stumps ; when, after four or five years, the stumps have rotted
or are cleared away, the land is ploughed and the cane replanted.
Crushing was in full swing at the mill. The cane is brought
in from the plantation on the tramway, and is passed through
two sets of rollers, in between which steam and hot water is
poured on it. The refuse from the crushing looks much like
shavings, and is burnt in the furnaces with wood. The juice
from both sets of rollers is pumped up into a tank on the top
storey of the mill, where it is treated with sulphur, Froiri

MOURILYAN 209
this it passes into tanks where it is mixed with lime ; the lime
causes the dirt to rise to the surface and enables it to be
skimmed off. In the next set of tanks it stands for some time,
and the sediment settles to the bottom. The juice is drawn
off by the ingenious device of a movable pipe with a float
attached to the end, which only allows the upper and clearer
part of the juice to flow. The syrup is then boiled in vacuum
pans, the first of which reduces it to 10 per cent, density, the
second to 15 per cent,, and the third to 21 per cent. It then
passes through a double set of filtering bags and is boiled in
further vacuum pans. It is in this part of the process that
the white grains of sugar begin to form, and it requires the
most skilled labour of all. From these boilers the brown-
looking syrup goes through some tanks into drums, with sides
like a sieve, which revolve at the rate of 150 revolutions to
the minute. The molasses is forced out of the drum by
centrifugal force, and descends into tanks below to be treated
again. In the drums remains the white sugar, which has only
to be dried in an American drier to be ready for the market.
The molasses from the first quality of sugar makes the second
quality sugar, and so on. At Mourilyan they employ Javanese
labourers almost entirely on the plantation ; they work them
through their own headmen, and find that the systera answers
well. We left the plantation at 3, took our friends, to whora
we had taken a great liking, on board to see the yacht,
and steamed out of the harbour at 5, We dropped the pilot
outside, and made sail with a light breeze from S.E.
Sunda,y, August 14th. — Yesterday at Mourilyan was as
perfect a day as can be imagined — a hot English summer's
day, but with a nice breeze. To-day was the same. The
breeze was still light, and we had every stitch of canvas set.
In the evening we passed Cape Kimberley, off which is the
spot on the Barrier Reef where Captain Cook got ashore in the
' Endeavour,' and nearly lost his vessel.
Monday, August 15th. — We' were off Cooktown (so called

210 THE COLONIES
because Captain Cook put in there to repair the ' En
deavour '), and got up steam to go into the river. There is
very little room inside, and we were moored close to H,M,S.
' Harrier,' an old friend. She had just made the passage
from Dinner Island (New Guinea), 460 miles, in 47 hours,
coming in through a newly surveyed opening in the Barrier
Reef. It must be very keen work running down on the
reef; but Captain Pike, the commander of the 'Harrier,'
says that a man at the masthead with the sun at his back
can see the reef as plainly as he could Portland break
water. There are numberless openings, and each opening is
guarded by a detached bit of reef; but there is never a cul-
de-sac. Cooktown is a sraall place, with one long straggling
street, on the south side of the river. There is no back
country to it, in fact there is none fit for cattle stations ; and
the place is only kept alive by the mines in the neighbour
hood, the chief of which is the Palmer gold-field. This
field has been worked for alluvial gold for some years, and
they have now just begun quartz reefing, A little south
of Cooktown there are tin mines, while at Croydon, on the
Gulf of Carpentaria side of York's Peninsula, there is a
new gold-field. The whole of Queensland, and especially
the northern part, teams with mineral wealth, Mr, Lyons,
the town-clerk, a very pleasant man, called on board in the
morning, and Mr, Fitzgerald came to lunch. We played tennis
in the afternoon in some rather rough courts, where we met
Mr, and Mrs, Hannam and other people. In the evening
Charlie left for England in the ' Dacca,'
Tuesday, August 16th. — Father and I walked up to the
signal station on Grassy Hill ; and though it was between
11 and 12 itwas not too hot. On the way we passed a
camp of blacks, who looked almost as wretched as those
we saw on Palm Island, There are a lot of blacks round
Cooktown ; they are not allowed in the town at night,
but they come in during the day to chop wood, &c,, and
are paid with tobacco and tea. They are cannibals, and are

COOKTOWN 211
very partial to Chinamen, several ot whom disappeared last
year. In the afternoon mother went for a short drive, but she
was too seedy to allow the horses to go out of a walk,
Des Graz, Munie B,, and I, attended by three active sea
men, went out on a dray into the bush to look for the large
Queensland beans out of which match-boxes are made. By
cutting down some trees and swarming to the tops of others
we got a large supply, which we brought back in triumph to
the ship,IVednesday, August 17 th. — Steamed out ofthe harbour at
8, leaving Brown very disconsolate on board the ' Harrier,' to
bring on the washing and parcels. We found the trade-wind
fresh outside, and had a lovely sail in smooth water. From
Cooktown northwards to Cape York, about 400 miles, the navi
gation is more intricate than farther south. The Barrier Reef
itself is closer to the coast, i.e. about ten to twenty miles
from it, and nuraerous coral patches, sandbanks, and low
islands block up the channel. There are only three lightships,
and navigation at night is dangerous and in sorae places
absolutely impossible. During the day we passed Cape
Flattery and the Lizard Islands, both named by Captain
Cook, and brought up for the night under the Howick
Islands, We went ashore for an hour, but only found a
deserted blacks' camp ; there were no pigeons, turtles, or
pearl shells, which the children had rather hoped to see,
Thursday, August IGth. — Under weigh at 6,30, The
wind freshened gradually as the sun got up, and rounding
Cape Melville lightship we were going a good 12, For
the next few hours the breeze was completely eaten up by
an enormous bush fire on the mainland. At 7 p,m, we
anchored close to the second lightship, having made good
115 miles,
Friday, August 17th. — We went ashore early on a low
sandy island just to windward of the lightship, where we
found a beche-de-mer camp, and two 7-ton luggers lying off
p 2

212 THE COLONIES
the shore. In the camp there were a dozen blacks and only
one white man, who told us that he had three more boats
away on the reef fishing for beche-de-mer. The trepang, or
beche-de-mer, is a sea-slug one to four feet long, which is
obtained on the reef either at low water or by diving. It is
boiled and dried before being packed off to China, which
reduces its length to four or five inches. After breakfast we
simply cleaned out the lightship. The captain was a Dane,
and his wife a Swede, and they refused to take any pay
ment for the lovely corals and shells which they gave us
except some tobacco to trade with the natives. This excel
lent couple had lived on their lightship for five years, and
had only been twice away, so they were rather astonished
when they came on board the yacht. We were under
weigh at 11, with a fresh breeze as usual. The navigation
was very intricate, and owing to our late start we did not
make the third lightship till after dark,
Su,turday, August 20th. — Under weigh at 6, We rounded
Cape Greville before breakfast, and at 4 p,m. entered the
Albany Passage, which is about three miles long and half
a mile broad. The tide runs five knots, and as the passage
runs due S,E, and N,W, the trade blows through with the
force of a moderate gale, and makes the anchorage by no
means a pleasant one. The hills on either side the pass
are wooded ; but it is not nearly so pretty as the Whitsunday
Passage or Hinchinbrook Channel,
Sunday, August 21st. — Service on board at 11. After
lunch mother, Des Graz, Mabelle, and the children went ashore
on Albany Island, while father, Mr, Wright, and I went across
to Somerset, which is on the mainland, Somerset was
originally a Government station, but the establishment has
long since been moved to Thursday Island. It is now a
cattle station belonging to a Mr, Jardine; he and his brother
more than twenty years ago, when the blacks were much more
dangerous than they now are, came right through the bush
from Rockhampton, There are only three Europeans at the

SOMERSET 213
station, and as a mob of cattle had started southwards that
morning there was only a Mr, Schrammd at home. They
have about a thousand head of cattle in all, which are scattered
about in various directions. The country in the north of the
peninsula is covered with jungle, which is impenetrable
except to one who knows the tracks — a good bushman is of
little u^e — but there are a few open plains. The nearest
station to this is 200 miles off, so the life must be lonely here,
Mr, Schrammd took us to see a blacks' camp. The huts, at
present unoccupied, are the most substantial we have seen,
being built of old packing-cases and thatched with straw,
Mr, Schrammd said the blacks up here were not really dan
gerous, and that all their station hands are Queensland blacks,
Monday, August 22nd. — It took us two hours to get our
anchors, as the chain of the starboard anchor was round
and round the stock of the port one. Just outside Albany
Passage we passed Cape York, the northernmost point of
Australia, and an hour afterwards made the group of islands
of which Thursday Island is the centre. We sailed through
the main channel to the north of Goode Island, but when we
turned to steam back against wind and tide into the anchorage
it was a stiff job, as the tide in one place runs six or seven
knots, Mr, Milman, the Resident Commissioner, came on
board as soon as we dropped our anchor ; and in the evening
we had a game at lawn tennis at his house on a fair court,
Mr, Symes dined on board, and we had a rubber,
Thursday, August 23rd. — Mr, Dubbins, the chairman of
the Divisional Board which has lately been established here,
came off in the morning. In the afternoon we went across to
a pearl station on Prince Edward's Island, There are a good
number of pearl stations in the Thursday Island group, each
of which has six or seven luggers, manned by crews of South
Sea Islanders or Manillamen, Each diver is in charge of his
own boat, and is now very seldom a white man, as the natives
are found to work better when left to themselves. The crews
are entirely composed of South Sea Islanders or Manilla-

214 THE COLONIES
men, as there have been one or two cases of a South Sea
Islander being drowned by his Manilla crew and vice versa.
Considering the apparent risk of the occupation, there are
very few lives lost by accident. The divers will, as a rule, go
down to seventeen fathoms, and in some cases to twenty-two
fathoms. The chief danger at the greater depths arises from
the difficulty of seeing the fissures and holes. If a diver falls
into one of these he may injure the air tube, and may very
possibly disturb a shark. If there are sharks about the diver
folds his hands, which are the only exposed part of his body,
under his arm-pits, and the smell of the india-rubber dress
is said to keep them at a distance. A diver earns from 30 OL
to 4001. a year, and the crew get 21. to 3L a month with
rations. After spending half an hour looking at diving-
dresses and seeing the men cleaning shells ready for packing,
we steamed across to Thursday Island, and were in time to
have a game of tennis before dinner,
Wednesdmj, August 24th. — To-day we steamed down to
Goode Island, We landed at Mr, Stevens's pearling station, and
walked up to the lighthouse on the top of island. It is pro
posed to put a fort on Goode Island to command the Endeavour
Strait — the best route through the Torres Straits, which is
only a mile wide. It is also proposed to put a fort on the
Black Rock in Normanby Sound, to command the approach
to Thursday Island from the westward ; but nothing has
been done up to the present, M, de Mey d'Alkemade, a
Frenchman who was staying with the Stevens, accompanied
us in our walk. He must have a curious history, to bury
himself in this out-of-the-way spot ; the people here say that
he is a political exile. We played tennis at the Milmans' in the
afternoon. Mr, Hall, the manager of the station we went to
see yesterday, came to dinner, and seemed a very nice fellow.
Thursday, August 25th. — Mr, Milman and Mrs, Hunt,
the wife of a missionary just come out from home, cameon board
at 6. We steamed out through the Flinders Passage against
a strong trade, and shaped our course for Murray Island up

DARNLEY ISLAND 215
the North-west channel, by which all sailing vessels from
the Pacific enter Torres Straits. There was a nasty jump
which made us all feel unwell for a few hours, but mother was
not at all affected by it ; in fact, she seemed a good deal better.
During the afternoon we were well sheltered by some reefs,
and in the evening we anchored under the lee of Yorke Island,
Friday, August 26th. — A few hours' hard steaming brought
us to Darnley Island, We had almost determined not to at
tempt to steam the remaining thirty miles right in the wind's
eye to Murray Island, the headquarters of the mission, when
we saw the mission schooner, in which Mr, Savage and Mr,
Hunt had left Thursday Island two or three days ago, brought
up under the lee of Darnley, We anchored off the principal
village at the south-west end, Darnley is a pretty island ;
the hills in the centre rise to over 600 feet, and are well
wooded, while along the shore there is a fringe of cocoanuts.
As soon as we landed we were met by the chief of the
island, a most respectable-looking old fellow, attired in dark
trousers, white coat, and neat straw hat, and by two native
police in smart blue and red uniforms. All the people had
plenty of clothes, and we were surprised by the number who
could understand a few words of English, The houses are
neatly built of thatched-grass or palm-leaves, while the police
barrack, the mission-house, inhabited by a South Sea Island
teacher and his wife, and the school-house, which is also
used as a church, are built of mud and whitewashed. There
were a number of canoes drawn up on the beach ; one, which
was apparently hollowed out of the trunk of a cocoanut tree,
was over fifty feet long. We had lunch in a grove of cocoa-
nuts on a spur of the hill, where we felt the full effect of the
deliciously cool breeze. Mother had been carried up by some
stalwart seamen in her chair, and she put ' Sir Roger ' through
all his tricks. He certainly never had such an appreciative
audience ; the natives were delighted, and applauded vigor
ously. In the afternoon we walked across to the windward
side of the island, and found two or three camps of beche-de-

216 THE COLONIES
mer fishermen on the beach and several luggers. There
was one European, but most of the beche-de-mer fishermen
are South Sea Islanders. There are about fifty on Darnley,
and they rather ' boss the show ' over the real natives. We
passed through several patches of cultivation ; yams, sweet
potatoes, bananas, and sugar-cane are the chief products. The
soil is volcanic and very rich, so it is probable that there will
before long be European settlers on these islands who will
grow sugar-cane, coffee, and other tropical products. There
seemed to be plenty of rich grass, and, as the missionaries
have a few cows at Murray Island, they will probably ?have
cattle here too. The climate is not bad for eight or nine
months ; the thermometer stands at about 78° or 79° in the
shade. All the time we were in these parts we did not feel
it hot during the day ; but it was hot below at dinner and at
night, Mr. Hunt and Mr. Savage dined on board. Mr.
Hunt has come out expressly to extend the influence of the
mission up the Fly River in New Guinea. The missionaries
come out for ten years at a stretch, and after that time very
few care to go home. They have lost all their friends, and
they do not like to leave their work, as it all goes to pieces
in their absence.
Saturday, August 27th. — We got under weigh at last at
8 o'clock, after nearly running on one of tbe reefs by which
we were surrounded. We had a splendid sail for most of
the way, with the wind a point or two abaft the beam. We
passed a large full-rigged ship and a Swedish barque as if
they were standing still, but the vessel did not do so well as she
ought to have done, considering the breeze and the smooth
water. We brought up off Point King for the night, as it
was too dark to get through the narrows to Port Kennedy
(the anchorage at Thursday Island).
Sunday, August 28th. — We had service at 10, and afterwards
dropped down with the tide to our anchorage. We found
out that Brown could not possibly be here for another four
days. The delay disgusted us all very much, as, in spite of

THURSDAY ISLAND 217
the kindness of Mr. Milman, there is very little to do here,
and mother is certainly losing strength.
Monday, August 29th. — Writing and reading occupied most
of the day. In the evening played at tennis at Mr, Milman's,
Tuesday, August SOth. — In the afternoon we had a great
rifle-match between four of the crew and four of the police at
Thursday Island, At 200 yards the scores were even, but at
400 yards our men won by 7 points, Mr, Kindred won the
competition amongst our own men,
Wednesday, August Slst. — We went for a picnic on Friday
Island in the ' Albatros,' a nice little steam-yacht of 70 tons,
which Mr, Milman uses to visit tho islands on the New
Guinea coast, for which he is Commissioner, She has just
been down to Somerset after some French escapees, A boat
load got over a short time ago ; flve or six have been killed
by blacks ; the reraains of one who had probably been eaten
by his comrades were found ; one gave hiraself up, and the
rest were captured, Friday Island was sandy, but there were
some good trees. We had a most sumptuous lunch near a
deserted pearling station, and got back in time to have a game
at tennis in the evening,
Thursday, September 1st. — The China boat, and the ' Rock-
ton,' with Brown on board, came in at last. Captain Dodd and
Mr, David Lindsay, the explorer, lunched on board, Mr.
Lindsay told me that on his last expedition he discovered
some country in South Australia as good as the Barcoo dis
trict, the best sheep country in Queensland, He is now
going to start from Port Darwin to meet an expedition start
ing from Adelaide at a place where they think they have
discovered rubies. The afternoon was occupied in bringing
on board from the ' Rockton ' three heavy boat-loads of stores,
including vegetables, several sheep, and a goat. It is im
possible to obtain supplies at Thursday Island ; all their meat
is imported, and there is only one Chinaman who grows a few
vegetables. Mother, though she was so ill, would direct every
thing. At last at 5 o'clock we got under weigh on our home-

218 THE COLONIES
ward voyage. We found a nice breeze when we got clear of
the islands, but the trade has been much lighter the last three
days, Queensland, like Victoria, was in its infancy a dependency
of New South Wales. Moreton Bay and the Brisbane River
were not explored till 1823, and in 1825 a convict settlement
was established there ; but as long as the Moreton Bay district
remained a convict settlement it made no progress. In 1843
land was thrown open to selection, and from that time the
colony began to go ahead, though even in 1846 the popula
tion was only a little over 2,000, In 1859 the Moretori Bay
district was separated from New South Wales, and erected
into an independent colony with responsible government
under the name of Queensland, The fine pastoral country
on the Darling Downs was becoming settled, new districts
were constantly being opened up, gold and other minerals
were discovered, and from 1859 the colony made rapid pro
gress. The population, which in 1859 was only 30,000, has
increased tenfold in less than thirty years, chiefly through the
system of assisted emigration. At the time when we were in
Queensland the colony was only just recovering from a pro
longed drought, and a good season was expected. With the
opening up of good land in the back country, and the discovery
of new gold-fields of extraordinary richness, Queensland may
be expected to make greater progress in the next ten years
than the adjoining colonies,
Queensland, which lies in the N,E, comer ofthe Australian
continent, possesses a larger extent of territory than either
Victoria or New South Wales, The bulk of Queensland lies
within the tropics, but at a short distance inland from the coast
runs a continuation of the coast range of New South Wales,
behind which the country is for the most part an elevated
tableland. Though the sun on this is very hot during the
day, the thermometer standing at 112° in the shade, the air
is dry and the nights are cool, in the winter months often

QUEENSLAND 2 1 9
frosty. Cattle, and even sheojD, do well on this tableland
almost to the extreme north of the colony. Tropical vegeta
tion luxuriates only near the coast. Thus Queensland on the
whole cannot be looked on as a tropical country.
The Darling Downs, which lies behind the coast range
inland from Brisbane, was by far the most famous wool-
growing district in the earlier days of the colony, I passed
through it at a bad time of year — July — when there was not a
green thing to be seen anywhere, but nevertheless it looked
a splendid country. In places, as for example round War
wick, there is a good deal of cultivation (irrigation being
employed to some extent), but the wheat is inferior to that
grown in South Australia, Farther north, 300 miles inland
from Rockhampton, there is fine sheep country round Barcal
dine and Blackall, and farther north still on the Peak Downs ;
but the best district in Queensland for sheep, surpassing even
•the Darling Downs, is on the Barcoo, a country about which
little was known a few years ago.
Sheep will not do on the country near the coast — they
are liable to footrot, fluke, and other diseases — but there are
cattle everywhere. There are cattle stations near Brisbane,
near Rockhampton, near Mackay, and even as far north as
Somerset on the Albany Pass,
In the northern part of Queensland there is a great deal
of poor rocky country, such as that round Cooktown, which
is useless for cultivation, sheep, and even for cattle. But
much of the soil in the coast country, especially on the banks
of the rivers, is very rich. It is generally thickly timbered,
and in the rainy belt between the Palm Islands and Cook
town there is dense tropical jungle. Much of the timber
growing on the coast country is valuable, and a considerable
quantity of cedar is exported. The sugar-cane is generally
grown on soil from which the tropical jungle has been cleared.
On almost every river, from the Fitzroy northwards to Cook
town, there are large sugar plantations.
It is impossible when talking of Queensland not to say

220 THE COLONIES
something of the eastern coast line, which is in some respects
quite unique. From Brisbane to Cape York is 1,400 miles,
and from Rockhampton northwards for some 1,000 miles the
coast is protected from the ocean swell by the Great Barrier
Reef, The outer edge of the reef, which is at a distance of
thirty to seventy miles from the coast, is a fairly continuous
line of coral, with a number of passages through it, only a few
of which are well known and surveyed. Inside the outer
reef are a mass of coral patches, islands, and islets. The
navigable channel for steamers is inside these. As far north
as Cooktown the navigation is fairly easy, as the reefs lie
some way off the coast ; but north of Cooktown the passage
is often very narrow, and navigation impossible, or at least
extremely hazardous, at night. There is much beautiful
scenery on the coast between Rockhampton and Cooktown ;
and as a yachting ground it is unsurpassed. The water is
always smooth, and there is always a nice breeze. It is
perhaps interesting to note that all the capes and bays on
this coast bear the names which Captain Cook gave them
more than a century ago. The coast of Queensland on the
Gulf of Carpentaria is low, and fringed with mangroves. It
is very hot, as there is not the cool S,E, trade wind blowing
which tempers the heat of the other coast. There is no place
on the gulf which can be called a port, Normanton deludes
itself with that idea, but it is fifty or sixty miles up a shallow
river, and the water runs off so shoal that steamers have to
lay seven or eight miles even from the mouth. Bad port as
it is, Normanton is the outlet for a rich district, which is
rising rapidly in importance through the opening up of the
Croydon fields.
Of late years the territory of Queensland has been increased
by the annexation of all the islands lying between it and the
coast of New Guinea, The most important of these, and the
best known, are the Thursday Island group lying in the centre
of Torres Straits, These straits, since the better lighting
and beaconing of the passage inside the Great Barrier Reef,

MINERAL RESOURCES 221
have become a great highway for traffic, not only to Queensland
but to New South Wales and the southern colonies. As the
trade between India and Australia and China and Australia
increases, as it is rapidly doing, Torres Straits are destined to
become one of the most important passes in the East, The
straits are, for the most part, blocked up by reefs ; the only
channel that is much used is just to the north of Thursday
Island, A fort commanding this passage would be a great
protection to the Australian colonies generally, besides secur
ing this important coaling-station. Nothing in the way of
defence has been undertaken as yet, and nothing will be
undertaken unless the Imperial Government do their share in
the matter. The Queensland Government would bear a pro
portion of the expense, but a young colony, which has so
many calls on its revenue to develop the material resources
of the country, cannot be expected to burden itself with the
entire cost of the fortifications,
Queensland is the great cattle-raising colony. She has
over four million cattle, compared with one and a quarter
mUlion in Victoria and New South Wales ; while she has only
eight million sheep, as compared with ten million and thirty-
four and a half million in Victoria and New South Wales
respectively. But though she may be pre-eminent for her
cattle, though she may be famous for her wool and her sugar,
Queensland is destined to become even more famous still for
her unparalleled mineral resources, which include gold, silver,
copper, lead, tin, and coal. Gold was first discovered in
1858, or seven years later than the discovery of the famous
gold-field at Ballaarat in Victoria, and it was not till 1867
that a really payable gold-field was opened up at Gyrapie,
Since then numerous gold-fields have been opened up, the
most important of which are the Charters Towers, near Towns
ville, and the Palmer, near Cooktown, In 1885 the amount
of gold raised in Queensland was 300,000 oz,, less than half
the quantity raised in the same year in Victoria, and only a
tenth of the quantity raised when the BaUaarat diggings were

222 THE COLONIES
at their best. In the last two years two extremely rich deposits
of gold have been discovered, the one at Mount Morgan near
Rockhampton, the other at Croydon on the Gulf of Carpentaria
side of York's Peninsula, Whereas the yield of gold for the
whole colony was in 1885 worth only a little over 1,000,000L,
the output of Mount Morgan is estimated at one million
pounds worth of gold, so that its importance cannot well
be over-estimated. Coal of an inferior quality is found near
Brisbane, Tin, mainly alluvial, is found in many places ; but
the chief place of export is Port Douglas, There are opal-
mines in the far west on Listowel Downs, The great diffi
culty which miners have to contend with, especiaUy in
Northern Queensland, is the heat.
As I was only a day in Brisbane, I did not have the oppor
tunity of learning much of Queensland politics. Sir Samuel
Griffith, the premier, had just retumed from England, where
he had been ably representing Queensland at the Colonial Con
ference, He came into office two years ago on the downfall
of the McIUwraith Government, through the failure of their
transcontinental railway scheme. Sir Samuel Griffith is sup
posed to represent the more advanced part of the community,
i,e, the working-man of Brisbane ; Sir Thomas McIUwraith
is more identified with the interests of the squatters ; but
parties are very much mixed. The former's tenure of office has
not been altogether a success. There seems to be a general
feeling, which increases in intensity as one goes north from
Brisbane, that the country is not so prosperous as it was under
the government of Sir Thomas McIUwraith, Production
and trade, it is thought, have alike faUen off. This feeling
exists even at Rockhampton ; it is strong both at Cooktown
and Townsville, and has its heart amongst the sugar-planters
of Mackay, There is little doubt that the demand for
separation would not have arisen but for the policy pressed
on Sir Samuel Griffith by his supporters, who are very jealous
of coloured labour. The facts of the case are these : you must

SEPARATION 223
either allow coloured labour on the sugar plantations, where
white men cannot work, or the country must remain a desert.
The Brisbane working-man does not like the former, the
planters and North Queenslanders are determined not to allow
the latter. The demand for separation, though it has been
refused by the Home Government, seems to be growing.
Herberton, situated on a high tableland between Cooktown
and Townsville, is already talked of as the capital of the
future colony, on account of the jealousy between the two
latter. The feeling may die out, should timely concessions
be made to the demands of the north ; but in any case the
present condition of North Queensland, and of the Northern
Territory (of S. A,), shows how difficult it is for a democratic
community to govern a country whose conditions differ from
those in which they live.
The labour question is the bugbear of the Queensland Gov
ernment, as it is of the governments of the other colonies ;
but they have not yet ceased to assist emigration. Unfortu
nately here, as elsewhere, the emigrant prefers to remain
in the towns and join the ranks of the unemployed to
going into the country, where there is plenty of work to
be had, though perhaps not at quite so high a rate of
wages as prevailed in the good times before the present
depression. Of the feeling of Queensland towards the mother country
one could only form a hasty judgment from the articles in the
newspapers and from one or two conversations. The ' Brisbane
Courier ' — the leading paper — had an article while we were
there on the proposal adopted at the Conference that the
colonies should bear a proportion of the cost of increasing
the Imperial Na-vy in Australasian waters. It was argued
that if Queensland agreed to the proposals she was paying
merely for an increase to the Imperial Navy, Let her either
pay no contribution or buy the ships right out for the colonial
navy, the difficulty of manning in Australia being entirely
left out of consideration. What I heard and read made me

224 THE COLONIES
leave Brisbane -with the feeling that next time one visited
Queensland she might no longer form a part of the British
Empire. It is not difficult to see why Queensland should be less
loyal than the southern colonies. The two causes of dissatis
faction with the Home Government rankle more in Queensland
than elsewhere. The annexation of the S,B, part of New
Guinea was the bold act of the Queensland Government.
Lord Derby disallowed it, and immediately Germany took
possession of the N.E, portion of the territory which Queens
land had annexed. The indignation of all Australians at the
action ofthe Home Government knew no bounds, and of course
it was felt most by Queenslanders, as it was their govern
ment which had been especially slighted.
In the same way the recidiviste question (or the trans
portation of French con-victs to New Caledonia), closely bound
up as it is with the occupation of the New Hebrides by France
in defiance of all treaty obligations, comes home more espe
cially to Queensland, for it is on her coasts that the convicts
land after their 1,500 miles voyage across the ocean from
New Caledonia. I had thought that the Australians were in
clined to make a mountain out of a mole-hill, that hardly
a boatload a year reached the coast, and that certainly not
a convict a year succeeded in escaping to contaminate the
morals of the people — of which they are always talking so
much. But on our voyage up the Queensland coast we learnt
that there was good reason for the outcry. As we passed
through the Whitsunday Passage in the ' Maranoa ' the light
house keeper signalled to us that a boat's crew of escapees had
just landed on the island. At Thursday Island there were
convicts in gaol when we arrived ; another party were brought
in while we were there, who had been taken on the coast near
Cape York ; and the ' Albatros ' was away down the coast after
a third party. That convicts escape so frequently and are
able to water and provision a boat for a long voyage like this
shows that the French authorities must be extremely lax. The

THE RECIDIVISTE QUESTION 225
French violate no treaty obligations by retaining New Cale
donia as a penal settlement, but Australians are irritated none
the less ; and if we do not bestir ourselves both with reference
to this and the New Hebrides questions, we cannot expect
Queenslanders to believe there is much to be gained by
connection with an empire which does not consider their
interests.

226 THE COLONIES

CHAPTER VII,
THURSDAY ISLAND TO PORT ELIZABETH,
Friday, September 2nd, and Saturday, September Srd. — We
had a nice breeze on the quarter and sea perfectly smooth.
We had every stitch of canvas set, including studding-sails,
jib-topsail, and balloon topmast-staysails, and averaged be
tween 8 and 9.
Sunday, September 4th. — We gradually lost the wind and
it became very hot. In the afternoon we began to steam.
Monday, September 5th. — We made the land at daybreak.
For most of the day we were steaming through Dundas Strait
between Cape Don and Melville Island, which is inhabited
by swamp buSalo, by dangerous blacks who attack visitors
with stones, and by wildfowl of all sorts. We had rather
looked forward to having a day's sport there, but mother being
so ill now, we can but push on. We made our way through
the Vernon Isles after dark, a rather difficult bit of navi
gation, and lay off the port for the night,
Tuesday, September Gth. — We made out the broad entrance
to Port Darwin at daybreak, and brought up at 7 off
Palmerston, Port Darwin is an enormous harbour with
arms running in all directions, but it is not pretty, as the
shores are low with the exception of Table Hill on which
Palmerston stands. They have had some cases of smaU-pox
at Palmerston, so for fear of being quarantined at Mauritius
we determined to hold no direct communication with the
shore, Mr, Parsons, whom we had met in Adelaide, Mr,
Millar, the contractor, Mr, Reid, whose brother I stayed with
at Murraybridge, and others came off to see us, but we con-

PORT DARWIN 227
versed with them from a distance, Mr, Millar, who looks as
nice a man as his brother, has just lost his yacht (the ' Red
Gauntlet ') on a reef near Port Essington, The railway is
already finished for some twenty-five miles from here, and the
section as far as the gold-fields (i,e, about ninety miles)
should be completed within the year, Mr, Millar said that
the South Australian Government would probably continue
it right across the continent on the land-grant system within
very few years. The doctor who came on board to see mother
did not speak very hopefully of the prospects of the Northern
Territory, There are a good many stations on the Victoria
and Herbert Rivers ; but there are no European planters, A
few Chinese grow sugar-cane. During the afternoon we took
in quantities of stores, vegetables and meat. In the evening
we took in coal, which had to be worked by our own men
for fear of getting infected. They set to with a will, and
with three hours' hard work we took in about thirty tons.
Mother, who was lying on deck, had her long chair turned
round that she might see them. She has been so terribly
weak to-day that the doctor almost despairs of her pulling
through ; but in spite of this she insisted upon sorting all
the letters and papers this morning. Two tons of ice, a
most important necessary, did not come on board till after
midnight, and we did not clear the harbour till 2 a,m,
Wednesday, September 7th. — We have begun our four
thousand mile voyage to Mauritius, It was very hot, 83° in
the coolest part of the ship, and as the little breeze there was
came from the S,E,, there was not much draught on board.
Mother seemed a good deal better than yesterday, but she was
evidently much oppressed by the heat,
Thursday, September Sth. — Mother about the same as
yesterday. At noon we had made 200 miles with the engines
working at half speed, but we had twenty miles of current.
At noon we ceased steaming, as there was a nice little breeze
from the S,E,, but it fell light in the afternoon, and we made
slow progress during the night, Q 2

228 THE COLONIES
Friday, September 9th. — At 4 a,m. we began to steam
again. Run 120; 50 sail and 70 steam. Mother seemed a
bit better. She has been lying on the floor of the deck-house
the last few days with punkah going continually. In the
evening she is generally carried out on deck, but the dew is
so heavy that we have to spread the awning, and the heat
seems to oppress her terribly,
Satmday, September 10th. — There was a little air from
S,E, which drew her along nicely with all balloon canvas
set, and only 30 lbs. of steam were wanted to keep her
going over 8, Run at noon 208, For the last few days
we have been rehearsing ' Ici on parie franfais,' to help
to pass the monotony of the long voyage, and the crew
are to give us a nigger entertainment in return. Mother
seemed better this evening. We all hope that she will pick
up her strength rapidly when we get into the cool south
east trade. We have been expecting to pick it up every
day, as we are now several hundred miles from the Austra
lian coast.
Sunday, September llth. — We were under sail through
the night, and there was a nice breeze in the early morning.
We had service as usual both morning and evening. Mother
seemed about the same. The last few days I have been read
ing Lindsay Gordon's poems to her, which she likes very
much. The vein of bitterness and sadness which runs through
them, the love for the horse and the chase which they display,
are all to her taste.
Monday, September 12th. — Last night we all thought
mother better, but this morning I was fanning her as she lay
asleep, and I felt by the expression of her face that the end
was not far off. The conviction came on me like a sudden
blow. She has been so often very ill before that I always
thought she would pull through now. In the morning she
called Pratt up and asked for some novels which had come
on board at Sydney, and in the afternoon I read to her the
first few pages of one of them, ' Colonel Dacre,' but her mind

mother's death 229
was not strong enough to take in the story. We talked for
some time of her father, and of her early lessons in riding,
about George Sand, and about Pemberton, who, I told her,
had -svritten to me at Port Darwin to say how grateful he was
to have been with us. In the evening she took a good deal
of nourishment, and seemed to gather a little strength, but
she soon feU back again. Mabelle and I watched by turns
through the night, thinking the end might come at any
time, Tuesday, September 13th. — This moming Mother was
mnch weaker ; she was generally asleep, and when she was
awake her mind was wandering. In the afternoon, about 4
o'clock, when Father, Mabelle, and I were in the room, she
suddenly opened her eyes, and we saw that she was conscious.
We called the children in at once. When she saw us all
crying she said: 'Is it quite hopeless then?' and Father
replied : ' We can only put our trust in God,' We asked
her if there were any wishes she wanted carried out. She
gasped out something about photographs which were in the
cupboard at her side, but we could not make out what it was.
She then asked for Mr, Wright, but we told her that we
would write down what she said. She spoke with great
difficulty, but we made out that she wanted the journal on
which she had spent so much pains to be published, and she
must have meant it to be illustrated by the photographs.
The children asked her to give them each a ring out of a
case which they held before her ; but she said they were all
divided amongst them, and ' the big cross for T, A, B.' We
all kissed her in turn. Father read a prayer, she had just
strength to put her arm round his neck, and then exhausted
with the effort she lost consciousness. The children kissed
her and left her. Between six and seven she took a good
deal of nourishment, which we poured down her throat with
a spoon, and she slept quietly for a few hours. About 1 1
o'clock a decided change came, just after I had relieved
Mabelle, and she began to sink fast, I called the doctor, and

230 THE colonies
he remained with her through the night, while Mabelle and
I watched by turns. She was often restless, and I asked her
several times if she felt any pain, ' No pain, no pain,' she
always murmured, I called Father at three, thinking that
the end was near, but it was not till nearly eleven that sho
passed peacefully and painlessly away.
We buried her the same evening at sunset. The body
was borne aft to the lee gangway by the four oldest hands,
Mr. Kindred, John Fale, Muston, and Mr. Jones. The doctor
read the service. Father read a few words on her life instead
of the lesson, and her body was committed to the deep. No
thing can be more solemn or more impressive than a funeral
at sea, and it was a fltting end for her who loved the sea so
well. Our great consolation is that we were all with her at
the last, and that these last days have been so peaceful and so
quiet. On the afternoon of September 14th we at last got
into the strong trades, which we held until September 27th,
the day after passing Rodriguez, During the fortnight we
covered 3,076 knots, an average of 220 knots per day, and
rather over 9 knots an hour. The best day's run was 276,
and the greatest speed shown by the hand-log 13^, For the
greater part of the time we had a favourable current of 10
to 20 miles a day. We carried studding-sails always, and
generally had our balloon topmast-staysails and jib-topsail
set ; but the trades was never of the same strength for many
hours together, and we were constantly shifting balloon
canvas for working sails and vice versd. From Rodriguez
to Mauritius the wind was very light, and when we began to
steam the tubes kept bursting, and we only just managed to
crawl in.
We anchored off Port Louis at midnight on September
28th, Thursday, September 29th. — We stayed on board all the
morning reading our letters. The town of Port Louis stands

MAURITIUS 231
at the head of a deep narrow inlet. Behind it rises an amphi
theatre of mountains over 2,000 feet high, with the most
curiously shaped peaks, Pieter Botte, 2,000 feet, looks as if
it had a huge obelisk on the top. We went ashore in the
launch and steamed through a long line of flne vessels. There
were five or six full-rigged ships, a number of barques, and a
British Indian steamer the ' Lawada ' (the first that has been
here). Every ship in the harbour had her flag at half-mast,
and we all felt deeply touched at the compliraent to her who
has been taken from us. We found it very pleasant on shore,
and not nearly so hot as we anticipated. We lunched at the
restaurant La Flore, where there is excellent French cooking,
and drove out afterwards to the botanical gardens at Pample-
mousse. Captain Hodder, of the Engineers, the Governor's
A,D,C., who went with us, turned out to be a very nice fellow.
The botanical gardens are large, and are remarkable for the
splendid collection of palms from all parts of the world. There
are some prettily laid out bits, but the trees want thinning,
and the gardens are not nearly so beautiful as the gardens
at Peridenya in Ceylon. The north of the island is flat and
covered with sugar plantations, while between Pamplemousse
and Port Louis there are only a few scattered patches of
cultivation. The country we drove through was very like
parts of India, dry and burnt up, and the Indian natives
standing about in front oftheir mud huts helped to complete
the illusion. Almost every Oriental race is represented in
Mauritius; there are Bengalis, Madrassees, Parsees, Arabs,
Chinese, The Chinese are chiefly shopkeepers, while the
vegetable-gardening, which we had been accustomed to see
them do in Australia, is done by Indian natives who have
saved enough from their wages to buy a patch of ground.
We dined at the hotel.
Friday, September SOth. — We left the yacht at seven, and
drove out to ' Reduit,' about seven miles to the south of
Port Louis. Mr. Fleming, who is acting as Governor in the
absence of Sir John Pope Hennessy, entertained us at break-

232 THE colonies
fast. Dr. Lowell, Hodder, and Mr, Fleming's secretary, a
young man who had never been out of Mauritius, were the
only other people. Reduit is 900 feet above the sea, situated
in the fork between two rivers down which we had a fine
view. All the rivers in Mauritius fiow in deep canons.
There was a beautiful garden. Mignonette and all kinds of
English flowers grew in profusion, as well as palms, mangoes,
bougainvillea, and tropical plants, but the great feature was a
mass of arum-lilies growing on either side of a little rivulet.
After breakfast we drove on four miles to the foot of the
Pouce mountain, and very hot and muggy work it was. Only
Father, Mabelle, and Captain Hodder reached the very top
(2,000 feet) ; the rest of us stayed on the shoulder below.
The view was splendid, and as the island is only thirty miles
long we got a fairly comprehensive idea of its configuration.
The north of the island is quite flat and low. Port Louis is
on the north-west coast, and is surrounded by a mass of
mountains of which the Pouce is one. The bulk of the island
to the south of the Pouce is a table-land from 1,000 to 1,800
feet above tho sea, covered with fields of sugar-cane. From
the top of the Pouce they looked like fields of waving corn,
and the trees on the banks of the streams like hedgerows.
In the south-west corner of the island is another mass of
mountains running up to 2,700 feet, on one of which a party
of maroons long defied the authorities. It is in these moun
tains that they hunt the elk, but it is not the season now, and
people did not seem to take much interest in the sport. We
lunched on the shoulder of the Pouce, but we were rather
disturbed by the rain and a cold wind. After lunch we drove
on to Vacoas, Mr, Robinson is a cousin of Maude's, and
his sons had been at Eton with me, but they were away now,
and only Mrs, Robinson and her two daughters were at home,
Vacoas is a nice house with a beautiful garden, situated in the
middle of the sugar plantation. Before dinner we walked up .
to see a curious crater not far from the barracks at Curepipe.
Curepipe is 1 ,800 feet above the sea, and most of the European

MAURITIUS 233
troops have been moved up here from Port Louis, with the
most beneficial result to their health. The climate is good,
and Mr, Robinson said that they very seldom have it above
65° at night. At Port Louis just now there is not much to
complain of, as the thermometer only stands at 74° on board
the yacht. We found it quite cold driving back to the
yacht after dinner. The sugar-mill at Vacoas seemed in
very fine order. All the labourers are Indian coolies, who,
Mr. Robinson said, work very well. They each have their
house, rations, and a small plot of ground. Many of them
save money, and settle here after their term of engagement
has expired. In fact Mauritius may be said to be indepen
dent of imported coolie labour. The population is nearly
400,000, the bulk of which is of Indian origin. The white
population is a little over 5,000, the larger part of which is
French. There are besides 9,000 Chinese, and a good many
Arabs, Mozambiques, and descendants of the slave population.
Races have become so intermingled in Mauritius that it is
often imposfsible to say what the people are.
Saturday, October 1st. — .Father and I went ashore early
to see the docks, the submarine mining department, and the
fort. There are three docks, which are capable of taking an
ordinary corvette, but which are not large enough for the
' Bacchante,' the present fiag-ship on the Indian station. It
is proposed to enlarge one of them if a subvention can be
obtained from the Admiralty. The mining department was
very busy. Hodder has only fifteen Europeans under him,
but he is going to enlist some forty or fifty natives. The
Home Government bears all the expenses of submarine mines
here as well as at Singapore and Ceylon. The construction
of the forts is thrown largely on the colonial government,
while the colony pays 40L for every infantry soldier, and 45L
for every artilleryman or engineer. Colonel Stewart and
several of the officers came on board the yacht, and the
Robinsons, Mr. Fleming, and Hodder stayed to breakfast.
We were to have started at eleven, but did not get off till

234 THE colonies
past one. Just as we were starting I had two letters, one
from Gilmer, who had been at Eton, and one from Roberts,
who coached me my flrst term at Oxford, and is now pro
fessor in the college of Port Louis.
Mauritius has for motto on her blue ensign, ' Stella
clavisque maris Indici,' In the days of the Cape route she
certainly proved herself to be the latter ; in the great war at
the beginning of the century the French always had a large
fleet here, which did great harm to our commerce. Even
now Mauritius must be looked on as a valuable strategic
base, and in the hands of an enemy would be a great danger.
Sailing-ships from India and China pass close at hand ; and
expeditions against Australia, Ceylon, and other colonies
might be fitted out at Port Louis. Port Louis is the only
good harbour in this part of the Indian Ocean, as at Bourbon
there are only open roadsteads. Any one -visiting Mauritius
cannot but be struck by the large population which such a
small island supports, by the large revenue which is raised,
and by the general appearance of wealth and commercial
activity. The manufacture and production of sugar must be
better understood than in most sugar countries ; and, more
over, Mauritius has a ready market' in India and Australia,
We heard but little of the Pope Hennessy affair, but Mr,
Robinson said that he had succeeded in stirring up a bitter
feeling between the English and French inhabitants which
would never die out. They were good friends before Pope
Hennessy arrived on the scene, but now when they were
travelling on the railway all the Englishmen got into one
carriage and all the Frenchmen into another, and so on. I
had thought before we came here that it was the Indian
natives he was trying to rouse,
Sunday, October 2nd. — A lovely day. All day we could
see the mountains of Bourbon, which are 10,000 feet high,
towering above the clouds. Run 155. During the after
noon the wind fell very light.
Monday, October Srd. — At 6 A,M, a squall from the south-

A FINE SAIL 235
ward struck us, and one of our balloon staysails flapped itself
to ribands. Run 83, The mountains of Bourbon still
visible. In the afternoon we got a breeze from the S,E,,
which freshened into a strong wind by night and gave us a
splendid shove. In the next three days we did 266, 282,
247 knots respectively, passing on October 5th about sixty
miles to the south of Madagascar, On October 6th we lost
the wind and had to begin steaming,
Friday, October 7th. — We got a nice breeze from the
N,E,, which by the next morning had freshened into a whole
gale. We had been steering for Natal when \ve were under
steam, but now we had a breeze we kept away for Port
Elizabeth, It was the finest sail of the whole voyage, and
had the breeze held we should have done well over 300 for
the twenty-four hours. From midnight to midnight the runs
for the six watches by log were 34, 44, 53, 50, 46, 42, At
10 P,M, we were going fourteen by the hand-log, but before
eleven the wind had dropped light and began to head us.
Run 227,
Sunday, October 9th. — The wind shifted suddenly round
to south-west, and by 4 A,M, was blowing a gale from the
south-west. It blew very hard from 10,30 A,M, to 3 P,m,
We were, of course, hove-to and battened down. The sea
was very steep, and in the lurches to leeward a good deal of
loose stuff came over the lee-rail. Run 183 for little more
than twelve hours' sailing. Towards evening the wind mode
rated, and we were able to let her forge ahead,
Monday, October 10th. — Wemade the land at Gordon Bay
at 4 A,M, There was no wind, and a very steep swell from
the S,W. We are now in the full strength of the Agulhas
current, which sometimes runs down the coast at the rate of
four miles an hour. From 8 A,M, to 2 P,M, we were under
steam, but through the afternoon we had a strong breeze
right aft. At 8 P,M, we made out the lights of East
London. Tuesday, October llth. — We had hoped to reach Port

236 THE colonies
Elizabeth early ; but we had instead to contend against a
strong head wind from the W.N.W. It took us all day to
beat along the coast. Close to the shore were sandy hills,
and behind them were mountains covered -with scrub, with
here and there a grassy plain.
Wednesday, October 12th. — Anchored off Port Elizabeth
at 2 A.M.

PORT ELIZABETH 237

CHAPTER VIII,
CAPE COLONY.
Wednesday, October 12th. — Algoa Bay is well sheltered
from all winds except the south-easters, which blow with
great violence ; but the holding ground is good, and vessels
with a good scope of cable ride them out in safety. Still
two or three wrecks on the shore, and one or two lame ducks
brought up not very far from us, looked rather ominous.
Amongst them there was a little brigantine which had
lost her fore-topmast and sustained other severe damages in
Sunday's gale. We landed at one o'clock, and were agree
ably surprised to find such a nice town. The houses are
built of stone or brick, and roofed with slate ; the town-
hall is a good building; and in the main street there are
some very good shops. We lunched at a fair hotel, and
afterwards went out to the botanical garden. Water has
had to be brought a distance of twenty-seven miles. There
are a good many trees, chiefly Norfolk pines and Australian
blue gums, which are a great relief to the sandy desert in
which Port Elizabeth stands. The style of the houses in the
residential part of the town reminded one of an English
seaside place. The most noticeable thing about Port Eliza
beth is the number of German shops and German merchants ;
in many parts of the world the Germans are beginning to cut
us out now. In the afternoon Father and I went to call on
Captain Robinson of the ' Roslin Castle,' which had just
come out from England, Mr, Ford, Donald Currie's agent,
had kindly arranged about our going up to Kimberley. and

238 THE colonies
at 9 P,M, we left for Grahamstown — Mabelle, Munie B,, Des
Graz, and I, The doctor was prevented from going at the
last moment by the news of his mother's death.
Thursday, October 12th. — Arrived at Grahamstown at
6 A,M, after a comfortable journey, and took up our quarters
for the day at Wood's Hotel, where we were very well looked
after, Grahamstown is rather like an English country town ;
it is, in fact, the most English town and the capital of the
most English district {Albany) in the colony, but the numer
ous wagons with teams of sixteen to twenty oxen stamped
definitely the part of the globe in which we were. After
breakfast we drove up to the botanical gardens, which, as
it is now the end of spring here, were very gay with all
kinds of flowers, English and sub-tropical. The roses, and a
lovely walk shaded with good old English oaks in full leaf,
pleased us most. The mayor and one of the magistrates
met us on our return to the hotel, and took us to the town-
hall, where there is to be an exhibition shortly. Both were
thorough Englishmen. The latter had seen a good deal of
service on the border, and was most bitter against the
Dutch and their manner of treating the Kaflrs. He said
that he knew of cases of Dutchmen not only burning the
Kaflrs out of their farmhouses when they wanted to use
them, but even of their reaping the Kafirs' crops. There
was a feather market going on in the town-hall, and a dozen
long tables were covered from end to end with piles of
ostrich feathers of every colour and quality. The feathers
were sold by auction, and we availed ourselves of the chance
of getting some. After lunch we drove out to Mr, White's
farm which is seven miles from Grahamstown, We found
the wind bitterly cold as we drove along the bleak, bare
hills. Mr. White's house was like many Australian stations,
one-storeyed, with a verandah. Across the stream which
flowed in front of the house there was a lovely fruit and
veo-etable garden, with a good grove of oaks and a row of
Vifillows, One appreciates the bright green of the oaks after

THE KAROO 239
the dull foliage of the Australian gums, Mr, White's stock
consists of cattle, sheep, and ostriches. The latter are the
most paying now, in spite of the low price of feathers. Sheep
farms are very small compared with Australia ; a man who
owns 5,000 sheep is considered a big man. On the way
back to town we saw one or two ostriches and a good deal of
game — duck, snipe, partridge, pheasant, which looks much
like a grouse, and ' corrhan,' a black bird with some white on
the wing, which is said to be good eating. Before dinner
Mabelle and I went to the St, Peter's Home, where three
sisters (English ladies) are bringing up a number of colonial
children for service. They rescue the children from the
streets, and they do a great deal of good in a small way.
Two of the sisters were known to us indirectly ; the third,
Miss West, was a sister of my old schoolmaster at Bourne
mouth, and we had a long chat over old boys and old times.
At 9 P,M, our train left Grahamstown,
Friday, October 14th. — We had breakfast, as good a
breakfast as we could wish for, at Craddock, a pretty little
town on the banks of the Great Fish River, The houses
stand in their own gardens, and the fresh green of the fruit
trees and the dark green of the gums was a pleasant contrast
to the desolate country around. All day we were passing
through a bare, rocky, and hilly country, and almost the only
vegetation was the karoo bush, which resembles the salt bush
of Australia, and is excellent food for sheep and cattle.
Occasionally in the valleys we passed a farm surrounded by
a few trees and a patch of cultivation which formed a regular
oasis in the desert. Trees seemed to do well wherever there
was water, and every farm had its dam. In the morning we
saw hardly anything but ostriches, but in the afternoon we
saw several flocks of sheep and angora goats. The latter are
white, and their hair forms a considerable article of export
under the name of ' mohair,' In the middle of the day the
sun was very hot, but in the evening it was cooled by some
thunderstorms. We crossed the mountains (5,000 feefl in

240 the colonies
the afternoon, and reached De Aar, the junction for Cape
To-wn, at 7 o'clock,
Saturday, October 15th. — We arrived at Kimberley at
8 o'clock and put up at the Queen's Hotel, where we had
very good rooms, Des Graz and I went before breakfast to
look up Mr. Cole, one of the three Kimberley judges, whose
daughter we had met in Brisbane, He was a nice old fellow,
but very deaf. At twelve we went to the town-hall to see
the Zulu police. They were big men with good-humoured
faces, but their attempts at drill were very ludicrous. The
mayor, Mr, Grower, a pleasant English gentleman, took us on
to the public library, an excellent set of rooms, built by public
subscription. After lunch Mr, Rhodes, who turned out to be
a brother of the Major Rhodes we had met in Melbourne, and
Mr, Currey took us for a drive to see the four mines. Maguire,
a Fellow of All Souls, whom I was much surprised to meet
at the club, went with us. The Kimberley mine and De
Beers are almost in the town of Kimberley ; they are both
enormous holes some 600 feet deep, the latter being rather
the larger of the two. The diamondiferous ' blue ' looks like
a hard clay ; it is supposed to have been thrown up by the
action of geysers or volcanoes, as it is totally different from
the strata which surround it. One of the great difficulties
with which the miners have to contend is the falUng-in of
the reef as the ' blue ' is removed. The blue was originally
worked in small claims like the gold-fields of Australia, but
the reef soon got beyond the control of individual miners, and
needed large companies to deal with it. Enormous quantities
of the reef have already been taken out to make the mining
safer, or, rather, less dangerous. At De Beers and Kimberley
they are obviating the difficulty by carrying on the workings
underground, but at Du Toits and Bulfontein there are only
open-air workings. Du Toits is an enormous hole, much
larger and more irregular in shape than the others, Du Toits
and Bulfontein are about three miles from Kimberley ; Jagers-
fontein, where diamonds of better quality though in less quan-

KIMBERLEY 241
tity are found, is some miles farther away. Diamonds were
originally found at the river diggings in '67, and theyare now
the best of all. At Kimberley diamonds were not discovered
tUl '69, and the mines were not properly worked till '71.
The output from the Kimberley mines is, and has been
for some years, upwards of 3,000, OOOL a year; Kimberley and
De Beers now produce rather over a million a piece, while
Du Toits and Bulfontein produce rather over 700, OOOL The
chief companies are the Central Company in the Kimberley,
and De Beers in De Beers mine. Mr, Rhodes is the manager
of the latter. He is a most remarkable man. He came out
here with some of his brothers before he was twenty, made
some money, and then went back from '76 to '78 to complete
his time at Oxford, After taking his degree he came back
to South Africa. He has gradually bought out the smaller
holders in De Beers till the whole mine is held by the com
pany of which he is manager. His object is now to get the
whole of the mines into the hands of one company and so to
regulate the supply of diamonds ; he has just been home to
try and arrange the financial part of the business with the
Rothschilds. Mr. Rhodes has been in Parliament for some
time. He was treasurer in the late Government, of which Sir
Thomas Scandling was premier, and now represents Barkly
West. He is a Home Ruler, and sympathises with the
Boers. Mr, Currey, Mr, Rhodes, and Maguire dined with us at
the hotel, and we afterwards went round to the club, a raost
¦superior place.
Sunday, October 16th. — Kimberley is situated in Bechuana-
land, only a mile or two from the borders of the Orange Pree
State. It is 4,000 feet above sea level, and though the
thermometer often stands at over 100° the heat is not so
oppressive as this would indicate. The most disagreeable
things at Kimberley are the dust storms, which occur fre
quently, but we were lucky enough to escape a bad one.
Kimberley is a much finer town than we expected. Many of

242 THE colonies
the houses are built of brick, there are first-class shops, and
we were all much struck by the trees and pretty gardens.
Judge Cole called for us a little before 1 1 o'clock and
took us to church. The service was good, but it was terribly
hot. After church he took us to see several shows of
diamonds. Some were of enormous size, nearly as big as
pigeon's eggs, but all of course were in the rough. The
best diamonds are pure white and diamond-shaped. Some
are quite flat, some are round, some are black (these are
known as ' bort,' and only ground up to cut the better sorts),
some are pink, some are yellow. The latter generally go to
India, After lunch, Des Graz and I went with Rhodes to
the compound at De Beers, There are some 1,500 men in
the compound — Basutos, Zulus, Kafirs, and even men from
tribes on the Zambesi, They engage to work in the mines
for three months at a time, and during the period of their
engagement they are confined within the compound and are
only allowed to see their friends at a distance. The com
pound system has been introduced lately by the mine-owners
to try and protect themselves against diamond-stealing.
The Kafirs are confined separately for two or three days
before their engagement is up ; the searching process has
been reduced to a perfect art, but it is estimated that even
now ten per cent, of the diamonds are stolen. The com
pound system, however, does much good in other ways. No
liquor is sold, and the natives are thus protected from some of
the worst evils which they incur from a contact with civilisa
tion, Des Graz got some excellent photographs of the natives.
The South Africans have most good-humoured faces, and are
splendid men, Mabelle and I had tea at the hospital
with Sister Henrietta and Dr, Hillier. There were 100
Europeans and over 200 natives in the hospital. Accidents
in the mine are very numerous, and many of the men had
lost both their legs. We dined quietly at the hotel, and Des
Graz and I went round to the club in the evening, I had
a long talk with Dr, Smith (of Stornoway) about starting

SOUTH AFRICAN POLITICS 243
a branch of the St, John's Ambulance Association, and he
promised to take the matter up, I also met Mr, Fry, a nice
old gentleman, who has been up to the north of the Trans
vaal prospecting for gold. He says it is a fine country, with
both timber and water, and is anxious to get a charter like
the British North Borneo Company and form a new State.
The Matabele king who rules the territory between the
Zambesi and the Transvaal is friendly.
Kimberley, and what I have learnt here, have surprised
me more than anything in my travels. One meets an able
lot of men, many of them English gentlemen without the
colonial cut about them, which most men have in Australia.
South African politics are discussed in the most cosmopolitan
way. The people in the Cape Colony, Natal, the Free State,
and the Transvaal have much in common. Barristers and
men of business move about from one State to another. At
the time of the Transvaal war, I am told that most of the
Boers were in favour of the English, and, had not the question
been forced on, the Transvaal would of itself have come under
British dominion.
The great question of the day in South Africa is the
question of railway extension. Two years ago President
Kriiger asked the Cape Government to continue the railway
to Pretoria, but the state of the colonial finances at that time
did not admit of it, and there was little prospect of the line
paying. Within the last year goldfields have been discovered
at Johannesburg in the south, at Barberton in the east, and
at other places in the Transvaal ; the colony's finances are
improving, but now that she is willing to undertake the
railway President Kriiger will not allow it to be constructed,
but prefers to connect the Transvaal with the Portuguese
port of Delagoa Bay. The Orange Free State will not allow
a railway to be constructed through its territory (the shortest
route to the Transvaal) unless it passes through the capital,
Bloemfontein, which is eighty miles B,S,E, of Kimberley,
and entirely out of the direct line. The Free State is too
B 2

244 THE COLONIES
poor to bear any part of the burden of construction, while a^
the same time there is no prospect of a line to Bloemfontein
paying. It is about 300 miles from Kimberley to Johannes
burg, and 120 miles to the Transvaal border. The probable
outcome of the railway extension struggle will be : first, the
construction of a line due north from Kimberley, within the
borders of British Bechuanaland, which would tap the gold-
bearing country in the western district of the Transvaal,
which has not yet been opened up ; secondly, the construction
of a line from Colesburg, which is in the eastem system of
the Cape Colony, to Bloemfontein.
The discovery of gold in the Transvaal will have a very
important influence on South African politics, and will prove
a serious embarrassment to President Kriiger. The Boers
do not number more than 60,000 ; the goldflelds will soon
attract a population (mainly English or English-speaking)
far more numerous. Kriiger up to now has refused the
goldfleld population the franchise, and I suppose will con
tinue to refuse it till the pressure becomes too great. Hia
aim is to isolate the Transvaal as much as possible, but by
force of circumstances she will drift into a loose federation
with the other South African States.
The Orange Free State is not nearly so powerful as its
northern neighbour. The country is not so good for pastoral
purposes, and no gold has been discovered. The population
are mainly Boers ; but the Free State will not submit to the
dictation of the Transvaal, At the time of the war she would
not enter into an alliance with the Transvaal, though she did
not prevent her subjects from joining their fellows at Lang's
Nek. While we have been here there has been a conference
at Bloemfontein, at which Kriiger proposed an offensive and
defensive alliance to the Free State, a proposal which was at
once declined. The Free State intends to maintain entire
liberty of action, and to co-operate with either the Cape
Colony, Natal, or the Transvaal, as may seem best for her own
interests.

THE ANNEXATIONS OF 1885 245
Before coming to Kimberley I had no idea of the position
or importance of the annexations of 1885. The Germans in
that year annexed Angra Pequena, with Great Namaqua
Land and Damara Land, a strip of country some 250 miles
broad, extending several hundred miles along the coast north
of the Orange River, Much of this is good pastoral country,
especially in Damara Land, which is mountainous, has a good
climate, and appears to be thickly populated. These annexa
tions gave the Germans a trade route into Central Africa, and
to judge from reports in the Cape Town papers they are
doing well. In answer to this advance of the Germans, the
British protectorate was extended as far north as the twenty-
second parallel of latitude, and thus British territory now
bounds the Transvaal on the north as well as on the west.
The bulk of this country is the Kalahari Desert, but British
Bechuanaland — about the settlement of which Mr. Rhodes
and Sir Charles Warren had a correspondence in the Times
— is indifferent pastoral country. It is at present mainly
inhabited by Boers, and, if young Englishmen took the advice
given by Mr. Baden Powell in a letter to the Field, they
would not be able to make a living in the country. Most
people at Kimberley look forward to the British protectorate
being shortly extended to the Zambesi.
Monday, October 17th. — Des Graz and I went down De
Beers before breakfast in charge of the engineer. The
bottom of the hole is 600 feet deep ; and they are working
on three levels below this, the lowest of which is 700 feet
deep. The De Beers mine is 600 feet long by 200 to 300
feet in breadth. Long drives run the whole length of the
' blue.' From these short drives, 18 feet wide and 18
feet high, are driven back to the reef, which is allowed to
fall in and fill up the drives, so that the ' blue ' can be taken
out in between. As yet they do not know the limit to which
the ' blue ' may extend. There was not very much to see in
the mine ; it was very hot, and the odour froTn the naked
Kafirs was awful, so we were glad to get once more into

246. THE COLONIES
open air. After breakfast we went -mth Mr. Baring GouH
to look at more diamonds. We lunched with Mr. Currey,
and afterwards went with Mr. Gould to the Central company's
works, and to one of the places where they wash up. The
whole of the country for miles round Kimberley is covered
with ' blue,' which has to be exposed to the air from two to
eighteen months and well watered before it is sufficiently
decomposed to be treated. The washing is a simple process,
The loads of ' blue ' are shot into revolving drums filled witb
water. The diamonds and hea-vy stones sink to the bottom
on the outer side of the drum ; the liquid mud flows to waste
over the inner edge. The drums are emptied once a day,
and the stones passed through sieves, which sort them into
sizes. The stones are sorted on tables and the diamonds
picked out, which is very trying work for the eyes, especially
with the smaller stones. Dined at the hotel. Des Graz and
I went to the club afterwards, and had a long chat with Mrj
Gould and Mr. Currey. It had been hot all day, but a heavy
thunderstorm cooled the air in the evening. We slept most
comfortably in the train ; the carriages are extraordinarily
wide for a narrow gauge (3 ft. 6 in.) line.
Tuesday, October' 18th. — At 5 o'clock we left Kimberley
and at 8 o'clock crossed the Orange River — a shallow, muddy
stream, fiowing between sandy banks. We were passing all
day over a flat, bare plain, with stony hills or ' kopjes ' here
and there. It was much colder than yesterday.
Wednesday, October 1 9th. — At 5.30 Mabelle, Mr, Currey,
and Des Graz went on the engine to see the scenery as we
descended the Hex River Mountains. As far as I could see
from the windows the scenery was not very grand, the most
remarkable thing being some patches of snow. Once down
off the uplands and in the Hex River Valley the country
becomes more in-viting. Farms, trees, and cultivated flats
become more numerous, though there are stUl rugged moun
tains on either hand. Many of the towns and villages were
-pretty, but the Paarl surpassed them all. It is a long

Simon's bay 247
straggling village with oaks and pine-trees round each home
stead, and with vineyards, which looked very pretty with
their fresh green leaves, in between. Before reaching Cape
Town the line crosses a low sandy isthmus ; the Cape peninsula
is supposed to have been at one time an island. We arrived
soon after 12 — i.e. we had taken over thirty hours to do
about 700 miles. We lunched on board the Union liner
'Spartan' with Mr. FuUer, M.L.A., Sir Thomas Scandling,
and Mr. Hofmeyr. The latter talked very pleasantly about
the doings of the conference at which he made his celebrated
proposal of a ' ZoUverein ' for the empire. It seems to me a
grand idea if it can be worked. We spent the rest of the
aftemoon quietly on board.
Thursday, October 20th. — Father and I went by the 10.30
train to Kalk Bay, and drove on with Admiral Sir Hunt
Grubbe and Lieutenant McCrea to Simon's Town, some five
miles. There are two forts on either side of Simon's Town.
The works are finished and the emplacements for the guns
are ready, but of course there are no guns. They have had
to arm them with old 7-inch M.L.R. and two 9-inch M.L.R.
guns. Four 9'2-inch B.L.R, guns are required besides smaller
guns, but at the present rate at which they are making the
guns at Woolwich they wiU not be mounted at the Cape for
the next two years. It is very disgusting to see the same
state of things in every colony except the great self-governing
colonies of Australia, who order their own guns. The money
spent by the colony on the construction of fortifications is more
than half thrown away if the armament is composed of ob
solete guns. The fortifications of Cape Town, which it is
more important to protect even than Simon's Town, are not
commenced. We lunched at Admiralty House — a nice house
with a pretty garden. After lunch we inspected the dock
yard, which is a fairly complete establishment, though there
is no dock. It is a pity it is not in Table Bay, where the
same fortifications would protect both town and dockyard ;
but on the other hand Simon's Bay is a snug anchorage, and

248 THE COLONIES
if fortified prevents an eneriiy from landing and taking Cape
Town in reverse. In the dockyard they have the fittings
and guns for arming six merchant cruisers. Two vessels
were taken up at the time of the Russian scare, when there
were four Russian cruisers and only the ' Raleigh ' (the
flagship) at the Cape. We heard a great account of the
sailing qualities of the ' Raleigh ' from Captain Watson. She
does eleven to twelve knots pretty easily, and on one occasion
she beat out of Algoa Bay against a south-easter. We
travelled back to Cape Town with Colonel Moorsom, com
manding the artillery. I dined at the Civil Service Club
with Williams, Sir Gordon Sprigg's private secretary.
Friday, October 21si5.— We left Cape Town at 10,30 with
Sir Gordon Sprigg (the Premier), Lady Sprigg, Mr, Tudhope,
and Mr, Hofmeyr. The latter is the head of the Africander
Bond, but a thorough imperialist in his ideas. He is an
able man, and exercises a great influence in Parliament here,
though he will not take office. We had a long talk to-day,
and I took a great liking to him. The great subject of con
versation in the train was the news that the Registration Act
had been allowed by the Home Government. The Registra
tion Act is a conservative mea.sure ; it imposes certain
restrictions on native electors, and compels them to be
properly registered. After an hour in the train we reached
Stellenbosch, which is at the foot of the mountains to the
north of False Bay. It is a lovely old-fashioned Dutch
place, with white neatly thatched houses, and avenues of oaks
in every street. We went first to inspect the Stellenbosch
CoUege (for boys from thirteen to twenty) , The boys are nearly
all Dutch, but the masters are mostly English, In front of the
college the volunteers were drawn up ; they were a splendid-
looking lot of young fellows. After father had made them
a short speech, we drove up a lovely valley with the most
picturesque peaks on either side to an old Dutch farm. All
the buildings were very neat and trim, and surrounded by
some splendid oaks ; these are the two characteristics which

CAPE TOWN 249
distinguish a farmhouse at the Cape. We drove back to
Stellenbosch for lunch, the road running all the way through
vineyards. It was a bright day, and not too hot. We met
some nice people at lunch, amongst others the son of one of
the old Dutch settlers, by name Myburgh, a very nice fellow,
who was to all intents and purposes an Englishman, We
are told that the Dutch in Cape Town are becoming more
and more English every day, and that English influence is
gi-adually spreading into the country districts. The English
race has a great power of assimilation ; whether it is Germans
in Australia or Dutchmen at the Cape, they are gradually
becoming Englishmen. We may have lost confidence in
ourselves, but, as the Novoe Vremya said the other day, the
English race to the outside world is as strong as ever. We
were back in Cape Town at 5. Major and Mrs. Dugdale and
Mr. Williams dined on board the yacht.
Saturday, October 22nd. — We went by the 9.30 train with
Sir Gordon and Lady Sprigg to Wynberg, and then drove on
to the Government vineyards at Constantia. The scenery
on this eastern side of Table Mountain is very pretty and
thoroughly English ; we drove across commons covered with
heath, and through groves of pine-trees and oaks. The
eastern slopes of Table Mountain are quite green, a great
contrast to the brown hillside one sees from Cape Town.
Constantia is a beautiful old Dutch place. There is a nice
garden, and some forty acres of vineyard, but the great
feature is some splendid oaks, the biggest which we have yet
seen. Oaks grow more quickly and are more straggling than
at home, but the timber is not so valuable. We drove back
to lunch with the Spriggs, who have a small house at
Rondebosch. Very few people live in Cape Town itself, and
especially in the summer months they inhabit the many
pretty places along the back of Table Mountain, In the
afternoon the Spriggs, Lady Uppington, the wife of the late
Premier, Mr. and Mrs, Currey, Lady Robinson, Captain and
Mrs. Dawkins, and Lady Torrens came on board the yacht.

250 THE COLONICS
We all went to stay at Govemment House for the night.
Both Lady Robinson and Sir Hercules seem to have had
enough of the Cape, and do not seem to care for the conserva
tive Cape colonists so much as for the go-ahead Australians. ¦
Sunday, October 2Srd. — A chilly wet day. We went to
the cathedral at 11, where there was a good choral service.
In the aftemoon I walked with Dawkins up to the Reservoirj
from which we had a fine -view over the town, and called at
the City Club. The clubs at Cape Town do not compare
with the Australian clubs. At 5 we went on board the
yacht, hoping to start to-night, but the wind was N.W.
Monday, October 24th. — We got under weigh at 10 with
a fresh breeze from west by south. We could not weather
Robben Island, and instead of tacking out ran back to Table
Bay. After lunch we went ashore and looked round the
Parliament House, the Museum, and Free Library. The
interior arrangements of the Parliament House compare well
with those at Melbourne ; the Free Library is good, and the
Museum fair. We got under weigh at 6 with a light air,
and remained rolling about outside the harbour till 12 o'clock,
when we began to steam.

THE SOUTH-EAST TRADES 251

CHAPTER IX.
THE CAPE TO ENGLAND,
Tuesday, October 25th. — There was a heavy westerly
swell, which made us all feel rather sea-sick. The dilapidated
state of the boiler only admitted of our steaming five to six
knots. In the afternoon a breeze sprang up from the south
ward ; we ceased steaming at 6, and for the next four days
bowled along merrily before it. Our runs were 233, 243,
223, and 209. On Saturday, October 29th, the wind began
to get lighter and to draw right aft, so that we could not
run our course. We thought we were going to make a good
passage of it, but the last five days were not exciting. Our'
runs were 152, 183, 146, 140, and 140 up to 9 a.m. On
Saturday the ' Roslin Castle ' passed us homeward bound, and
on Sunday the ' Norham Castle,' with Sir Donald Currie on
board, passed us outward bound and gave us three hearty
cheers. Thursday, November Srd. — At 4 a.m. we made St, Helena,
and by 7 o'clock were close under the eastem end. A huge
volcanic mass rose straight out of the sea to the height of
1,500 or 2,000 feet. The rock was of such an extraordinary
grey colour as to make it appear a picture and not a reality
at which we were looking. We anchored at 9 a.m. off
Jamestown, which is situated at the mouth of a deep valley
not more than a few hundred yards wide. At the top of the
cliff on the western side stand the barracks, the officers' mess,
and one of the forts, which communicate with the town by
the famous ' Jacob's ladder.' We went ashore after break-

252 THE COLONIES
fast, and found two capital saddle-horses and two good traps.
It was a stiff pull up the road to the fort. The garrison of
the fort and of the whole island consists of a company of the
Royal Scots and a few artillerymen. The armament con
sists of two 6-inch B,L,R. guns and of muzzle-loaders.
From the fort we drove on past Plantation House and along
the Sandy Bay Ridge Toad to a small inn near Napoleon's
tomb. The island is a succession of deep vaUeys and high
ridges, which double the acreage and make the distance
from place to place three times greater than it would be if
the country was flat. All round the sea-coast there is
nothing but volcanic rock ; at 1,000 to 1,500 feet the vege
tation begins, first cactus and then pines, which are very
much blown about by the trade wind. Once on the ridges
(which are about 3,000 feet) in the centre of the island the
contrast is extraordinary; the hillsides are covered with
short green grass, patches of gorse all in blossom, and masses
of bramble and bushes, while arum lilies grow in profusion
near the streams. The windward side ofthe ridge has more
timber on it, probably because it catches more rain, and is if
possible prettier than the other. We saw many cattle and
sheep. There was little cultivation except in vegetable
gardens, though near Longwood there are a few fields of barley
and oats. At the top of the Sandy Bay Ridge we heard
several cock pheasants crowing, a sound which has not
¦delighted our ears for many a long day, and we saw one
fine ring-necked bird. After lunch we drove on to Long-
wood, Napoleon's residence. It is kept in very good order
by the ' gardien,' a Frenchman, who has been in the island
for more than thirty years. We drove back to the tomb,
which is in a pretty little dell shaded by willows and Norfolk
pines. The gardien's daughters who were in charge of the
tomb presented us with the most lovely bouquets. Father,
Mabelle, and the Doctor went back by Plantation House to call
on Mr, Gray Wilson, the Governor. They said that the
grounds were beautifully laid out, and that there were some

ST. HELENA 253
splendid trees. In the days of the old East India Company
much attention was paid to horticulture, and a great deal of
money was spent in the island ; the Governor had a salary of
12,000Z, a year. The island has gone back a good deal since
then, and very few ships except whalers call there now. The
opening of the Suez Canal diverted an immense number of
ships from the route round the Cape, and the sailing ships
that still use the Cape route are deterred from calling at St.
Helena by the avarice of the inhabitants. Many shipowners
give their captains strict orders not to call at St. Helena.
Here, as at Mauritius, the inhabitants seem to consider a dis
tressed ship as their natural prey, and most exorbitant prices are
charged, whether for repairs, water, or fresh provisions. The
population at present numbers nearly 6,000, of mixed races,
the negro blood predominating, and this number is said to be
twice too many for the size of the island. There are not
more than 500 pure whites. The climate of St. Helena is
delightful, considering its latitude, 17° south. To-day,
notwithstanding an almost vertical sun, it was never hot;
on board the yacht it was only 69°. The Union line and
Donald Currie's boats call there each once a month on the
homeward voyage, for which the island has to pay 2, OOOL a
year — a very great grievance there. We were lucky enough
to get papers of October 13th, owing to the ' Norham Castle '
having specially called on the outward voyage. Major Tor-
kington came on board iu the evening. We started to get
under weigh at 8, but the anchor did not come up as usual,
and it was evident that something was wrong. Most of the
men had been ashore on leave, and it turned out that they
had fallen in with an old man who had been to one of the
colonial parties at Normanhurst, and who in return thought
it his duty to treat them royally. The ship would certainly
have been got under weigh with a little management, but the
order was given to raise steam, and we were off by 10.30. It
was an unpleasant episode, and shows that even the best of
cyews are liable to temptation.

254 THE COLONIES
We had a fine breeze when we got cleai* of the island, but
after a few hours it dropped lighter, and we did not average
more than seven knots to Ascension, which we made at 4
o'clock on the afternoon of November 7th. Our runs were
112, 186, 171, and 169. We hove to for the night off the
Garrison — the port ofthe island.
Tuesday, November Sth. — We anchored at 7 A.M. Ascen
sion looks from the sea a regular heap of cinders. The coast
is not precipitous as at St. Helena, but it is in most places
rocky. In the bays there are sandy beaches, on which the
sea was breaking fiercely. When the ' rollers ' are on we
are told that it is magnificent. The ' rollers,' which occur
occasionally both here and at St. Helena, are a very violent
swell, and sometimes drive ships ashore though there is no
wind. They are supposed to be caused by hurricanes in the
North Atlantic. We landed after breakfast without difficulty,
though when the ' rollers ' are on it is often impossible for
days together. Father went round the naval yard with Cap
tain Napier, while we walked out to the Wideawakes — a great
place for sea-birds at nesting time. A sergeant and corporal
of marines were sent in charge of us ; both, and especially the
former, were fine fellows. The more one sees of marines, the
more one is convinced that they are a splendid body of
men, infinitely superior to our line regiments, physically
¦and morally. It was a very hot and rough walk over the
^ clinker.' There was hardly any vegetation, but we saw
some sheep that appeared in fairly good condition. There
are now some 1,200 sheep in the island, though it would
carry 3,000 ; a few years ago it would not carry 300. Both
Captain Napier and Mr. Spearing, the farm-bailiff, say that
the vegetation has spread immensely even in their time, an(J
in a few years Ascension may become almost a green spot.
At present only the top of the Green Mountain is covered
with grass. It is 2,800 feet high, and gets so much rain
that sheep do better on the clinker. All the other hills are
craters, and have no vegetation, on them. We were back on

ASCENSION 255
board for lunch. The naval establishment was much larger
than father expected. They have a very considerable stock
of coals, and more than 60, OOOL worth of stores. The naval
store is a most substantial building, and the barracks and
Kroomen's quarters are good. The population numbers be
tween 200 and 300 people. The garrison consists entirely of
marines, and all the work on the island is done by them.
They are the plumbers, bricklayers, shepherds, farm-labourers,
&c., and a man has to pass an examination in one of these trades
before he is sent here. The island is practically undefended.
There is only a battery with two small guns on Cross HUl,
close to Captain Napier's house, and there is an old battery
close to the landing. If the Admiralty keep stores here
there should be some defence. In the afternoon all the ladies
of the place, some six in number, came on board to tea. It
was very pleasant on board the yacht, not more than 77°.
Wednesday, November 9th. — H.M.S. ' Wye,' which had
brought out the reliefs -via Rio Janeiro, was homeward bound
to-day with time-expired men. Men are stationed here for two
years, and most of them complain that they are kept for several
months over time. We went ashore to breakfast with Captain
and Mrs. Napier, and started immediately afterwards for the
Green Mountain. We drove for four miles over the clinker,
and then had a stiff pull of two miles up ' The Ramps ' to
the hospital and marine barracks, which are some 400 feet
higher. Close to the barracks is a cottage with a charming
garden, to which the officers of the garrison go once or twice
a year for a change. We walked up to the farm, which con
sists chiefly of a most substantial cowshed. They have ten
cows, and have just got a fine bull out from England, for
which they paid 80Z. At present they import all their beef
from the Cape, but they hope in time to supply the garrison
with both beef and mutton. We walked right round the
Green Mountain on a level path, and had a fine view all over
the island. The grass near the top of the mountain is very
coarse, and the feed, though scantier, is much better in the

256 THfi COLONIES
' clinker.' There are a few pheasants, a good many partridges,
and plenty of rabbits. For the rifle there are wild donkeys
and wUd goats, but it is difficult to get a shot at them, as
they are very wary, and are generally in the mpst inaccessible
places. We had an excellent lunch with Mr, and Mrs, Dobell
(the paymaster and his wife), Mr, Spearing, and Captain
Napier, and started back again. We felt it much hotter on
the clinker ; on the Green Mountain it is ten or twelve degrees
cooler than at the garrison, but the constant rain and mist
are rather a drawback. The marines who were with us to
day were very fine fellows again. One of them had been at
Abu Klea, the other at El Teb, Tamai, and McNeill's zareeba.
The latter told me that he hoped not to be sent home for four
years ; I suppose the extra pay must be the attraction. We
got under weigh at 5. I never saw the sails go up more
smartly ; yachtsmen are always smarter if they have naval
eyes on them. There was a fine breeze when we got clear of
the island, and we were soon bowling along at eleven knots,
with the wind three points abaft the beam,
Thursday, November 10th. — We passed the ' Wye ' at
12,30 A,M, She had left five hours before us, so she cannot
have done more than seven knots. Run at noon 200 (208
by log) for eighteen hours. At 5 P,M, we had run 260 knots
for the twenty-four hours,
Friday, November llth. — We still held the same fine
breeze. Run 227, by log 243. In the evening we crossed
the line, and are once more in the northem hemisphere.
We held the trade into 6° north, though in diminishing
force, and did not begin to steam till the afternoon of
November 13th,
Monday, November 14th. — It was very much hotter to
day. For the last three days we have had a strong favourable
current setting to the north-west. We have not experienced
the Guinea current at aU, though it is marked strongly on
all the charts. At 3 p,m, we made the high land near Sierra
Leone, and at 9 p.m. anchored off Free Town, on the south

SIERRA LEONE 257
side of the Sierra Leone River, There was a delicious scent
of tropical vegetation, and a feel about the air which reminded
us of Ceylon, Our pilot, a negro, informed us that a native
war was on, and that the expedition was starting to-morrow,
Tuesday, November 15th. — We went ashore at 6 o'clock.
About the steps of the landing-place there was a most
curious crowd of negroes and negresses, the latter with head
dresses and garments of the brightest of blue cotton. We
were lucky enough to meet Captain Mackay, the engineer
officer in charge of the forts, and he took father and me to
King Tom's Point, just below the town, where three batteries
of two guns each are being constructed. Unfortunately they
are only to be armed with four 7-inch and two 10-inch
muzzle-loaders. The vegetation is so luxuriant that, though
we were only a quarter of a mile from King Tom, on board
the yacht we could see no sign of the batteries. These may
be fairly said to command the river, which, though it is four
miles broad, is blocked up, especially on the northern side,
by shoals. At the landing-place father met Sir Francis de
Winton, and I went on with Captain Mackay to see the
other two batteries, one on a low point just above the town
for two 10-inch muzzle-loaders, and one on a hill in the
centre of the town for a 9-2-inch 22-ton breechloader. The
emplacement and magazine for the latter is being excavated
out of the solid rock, so it will be a costly affair. We went
into the mess-room at the barracks of the West India Regi
ment, from which there was a lovely view over the town and
river. The town is prettily situated on the slopes of the
hills. Horses will not live so far down the coast as this ; the
only conveyances are hammocks carried by four bearers, so
the streets are pleasant grass roads. The houses are many of
them old and rather tumble-down. At 1 1 o'clock we went
to breakfast with the Deputy-Governor, Captain Hay ; the
Govemor was away at Bathurst, on the Gambia River, We
met Sir Francis de Winton and his A,D,C,, Captain Browne,
the Governor of Accra, and his daughter, who were on their
s

258 THE COLONIES
way to the Gold Coast, the Colonial Secretary, Mr, Griffith, and
Colonel Hill, commanding the West India Regiment, The con
versation chiefly related to the expedition. It is sent to chas
tise a tribe on the Bibi River, who have for the past two years
been very troublesome, plundering and attacking friendly
natives, and also natives in British territory. They number
about 3,000 flghting men. Their chief to-wn or -village is sur
rounded by a double or triple line of mud walls and stock
ades, and will, of course, be the object of the attacking force.
Our friend Captain Mackay and another engineer officer are
to blow in the stockade with dynamite — rather a ticklish
business, though the natives are only armed with old trade
muskets. The danger our officers seem to fear most is a panic
amongst the train of coolies as they are marching along the
narrow paths through the jungle. Our forces consist of
300 black troops of the 1st West India Regiment, of which
the officers and a fair sprinkling of non-commissioned officers
are whites. They are fairly trustworthy, and about as
good as the Madras regiments in India, The only white
troops who accompany the expedition are fifteen seamen,
with a Gatling gun, from the 'Acorn,' The Governor ap
plied for fifty men ; but though the ' Acorn ' with a crew of
130 men, and the 'Rifleman' with a crew of 75 men, are
lying here, and have been lying here for some time, doing
nothing, the Admiralty refused to accede to the request. It
is difficult to understand the reasons of a refusal which is cer
tainly detrimental to the public service. If gunboats are
kept on this unhealthy coast at all, the crews should be em
ployed on occasions of this sort. Moreover, flfty men would
have a better chance in an action with the enemy than
fifteen. The men themselves were so keen to go that the per
mission had to be made a kind of reward for the petty officers,
and none but petty officers are going. This instance of red tape
is only equalled by one we heard of later in the day. Cap
tain Browne asked Captain H  of the ' Acom ' for the loan
of half a dozen revolvers for himself and some other officers.

SIKHRA LEONE 1^59
Captain H  referred him to the master gunner, by whom
they were refused. Anything more petty or disgusting than
this cannot well be conceived. In the afternoon father and
I went on board the ' Acorn ' and ' Rifleman,' The former is
a new vessel of 850 tons, with a powerful armament of 5-inch
breech-loading guns, and machine guns of different types.
She is barque-rigged, but though her sister ship, the ' Icarus,'
saUs well, they do not get much out of the ' Acorn,' Captain
H  did not seem keen about his vessel, and the way
in which he talked about the bother he had had with the
officers at Government House showed that he, at any rate,
did not mean to do anything to assist the expedition. Colonel
Hills, Bentinck, a nice young fellow in the West India Regi
ment, Mackay, and the American Consul and his wife, real
homely Americans with a good Yankee twang, came on board
to tea. We steamed out of the river at sunset, well satisfied
with our day. Sierra Leone is a very pretty place, and, though
the climate is bad in the rainy season, to-day it was not un
pleasantly hot. There appears to be but little trade, but as
it is about halfway between the Cape and England it is im
portant as a coaling station. It is rather exposed to attack, as
the French have 4,000 troops at Goree, about 400 miles north
of this. We hear that they are constantly making themselves
objectionable in the Gambia, and trying to encroach on terri
tory which is more or less under our protection. There is
only one thing I regret about our visit to Sierra Leone, and
that is that we did not meet any distinguished natives. One
barrister is said to be making between 2, OOOL and 3, OOOL a
year, Wednesday, November IGth, and Thursday, November 17th. —
We were steering up the coast for Cape de Verde, steaming
about six knots. It was terribly hot and muggy. At noon on
Thursday we got the wind from N,N,E,, run 162, At 1 p.m,
we ceased steaming and put the vessel off under sail for the
Cape de Verde Islands, By 8 p,m, it was blowing a moderate
gale, and we were under single-reefed lower canvas, s 2

260 THE COLONIES
Friday, November 18th. — The wind had moderated to a
fresh breeze ; we shook out our reefs, and were going along
all day ten or eleven knots, with the wind a point before the
beam. We all felt a little sea-sick, as we have had fair winds
for so long.
Saturday, November 19th. — At 7 A,M, we made St, Jago
and Maya Islands, We tried to pass between them, but
as the wind headed us we put the ship round and ran into
Porto Praya, at the south end of St, Jago, There was a
French training-ship, the ' Iphigenie,' lying in the bay, with
very taunt masts. After lunch we went ashore and escaped
difficulty with the authorities by presenting our bill of health
from Ascension, The to-wn of Porto Praya stands on a rock
between two valleys filled with cocoa-nuts. From the sea it
looks a nice little place, but the streets are like those of
a deserted city. Many of the houses are in ruins. In the
streets there were very few people, and those of the sleepiest
description. The English consul, an Italian, was very
pleasant, and talked English perfectly, Mr, McEwen and
two assistants of the West African Telegraph Company, the
only Englishmen in the island, also made themselves very
agreeable. The cable from Sierra Leone passes through St.
Jago to join the cable at St. Vincent. It must be terrible
work here for McEwen, who has a wife and family, and infi
nitely worse for the two young fellows, as there is absolutely
nothing to do. They are kept here for three years at a stretch,
and then only get three months' leave. We walked up to
the waterworks, the only sight in the tovm, and had a good
view over the island. The tops of the mountains, which rise
to over 7,000 feet, were in the clouds. The country looked
very green, and every valley is cultivated. Many of the Cape
de Verde Islands are very fertile, Brava grows some of the
best coffee in the world, but not in sufficient quantity to es
tablish a name in the market. In the hands of most other
nations the Cape de Verdes would be a valuable possession,
but the Portuguese can do nothing with them. At St, Jago

THE CAPE DE VERDES 261
they cannot raise sufficient revenue to pay the cost of admin^
istration, which has to be partly defrayed from the revenues
ofthe customs at St, Vincent, The population is 60,000 —
too many for the island ; and the people, who are mostly of
African origin, are very lazy. We saw a large number of
' unemployed ' grubbing up weeds in the principal square —
a most productive employment. At 0 p,m, we got under
weigh, but we lost the wind under St, Jago, and had to
raise steam,
Sunday, November 20th. — A lovely sail, with a fine breeze
and smooth water, under the lee of the north-western islands
of the Cape de Verde group. At 4 p.m, we sailed into a calm
under the lee of San Antonio, and for two hours we were
knocking about off Tarafal Bay, where we called on the voyage
round the world. We had to get up steam to get clear of
the island, and soon picked up the trade again, which allowed
us to lie nearly north. We saw three large sailing-ships
outward bound this afternoon, and eight more on Monday and
Tuesday, more than we have seen the whole voyage since
leaving Rangoon,
For two days after lea-ving the Cape de Verdes all went
well ; we bowled along at the rate of nine knots, and we
most of us hoped to get home in the first days of December,
but on Wednesday the wind dropped. We got up steam, but
as the boUer tubes kept giving out we only made very slow
progress. On Thursday we picked up the trade again, but
this time we had it from the north and north-north-east, and
could not lay better than north-west. On Sunday, November
27, we lost the trade at last in 31° north latitude. In the
evening we picked up a nice breeze from the west, and we
thought at last that we had got the westerly which we had
been hoping for so long. But on Monday it came on to blow
from the east, and blew hard for four days. On the second
and third days it blew so hard that we gradually split all our
lower canvas, and were reduced to trysails. The sea was at
times confused and steep, but we were able to keep continu-

202 THE COLONIES
ally forging ahead at the rate of a hundred mfles a day.
During the gale we passed two large barques hove to. When
we first saw them they were away on our weather bow, and
in about three hours they were right astern.
Friday, December 2nd. — We made Fayal at daybreak. At
8 A,M, we hove to under the lee of the island. We spent the
day beating to windward along the north shore of Fayal under
steam and sail. It blew so hard that we took all day to make
10 mUes, and it was not till evening that we got under the
lee of Pico. The cloud effects at sunrise and all through the
day were lovely,
Saturday, December Srd. — The sunrise over Pico was most
beautiful, Pico (7,600 feet high) in shape resembles Teneriffe,
and the top was covered with a sprinkling of snow. There
was less wind but a considerable swell, and it was -with some
hesitation that we steamed across the channel to Fayal and
anchored in Horta Bay, There were eight or ten sailing
vessels lying in the bay, most of them lame ducks. The
smartest vessel was the Boston packet, a nice little barque,
A good many Americans come to the Azores for the -winter.
The town of Horta is well situated, and the country behind
it looked pretty ; but when we went ashore and took a drive
into the country we were rather disappointed. The Azores
are very fertile, thickly populated, and nearly the whole
of the land is cultivated. The fields are small and divided
by high stone walls or bamboo grass hedges, which are some
what monotonous. We had an excellent lunch at the Fayal
Hotel, kept by a Portuguese and his Irish wife, both charming
old people. Behind the hotel there was a nice garden full of
bananas, camellias, and orange-trees, but it was not in good
order. The to-wn is clean, and there seems to be a fair amount
of industry, in the way of bootmaking especially. There were
several shipwrights' yards, in one of which they were build
ing some large lighters, Fayal was a great place for repairs
in the old days, but since PlimsoU's Bill was passed the trade
has fallen off immensely, and there is a great animosity

THE AZORES 203
against him in consequence, Mr, Dart, the consul, was very
pleasant, and gave us a good deal of information. The popu
lation of Fayal numbers 20,000, and is increasing rapidly;
the imports amount to 40,000Z, and the exports to 10,000L
annually, A large part of the revenue is spent on the con
struction of a breakwater, which will be some years before it
is completed. We got under weigh in the evening with a fair
wind, but at midnight it flew round to the old quarter,
Sunday, December 4th. — It was blowing hard from theN,E,
at 8 A,M,, and we determined to run down under the lee of
Terceira for shelter. It blew harder as the day wore on, and
the squalls came down off the island with terrific violence.
But once under the lee we were in smooth water, and kept
gilling about all day in comfort, Terceira is the seat of
government for the Azores, although St, Michael's and Fayal
are more important islands and more generally -visited. It
is a lovely island from the sea, and few pictures could have
been prettier than the light and shade on the hills this after
noon, Monday, December 5th. — A flat calm. We got up steam
by ten o'clock, and were soon clear of the island. Two or three
tubes gave out during the day ; at midnight the last stopper
was used, and we had to draw fires for the last time. For
tunately there was a little breeze, though we were not able to
lay our course,
Tuesday, December Gth. — Wind light and right ahead. In
the morning we had a serious consultation. We had no salt
meat on board, Pratt had made provision for 42 days from
the Cape, and had not been able to get any at Fayal, We
found that he had nine days' meat on board for all hands, and
that with tinned things and mixed biscuits, principally the
latter, we might exist for three weeks. We hesitated whether
we should run back to St, Michael's or try to get home.
Ultimately we decided to do the latter, thinking that we
would be certain to make some European port before our pro
visions were exhausted. It was lucky we did so, as that night

204 THE COLONIES
the wind became fair, and for the next three days we were
running before a moderate gale which took us more than
halfway home. For the last three days before entering
the Channel there was less wind, the weather was thick, and
we were unable to take observations,
Monday, December 12th. — The weather was still thick,
but we were sure by the appearance of the water that we
were in soundings. We sounded with the deep-sea lead at
noon, at three, and at dusk, and the soundings gave us our
supposed position in the middle of the Channel, While we
were at dinner in the evening Kindred came down and re
ported two lights, which appeared to be lighthouses on the
starboard bow. The news caused great excitement, and we
all rushed on deck. The fog had closed in again, and we
could see nothing ; it was coming on to blow, and as we had
not expected to make the Lizard before to-morrow moming
our position was by no means pleasant. We hove to and
began reefing down. By-and-by. the fog lifted, and we made
out two revol-ving lights, but were uncertain what they were.
Father, after long consideration, made up his mind that they
could not be lights on the coast of France ; Des Graz and the
doctor carefully took the time of the revolutions ; but it was
Mabelle who ultimately found out where we were. In the
almanack of '80 she found that the light on the Bishops rock
was to be temporarily changed during '87 while a new light
house was being built. We were then certain that we were
off the Scillys, and at 9 P,M, kept away on our course up
Channel, The wind had increased to a gale, and soon after
midnight we tore past the Ijizard, going something over
twelve knots,
Tuesday, December 13th. — We had a grand sail for the last
day of the voyage. It was still blowing hard, with the wind
three points abaft the beam. It was not the most favourable
point for taking the sea, and we had more water on board
to-day than all the rest of the voyage. While we were
at breakfast a considerable body of water forced open the

HOME AT LAST 205
weather saloon skylights and descended into the saloon, B,
and one of the stewards were drenched to the skin, and every
one had more or less salt water in his plate. We passed
any number of vessels beating down Channel and sevei-al
steamers going up Channel, but it was too thick to see the
land. Just as it was getting dusk we steered straight in for
the Wight, and were fortunate enough to pick up the land.
We ran in past St, Catherine's and Ventnor, and brought up
close to the Nab for the night,
Wednesday, December 14th. — We got under weigh under
sail, and, picking up a tug off the Neman, were towed slowly
into Portsmouth Harbour,
We are home at last. But though we had been all look
ing forward so much to our arrival, our feelings are sadly
mingled now.

PRWTED BT
SPOTTISWOODE AND CO,, XEW^STEEET SQITAIIIC
LONDON

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