AMONG CANNIBALS
[Illustration]
AMONG CANNIBALS
AN ACCOUNT OF
FOUR YEARS’ TRAVELS IN AUSTRALIA AND OF CAMP LIFE WITH THE ABORIGINES OF
QUEENSLAND
BY
CARL LUMHOLTZ, M.A.
MEMBER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF SCIENCES OF NORWAY
TRANSLATED BY
RASMUS B. ANDERSON
EX-UNITED STATES MINISTER TO DENMARK
WITH PORTRAIT, MAPS, 4 CHROMO-LITHOGRAPHS, AND WOODCUTS
NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS
1889
COPYRIGHT, 1889, BY
CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS
TROW’S
PRINTING AND BOOKBINDING COMPANY,
NEW YORK.
TO
=Paul B. Du Chaillu,=
THE CELEBRATED EXPLORER OF AFRICA
AND
THE GREAT FRIEND OF SCANDINAVIA’S PAST AND PRESENT
AS EVINCED BY
‘THE LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN’ AND ‘THE VIKING AGE’
THIS ENGLISH EDITION IS MOST RESPECTFULLY
DEDICATED
BY
THE AUTHOR
AUTHOR’S PREFACE
In the year 1880 I undertook an expedition to Australia, partly at the
expense of the University of Christiania, with the object of making
collections for the zoological and zootomical museums of the University,
and of instituting researches into the customs and anthropology of the
little-known native tribes which inhabit that continent.
At the commencement of my travels, which occupied four years, I spent
some time in the south-eastern colonies, South Australia, Victoria, and
New South Wales; and succeeded in establishing connections with the
museums in the cities of Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney, and I may add
that everywhere I met with the most cordial reception. I am particularly
indebted to the distinguished botanist Baron Ferd. von Mueller, of
Melbourne; to Fred. M‘Coy, Professor of Zoology and Mineralogy in
Melbourne University; and to Dr. E. P. Ramsay, Director of the Museum in
Sydney.
More than ten months from November 1880 to August 1881 were spent by me
at the fine station of Gracemere in Central Queensland, belonging to
Messrs. Archer and Co. Both here and elsewhere I was indebted to various
members of the Archer family for kindnesses, which in many ways aided me
in my work. I was placed under similar obligations to Walter J. Scott,
Esq., the proprietor of the Valley of Lagoons station in Northern
Queensland. To all these gentlemen I desire to express my sincere
gratitude.
In August 1881 I entered upon my first journey of discovery, in the
course of which I penetrated about 800 miles into Western Queensland,
but the results in nowise corresponded to the hardships I had to endure.
I thereupon selected Northern Queensland as the field of my chief
exploration, and here I spent fourteen months in constant travel and
study. From August 1882 to July 1883 I made my headquarters in the
valley of the short but comparatively broad and deep Herbert river,
which empties itself into the Pacific Ocean at about 18° S. lat., and
there I lived alone among a race of people whose culture—if indeed they
can be said to have any culture whatever—must be characterised as the
lowest to be found among the whole genus _homo sapiens_. Not only are
many of the Australian aborigines cannibals, but most of the tribes have
not yet emerged from the Stone Age in the history of their development.
Others have studied the ethnographic peculiarities of this race; but my
predecessors have mainly directed their attention to the tribes of the
southern part of Australia, which in many respects have attained a
higher intellectual development than their northern kinsmen.
From my base on the Herbert river I made expeditions in various
directions, extending in some instances to nearly 100 miles. The greater
part of the volume now offered to the public is devoted to descriptions
of my life in the camps of the northern savages in different districts.
It has been my purpose to present a faithful picture, based on my own
observations, of the life, manners, and customs of the Australian
aborigines from their birth and infancy to their old age and death; and
thus to rescue, for the science of ethnography, facts concerning tribes
that have never before come into contact with white men, and that within
a generation or two will have disappeared from the face of the earth.
While making these anthropological studies I also succeeded in securing
a collection of zoological specimens, some of which are new to science,
and all of which may be seen in the museums of the Christiania
University. The collection consists mainly of vertebrates, including a
considerable number of mammals, which have been described by Professor
R. Collett in _Zoologischer Jahrbücher_, Jena, 1887. I brought home
about 700 specimens of birds, a large number of reptiles and
batrachians, numerous fishes, also some insects and lower animals. Among
other things I discovered four new mammals, which have been described
and named by Professor R. Collett in the _Proceedings of the Zoological
Society of London_, 1884. The four new mammals are: _Dendrolagus
lumholtzii_ (the tree-kangaroo); and three opossums, _Pseudochirus
archeri_, _Pseudochirus herbertensis_, and _Pseudochirus lemuroides_.
In conclusion, I desire to express my obligations to the friends who
have helped me in carrying on my work, and in writing this record of
it—to Professor Robert Collett and Professor Ossian Sars, of Christiania
University, who first encouraged me to undertake the journey, and who
never have failed to render me valuable aid and advice; to Dr. H. Reusch
and Mr. A. M. Hansen, for their co-operation in drawing up a portion of
the appendix to this volume; to Professor R. B. Anderson (late United
States Minister to Denmark), for his aid in the preparation of the
English edition; to Mr. M. R. Oldfield Thomas, for having revised the
scientific names in the proofs for me during my absence in America; and
to Mr. John Murray jun., for his assistance in the correction and
supervision of the whole work while passing through the press.
Most of the illustrations are by Norwegian and French artists from
original photographs, sketches, and specimens brought back by me from
Australia.
It should be observed that the area marked red on the map as indicating
the district explored by me should be extended so as to include
Cashmere, Glendhu, the Valley of Lagoons, and all the intervening
country.
As a foreigner, I would ask for the kind indulgence of my readers and
critics towards any literary shortcomings in this English edition of my
work.
CARL LUMHOLTZ.
LONDON, _August 1889_.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
Introductory—Voyage to Australia—Arrival at
Adelaide—Description of the city—Melbourne, the Queen of
the South—Working men—The highest trees in the world—Two
of the most common mammals in Australia Pages 1–12
CHAPTER II
Sydney harbour—Jealousy between Sydney and Melbourne—The
Blue Mountains—Brisbane and Rockhampton—First evening in
tropical Australia—Gracemere station—Animal and plant
life—Vine-scrubs—Excursion into the neighbouring
districts—A Norseman who feels cold in Australia 13–30
CHAPTER III
Journey to Western Queensland—Camping out—_Damper_
(Australian bread)—The song of the magpie—Australian
scrubs—Hunting the kangaroo—Devotion of parrots—Station
life—Lonely shepherds—Migration of rats—Native
justice—Australian fleas—Native mounted police—A
remarkable flint instrument—The boomerang 31–52
CHAPTER IV
Struggle between blacks and whites—116° Fahrenheit—Cool
nights—Troubles—Bush-life—How the bushman spends his
money—Inundations—Back again to Gracemere—A greedy
snake—Courtship in the bush 53–62
CHAPTER V
Journey to Northern Queensland—Mackay-sugar—Employment of
South Sea Islanders—Townsville—A rough northern man—Sugar
district on Lower Herbert—Visit to a successful
Scandinavian—Blacks near Gardiner’s
farm—Nolla-nolla—Spring—Arrival at Herbert Vale 63–75
CHAPTER VI
Headquarters at Herbert Vale—Civilised blacks—Domestic
life—Nelly the cook—Cats—Swimming in fat—My bill of
fare—Killing the bullock—Strong stomachs and bad fare 76–88
CHAPTER VII
Kāmin (implement for climbing)—On the top of the
gum-trees—Hunting the wallaby—The spear of the
natives—Bird life in the open
country—Jungle-hens—Cassowary 89–99
CHAPTER VIII
Pleasant companions—Two new mammals—Large scrubs in the
Coast Mountains—The lawyer-palm—“Never have a black-fellow
behind you”—I decide to live with the blacks—Great
expectations—My outfit—Tobacco is money—The baby of the
gun 100–111
CHAPTER IX
My first expedition with the blacks—A night in the
forest—Fear of evil spirits—Morning toilet—_Maja
yarri_—_Borboby_—The “lists” of blacks—Warriors in full
dress—Swords and shields—Fights—The rights of black
women—Abduction of women 112–127
CHAPTER X
The appearance of the aborigines in the different parts of
the continent—My pack-horse in danger—Tracks of the
_boongary_ (tree-kangaroo)—Bower-birds—The blacks in rainy
weather—Making fire in the scrubs—A messenger from the
civilised world—The relations of the various
tribes—Tattooing 128–146
CHAPTER XI
Respect for right of property—New country—My camp—Mountain
ascent—Tree-ferns—A dangerous nettle—A night in a
cavern—Art among the blacks—Edible larvæ—_Omelette aux
coléoptères_—Music of the blacks—Impudent begging 147–159
CHAPTER XII
The position of women among the blacks—The husband the
hunter, and the woman the provider of the family—Black
female slaves—“Marking” the wives—A twelve-year-old
wife—Considerate husbands—Wives an inheritance—Deserted by
my followers—Reasoning power of the blacks—Darkness and
rain 160–171
CHAPTER XIII
_Mongan_, a new mammal—For my collection or to feed the
blacks?—Natives do not eat raw meat—A young yarri—A
meteorite—Fear of attacks—Cannibals on the war-path—The
relations between the tribes 172–177
CHAPTER XIV
Dingo a member of the family—A black who does not
smoke—Hunting the flying-squirrel—Diseases among the
natives—Their remedies—A splendid offer—Unpleasant
companions—Trouble in getting dogs 178–187
CHAPTER XV
Blacks on the track—A foreign tribe—Native baskets—Two black
boys—Bringing up of the children—_Pseudochirus lemuroides_
with its young—The effect of a shot—A native
swell—Relationship among the blacks—Their old women 188–200
CHAPTER XVI
Wild landscape on the Upper Herbert—_Kvingan_, the devil of
the blacks—A fatal eel—Mourning dress—Flight of the
blacks—A compromise—Christmas Eve—Lonely—Christmas fare—A
“faithful” relative—A welcome wallaby 201–211
CHAPTER XVII
A wedding—Love among the Australian natives—My first meeting
with Yokkai—Big eaters—An accident—Left alone with
Yokkai—A difficult descent—Return to Herbert Vale—A new
beetle—Friends of the animals 212–222
CHAPTER XVIII
Native politeness—How a native uses a newspaper—“Fat”
living—Painful joy—_Boongary, boongary_—Veracity of the
natives—A short joy—A perfect cure—An offer of
marriage—Refusal 223–235
CHAPTER XIX
A festival dance of the blacks—Their orchestra—A plain
table—Yokkai wants to become “a white man”—Yokkai’s
confession—A dangerous situation—A family drama 236–246
CHAPTER XX
Arrival of the native police—The murderer
caught—Examination—Jimmy is taken to Cardwell—Flight of
the prisoner—The officer of the law—Expedition to the
Valley of Lagoons—A mother eats her own child—My authority
receives a shock 247–255
CHAPTER XXI
The rainy season—How the evenings are spent—Hardy
children—Mangola-Maggi’s revenge—The crania of the
Australians—The expedition to Cardwell—Dalrymple Gap—A
scandalous murder—Entry into Cardwell—Yokkai as
cook—“Balnglan’s” death—Tobacco cures sorrow 256–268
CHAPTER XXII
Unpleasantnesses at Herbert Vale—New expeditions—Hunting
human flesh—Cannibalism—Human flesh is the greatest
delicacy of the Australian blacks—Superstitions in
connection with the eating of human flesh—The taste of the
cannibals—Cannibalism in Burma 269–274
CHAPTER XXIII
The burial of the blacks—Black mummies—Sorcerers or
wizards—Myths and legends—The doctrine of the Trinity in
New South Wales—The belief in a future life among the
blacks 275–285
CHAPTER XXIV
My life in danger—Morbora’s ingratitude—Another danger—My
position grows more precarious—The black man’s fondness
for imitating 286–292
CHAPTER XXV
Winter in Northern Queensland—Snakes as food—Hunting
snakes—An unexpected guest at night—Yokkai’s first
dress—Norway’s “mountains of food”—Departure from Herbert
Vale—Farewell to the world of the blacks 293–302
CHAPTER XXVI
Message sticks—The common origin of the dialects—Remarkably
complicated grammar—The language on Herbert
river—Comparison of a few dialects 303–313
CHAPTER XXVII
Frozen meat—Again in Gracemere—Australian scenery—In a
carriole—Hunting the dugong—Cosmopolitan quarters for the
night—Cure for nervous diseases—Poisonous rabbits—Marry
only a person with good teeth—Bush girls—Mount Morgan 314–324
CHAPTER XXVIII
A family of zoologists—Flesh-eating kangaroos—How the
ant-eater propagates—Civilised natives—Weapons and
implements—Civilisation and demoralisation 325–338
CHAPTER XXIX
Religion—Blacks in the service of the white men—Fickle
minds—Settlers and natives on the borders of
civilisation—Morality—A life and death struggle—The
cruelty of the whites—Future prospects of the Australian
natives 339–349
APPENDIX
I. AN OUTLINE OF AUSTRALIAN HISTORY—
PAGE
The Condition before the European Discovery 353
History of the Discovery 355
History of the Colonies 359
II. GEOLOGY 366
III. FLORA 369
IV. FAUNA 376
INDEX 389
Ἀνδροφάγοι δὲ ἀγριώτατα πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἔχουσιν ἤθεα οὔτε
δίκην νομίζοντες οὔτε νόμῳ οὐδενὶ χρεόμενοι· νομάδες δὲ εἴσιν.
HERODOTUS, IV. 106.
ILLUSTRATIONS
PORTRAIT OF AUTHOR IN AUSTRALIAN DRESS _Frontispiece_
PAGE
BLACK SWAN 1
FLINDERS STREET, ADELAIDE 3
VIEW NEAR ADELAIDE 4
THE LIBRARY, MELBOURNE 6
THE GOVERNOR’S HOUSE, MELBOURNE 7
NATIVE BEAR WITH ITS YOUNG 10
HUNTING THE OPOSSUM _To face page_
11
TREE-FERNS IN VICTORIA 11
SYDNEY HARBOUR 13
THE BLUE MOUNTAINS 15
THE PARLIAMENT HOUSE, BRISBANE 17
FROGS (_Hyla cærulea_) ENTERING A WATER-JAR 18
GRACEMERE STATION 20
THE MAIN BUILDING, GRACEMERE STATION 21
IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF ROCKHAMPTON _To face page_
24
LAUGHING JACKASS (_Dacelo gigas_) 26
VINE-SCRUB NEAR GRACEMERE _To face page_
27
TRUE AUSTRALIAN SCENERY _To face page_
29
A WOOL-WAGGON 31
HEAD OF “MORE PORK” (_Podargus cuvierii_) 32
A KANGAROO HUNT _To face page_
34
SPIDER PARALYSED BY A HORNET 38
QUEENSLAND NATIVE MOUNTED POLICE 46
FLINT KNIFE FROM GEORGINA RIVER WITH ITS SHEATH 48
POUCH FOR THE CARRYING OF PITURI 49
BOOMERANGS FROM QUEENSLAND 51
STOCK-MAN’S WHIP 53
REST UNDER A BOTTLE-TREE (_Sterculia_) 55
BUSHMEN 58
A SQUATTER’S HOMESTEAD 59
ELEPHANT SUGAR-CANE, MACKAY 63
MY GORDON SETTER POINTING A BLACK SNAKE _To face page_
64
A NATIVE MAN FROM CENTRAL QUEENSLAND, NEAR ROCKHAMPTON 68
A NATIVE WOMAN FROM CENTRAL QUEENSLAND, NEAR
ROCKHAMPTON 69
NOLLA-NOLLAS 73
PECULIAR POSITION OF NATIVES WHEN RESTING 77
NELLY IN THE KITCHEN _To face page_
81
JACKY, A “CIVILISED” BLACK-FELLOW 83
CLIMBING WITH THE AID OF KĀMIN _To face page_
89
WALLABY HUNT _To face page_
92
WALLABY NET FROM HERBERT RIVER 94
THE SCREW-PALM (_Pandanus_) 95
YOUNG CASSOWARY 98
PALM FOREST IN NORTHERN QUEENSLAND 103
A WOMAN FROM NORTHERN QUEENSLAND, NEAR TOWNSVILLE 107
MY CAMP _To face page_
110
WOODEN SHIELDS FROM NORTHERN QUEENSLAND 120
FILLET OR BROW-BAND FROM NORTHERN QUEENSLAND 121
A WARRIOR IN GREAT EXCITEMENT JUST BEFORE BORBOBY _To face page_
COMMENCES 122
A BORBOBY _To face page_
124
OLD WOMEN PROTECTING A FALLEN WARRIOR 125
A WOMAN FROM MARYBOROUGH, CENTRAL QUEENSLAND _To face page_
129
A YOUNG GIRL FROM MARYBOROUGH, CENTRAL QUEENSLAND _To face page_
130
AN OLD MAN FROM HERBERT RIVER 132
A GROUP OF NATIVES FROM HERBERT RIVER 133
A YOUNG BOY FROM HERBERT RIVER, SHOWING ORNAMENTAL
SCARS 135
SMALL BASKET CARRIED ABOUT THE NECK, HERBERT RIVER 136
MAKING FIRE 141
JUNGLE-HEN (_Megapodius tumulus_) 149
TOOLLAH (_Pseudochirus archeri_)—Coloured plate _To face page_
152
EDIBLE BEETLE (_Eurynassa australis_) 154
LARVA OF SAME 154
NATIVES FROM HERBERT RIVER _To face page_
163
RIFLE-BIRD (_Ptiloris victoriæ_) 171
MONGAN (_Pseudochirus herbertensis_)—Coloured plate _To face page_
173
YARRI (_Dasyurus maculatus_) 174
DINGO 179
START FOR AN EXPEDITION _To face page_
188
BASKET FROM NORTH QUEENSLAND 190
A BASKET MADE OF SOFT MATERIALS (GRASS) FROM HERBERT
RIVER 194
BASKET FROM HERBERT RIVER, PAINTED WITH STRIPES AND
DOTS OF HUMAN BLOOD 195
YABBY (_Pseudochirus lemuroides_)—Coloured plate _To face page_
197
YELLOW NECKLACE WORN BY THE BLACKS AS AN EMBLEM OF
MOURNING 203
_Cicada aurora_ 222
BOONGARY (_Dendrolagus lumholtzii_)—Coloured plate _To face page_
226
ALL THE DOGS WERE PRODUCED _To face page_
229
KÉLANMI 233
A TUFT OF TALEGALLA FEATHERS 237
A SHELL USED AS AN ORNAMENT 237
DANCE OF THE NATIVES _To face page_
238
STRIPED-FACED POUCHED MOUSE (_Sminthopsis virginiæ_) 252
JIMMY 255
A MALE CRANIUM FROM ROCKHAMPTON, CENTRAL QUEENSLAND,
SEEN FROM FIVE SIDES 259
DALRYMPLE CREEK _To face page_
261
AN OLD MAN FROM TOWNSVILLE, NORTHERN QUEENSLAND 263
NATIVES ON HERBERT RIVER 269
BURIAL IN NORTHERN QUEENSLAND 275
A LARGE BASKET FROM NORTHERN QUEENSLAND FOR CARRYING
CHILDREN 276
HUNTING THE PYTHON 293
SNAKE FEAST IN MY CAMP _To face page_
298
A MESSAGE STICK FROM CENTRAL QUEENSLAND 304
REVERSE SIDE OF THE SAME 304
MESSAGE STICK, WITH INTERPRETATION OF INSCRIPTION 304
THE FREEZING ESTABLISHMENT, LAKES CREEK, NEAR
ROCKHAMPTON 314
A WIRE HARPOON POINT 317
A WOODEN PLUG 317
A WOODEN HARPOON POINT 317
THE DUGONG, OR AUSTRALIAN SEA-COW (_Halicore dugong_) 319
NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL QUEENSLAND. JABIRU IN THE _To face page_
FOREGROUND 323
MOUNT MORGAN GOLD MINE _To face page_
324
_Nephrurus asper_ 325
NATIVES FROM THE VICINITY OF ROCKHAMPTON 330
BROW-BAND FROM CENTRAL QUEENSLAND 331
OPOSSUM THREAD 332
APRON MADE FROM OPOSSUM YARN 332
SHIELDS FROM CENTRAL QUEENSLAND 333
WOODEN SWORD FROM CENTRAL QUEENSLAND 334
BENDI FROM COOMOOBOOLAROO 334
CRYSTALLINE AXE FROM PEAK DOWNS IN CENTRAL QUEENSLAND 335
A SPEAR FROM THE COAST OF CENTRAL QUEENSLAND 335
“KING BILLY OF GRACEMERE” WITH HIS “GIN” (WIFE) 337
CIVILISED GIRLS FROM THE VICINITY OF TOWNSVILLE 341
“THE LONELY OLD PEOPLE,” NATIVES FROM THE
NEIGHBOURHOOD OF TOWNSVILLE 344
NATIVE POLICE DISPERSING THE BLACKS _To face page_
348
COOK’S MONUMENT IN SYDNEY 356
A LARGE FOSSIL SEA-SHELL FROM WESTERN QUEENSLAND
(_Inoceramus maximus_) 367
LEAVES, FLOWERS, AND FRUIT OF _Eucalyptus amygdalina_ 370
AN AUSTRALIAN SPRUCE (_Araucaria bidwillii_) 372
THE TEA-TREE (_Melaleuca Leucadendron_) 373
_Chlamydosaurus kingii_ 376
WILD GEESE FROM NORTH QUEENSLAND (_Anseranas _To face page_
melanoleuca_) 383
EGG OF _Daphnia lumholtzii_ 386
_Daphnia lumholtzii_ 386
_Cyclestheria hislopi_ 387
SHELL OF A _Cyclestheria hislopi_ 388
MAP OF AUSTRALIA _At end_
MAP TO ILLUSTRATE THE AUTHOR’S TRAVELS IN QUEENSLAND „
[Illustration:
BLACK SWAN.
]
CHAPTER I
Introductory—Voyage to Australia—Arrival at Adelaide—Description of
the city—Melbourne, the Queen of the South—Working men—The highest
trees in the world—Two of the most common mammals in Australia.
On May 24, 1880, I went on board the barque _Einar Tambarskjelver_ bound
from Snar Island near Christiania to Port Adelaide with a cargo of
planed lumber. I carried with me a hunter’s outfit, guns, ammunition,
and other articles necessary for the chase, furnished me by the
University of Norway, as well as some northern bird skins in order to
inaugurate exchange with Australian museums. Sailing in the north-east
trade-winds, a sunset in the tropics, or a mild starlit night on the
ocean with a blazing phosphorescent sea, do not fail to make a strong
impression. Then passing the pacific belt of the ocean, where a dead
calm is suddenly interrupted by the most violent storm, you soon reach,
by the aid of the south-east trades, the region of the westerly winds.
The Southern Cross and the cloud of Magellan, the gigantic sperm-whale,
whose huge head now and then appeared above the surface of the water,
and the albatross, whose glorious flight we never ceased to admire,
heralded our arrival within the limits of the Southern Ocean.
Cape-doves, albatrosses, and gulls accompanied us for weeks together.
The passage had, however, at times its dark sides. On August 17, at six
o’clock in the morning, we were overtaken by a most violent gale. All
the sails, except the close-reefed topsails and foresail, were taken in.
We shipped many seas. The stairs to the quarter-deck were crushed; one
wave broke through two doors in the companion-way to the steerage,
another set all the water-casks afloat in the maddest confusion, a third
filled the galley, so that the cook found himself waist-deep in water.
The fire was extinguished, and the food was mixed with the salt water.
Several times the seas broke through our main cabin door, filling my
cabin with water, making boots, socks, books, and other articles swim
about in all directions.
On a long journey one gets tired of the sea, this “desert of water,” as
the Arab calls it—and we long to set foot again on _terra firma_.
According to the calculations of the captain we were fifty geographical
miles from the coast of Australia, when one morning we perceived for the
first time the smell of land, in this instance a peculiarly bitter but
mildly aromatic odour, as of fragrant resin. This fragrance, doubtless,
came from the acacias, which at this time were in full bloom. For by the
aid of the wind these trees, particularly _Acacia fragrans_, diffuse the
fragrance of their flowers to a great distance, and this morning there
was blowing a fresh, damp breeze directly from the land.
On the afternoon of August 29 we got sight of land. In the evening we
saw the lighthouse on Kangaroo Island; followed by dolphins we navigated
through Investigator Straits, and on the afternoon of the next day we
anchored outside Port Adelaide. As it was raining, we contented
ourselves with viewing the town from the distance. Our eyes
involuntarily rested on a number of chimneys, an evidence of extensive
manufactories.
[Illustration:
FLINDERS STREET, ADELAIDE.
]
What most interested me here was the Botanical Garden, which I visited
the same day. The weather was splendid, the rays of the sun were
reflected in large ponds, where the water-fowl were swimming among
papyrus and Babylonian weeping-willows. The parrots chattered in their
cages, and displayed their brilliant plumage; the birds sang in the
cultivated bushes of the garden, and the frogs croaked with that harsh,
strong note, which seems especially developed in tropical lands. There
was a life, a throng, an assemblage of dazzling colours, which could not
but make a deep impression on a person whose eyes for a hundred days had
seen nothing but sky and water.
This fine garden contains forty-five acres, and is excellently managed
by Dr. R. Schomburgk, celebrated for his travels in British Guiana. In
the “palm-house,” built of glass and iron, are found tropical plants.
The most beautiful and most imposing part of the park is the so-called
garden of roses, a large square enclosure surrounded by garlands of
tastefully-arranged climbing roses. Here is an abundance of varieties,
beginning with the tallest rose-bushes and ending with the smallest
dwarf-roses, and the colours vary from the most dazzling white to the
darkest red or almost black.
[Illustration:
VIEW NEAR ADELAIDE.
]
Among the trees familiar to me in this park were an alder and a birch.
They stood very modestly, just putting forth their leaves in company
with grand magnolias in blossom, elegant araucarias, and magnificent
weeping-willows. The hot-houses near the superintendent’s dwelling were
admirable, and presented a wealth of the greatest variety of flowers
from all parts of the world, but mainly from Australia. Some groups of
fine bamboo particularly attracted my attention. The park is visited by
several thousand people every Sunday afternoon.
Adelaide, containing about 60,000 inhabitants, is a very regularly laid
out city. All the streets cross one another at right angles, and are
very broad. Along the gutters railings are placed, to which people may
hitch their horses. Even servants go to market on horseback with baskets
on their arms.
The residences are constructed in a very practical manner, suited to the
demands of the climate, with verandahs and beautiful gardens. In many
parts of the city there are public reading-rooms, where the latest
newspapers may be found. In the forenoon these reading-rooms are always
full of people, particularly of the working classes.
The city cannot fail to make a favourable impression upon the traveller.
It is cleanly and elegant, corresponding to its feminine name Adelaide.
The inhabitants are unusually amiable, and they are renowned for their
hospitality, and this is saying a great deal in so hospitable a land as
Australia.
From Adelaide to Melbourne is a three days’ journey, and early one
morning I went on board a steamer bound for this port. Once there we
immediately perceive that we have come to a metropolis, for the flags of
all nations are unfurled to the breeze in its harbour.
The International Exhibition was to be opened in a few weeks, and in the
distance we could already see the great cupola of the building looming
up above the rest of the city. Great clouds of dust appeared in the
streets, giving us an idea of Melbourne’s dry climate. After a slow
voyage up the shallow Yarra river, during which we actually stuck in the
mud once or twice, we finally landed at the wharf.
Melbourne with its suburbs has only 300,000 inhabitants, but has the
appearance of being much larger on account of its broad and straight
streets and its numerous parks and magnificent public buildings.
The first building attracting our attention is the Library, a noble
structure in classical style, but the first thing the inhabitants want
the stranger to notice is the Post Office and Town Hall. The question is
being perpetually asked: “_Have_ you seen the Town Hall and the Post
Office?” The Assembly Room in the Town Hall contains one of the largest
organs in the world; it has 4373 pipes.
The residence of the Governor occupies a commanding height, and is
surrounded by a large park, which is directly connected with the
Botanical Garden.
[Illustration:
THE LIBRARY, MELBOURNE.
]
The University, which is attended by about 400 students, has, since
1880, been open to women, who are now admitted to all the courses except
medicine! It possesses a large museum, where the animals are in part set
up in groups representing scenes from their daily life, a most
instructive arrangement. Here can also be seen a fossilised egg of the
extinct gigantic bird from Madagascar, the _Æpyornis maximus_.
The city contains a number of magnificent churches, hospitals, and
benevolent institutions. The streets are large, wide, and have immense
gutters. It has been well said by an author that Melbourne is London
seen through the small end of the telescope.
People seem to be very busy, and move through the streets with great
rapidity. Melbourne is a city of enjoyments and luxuries, equipped with
great elegance and comfort; everything suggests money and the power of
wealth. There is no article of luxury which is not to be found here,
from Norwegian herring to champagne in every degree of dryness.
[Illustration:
THE GOVERNOR’S HOUSE, MELBOURNE.
]
Among sports, horse-racing ranks first, and not a week passes without
one or more races on the celebrated Flemmington racecourse, near the
city, taking place. Every year, in the beginning of November, about
120,000 people come together to witness the great Melbourne Cup race,
where fortunes are lost and won.
The whites born in Australia are gradually becoming a distinct race,
differing from other Englishmen. They have a more lively temperament,
and are slighter in frame, but tall, erect, and muscular. I also
observed in Queensland that some of the children had a tendency to the
American twang. The Australians pay great attention to travellers
visiting their country, and they are very proud of showing its
attractions. Thus a stranger may, as a rule, count on getting a free
pass on all the railroads. The ladies are free and easy in their
manners. They are frank and confiding, and their acquaintance is quickly
made. Their friendship, once gained, may be relied on, and they are
untiring in their acts of kindness.
In no other place in the world do the labouring classes have as much
influence as in Victoria; for the _working men_ in fact govern the
colony. As a rule, they are well educated, and keep abreast of the
times, but still their administration of affairs has not always been
successful. The economical condition of the labouring classes in
Melbourne is excellent, but they are rather fond of intoxicating drinks.
I am able to give an example, showing how the people of Australia keep
themselves informed on public questions. I once spoke to a labourer whom
I met on the street in Melbourne, and as he noticed that I was a
stranger, he asked me where my home was. When he learned that I came
from Norway, he exclaimed: “Oh, we know Norway very well, and _the
Norwegian scheme_!” He then explained this to me as best he could. I
afterwards learned that Victoria, in 1874, was on the point of adopting
a parliament like the Norwegian, with one chamber which divides itself
into two bodies (the odelsthing and lagthing), a proposition which was
on the point of being carried.
The climate of Melbourne is not particularly warm, though during the
summer excessively hot winds from the interior of the continent may blow
for a few days, and not infrequently children die from the heat at this
time. The sudden changes of temperature, peculiar to the southern part
of Australia, also annually demand their victims, though upon the whole
the climate must be regarded as very healthy.
Before leaving Melbourne I made several excursions far into the colony.
On one of these I visited the celebrated mining town Ballarat, the place
which marks the first epoch in the history of Victoria, and of all
Australia for that matter, for it was the gold which especially drew the
attention of the world to the new continent.
Since 1851 the annual production of gold in Australia has averaged ten
million pounds sterling.
No traveller should neglect to view “the highest trees in the world,”
for it is easy to see them near Melbourne. _Eucalyptus amygdalina_
grows, according to the famous botanist Baron F. v. Mueller, to a
greater height than the _Wellingtonia sequoia_ of California. Trees have
been measured more than 450 feet high. Though these gum-trees are
without comparison the highest in the world, they must yield the place
of honour in regard to beauty and wealth of foliage. They send forth but
a couple of solitary branches from their lofty tops. Thus the
_Wellingtonia_ retains the crown as the king of the vegetable kingdom.
F. v. Mueller says of _Eucalyptus amygdalina_: “It is a grand picture to
see a mass of enormously tall trees of this kind, with stems of
mast-like straightness and clear whiteness, so close together in the
forest as to allow them space only toward their summit to send their
scanty branches and sparse foliage to the free light.”
At a sheep station about 100 miles from Melbourne I made the
acquaintance of two of the most common mammals of Australia. One day I
went out hunting with a son of the friend that I was visiting. We
learned that a koala or native bear (_Phascolarctus cinereus_) was
sitting on a tree near the hut of a shepherd. Our way led us through a
large but not dense wood of leafless gum-trees. My companion told me
that the forest was dead, as a result of “ring-barking.” To get the
grass to grow better, the settler removes a band of bark near the root
of the tree. In a country where cattle-raising is carried on to so great
an extent this may be very practical, but it certainly does not beautify
the landscape. The trees die at once after this treatment, and it is a
sad and repulsive sight to see these withered giants as if in despair
stretching their white barkless branches towards the sky. When we came
to the spot, we found the bear asleep and perfectly calm on a branch of
a tree opposite the shepherd’s hut. One must not suppose that the
Australian bear is a dangerous animal. It is called “native bear,” but
is in nowise related to the bear family. It is an innocent and peaceful
marsupial, which is active only at night, and sluggishly climbs the
trees, eating leaves and sleeping during the whole day. As soon as the
young has left the pouch, the mother carries it with her on her back.
[Illustration:
NATIVE BEAR WITH ITS YOUNG.
]
We did not think it worth while to shoot the sleeping animal, but sent a
little boy up in the tree to bring it down. He hit the bear on the head
with a club and pushed it so that it fell, taking care not to be
scratched by its claws, which are long and powerful.
The Australian bear is found in considerable numbers throughout the
eastern part of the continent, even within the tropical circle. I
discovered a new kind of tape-worm which, strange to say, is found in
this leaf-feeding animal.
[Illustration:
HUNTING THE OPOSSUM.
]
[Illustration:
TREE-FERNS IN VICTORIA.
]
One day our dog put up a kangaroo-rat, which fled to a hollow tree lying
on the ground. When we examined the tree it was found to contain another
animal also, namely an opossum (_Irichosurus vulpecula_). It is one of
the most common mammals in Australia, and is of great service to the
natives, its flesh being eaten and its skin used for clothes. The
civilised world, too, has begun to appreciate the value of this kind of
fur, which is now exported in large quantities to London. The natives
kill the animal in the daytime by dragging it out from the hollow trees
where it usually resides. Among the colonists the younger generation are
very zealous opossum hunters. They hunt them for sport, going out by
moonlight and watching the animal as it goes among the trees to seek its
food.
I was now about to leave the capital of Victoria, a city which cannot
fail to be admired by the stranger. It is indeed a remarkable fact that
in the same place where fifty years ago the shriek of the parrot blended
with the noise of the camp of the native Australian, an international
exhibition should be held in a metropolis. The first house was built in
Melbourne in 1835—the “World’s Fair” took place in 1880. It is not
merely in jest that Melbourne is called “the Queen of the South.”