A Zigzag Railway.--Wonderful Series of Caves.--Immense
Sheep-Runs.--Sheep-Shearing.--Central Australia.--City
Characteristics.--Fine Architectural Development.--Steam
Tramways.--Labor Unions.--Colonial Federation.--The
Tariff.--Loyalty to England.--Spirit of Local Rivalry.--The
St. Giles of Sydney.--City Clubs.--The Laughing
Jackass.--Public Parks.--Gold Mines.
There is one special excursion which should not be neglected by
travellers to Sydney; namely, a visit to what are called the Fish River
Caves at Tarana. No person would neglect them who could anticipate the
novel experience to be enjoyed by such a visit, which need occupy but
four days' time. We had not even heard of these singular wonders of
Nature's handiwork before coming hither. The short journey to the caves
takes one through a delightful though wild and mountainous region,
replete with grand natural scenery. The route leads through the Emu
Plains and over the Blue Mountains by the Zigzag Railroad, from whose
various elevations lovely far-reaching views are enjoyed of the district
left behind and the gleaming Nepean River winding gracefully through it.
This range of mountains reaches a height of three thousand four hundred
feet, intersected by precipitous ravines fifteen hundred feet in depth,
and by gulches scarcely excelled in our own Rocky Mountains. One is
reminded here most forcibly of the precipitous zigzag road at
Darjeeling, in India, which ascends toward the Himalayan range, and
which is nearly as remarkable as this example of Australian engineering.
We were told that this Zigzag Railroad of five miles more or less in
length cost three million dollars, and saw no reason to doubt it. In
working out some of the levels from the face of the precipitous and
rocky sides of the mountain, laborers were suspended by ropes from
holding-ground far above their heads, and very many of the cuttings were
accomplished under equally trying circumstances. As a piece of daring
and successful engineering there is nothing to equal it in the Southern
Hemisphere.
The subterranean temples and halls of limestone which constitute these
remarkable Fish River Caves are of vast extent, filled with many
intricate windings, galleries, and irregular passages, in which one
would inevitably be lost without an experienced and faithful guide. The
many apartments are known by special names, and there are several
singularly perfect archways whose exact proportions no architect could
improve. These caves present some of the most beautiful stalactites we
have ever seen, and in many prominent features they are considered to be
unique. Whole days of examination would not exhaust their variety. One
of the caves is of cathedral dimensions, having a height of five hundred
feet and a length and breadth according well with its altitude. Another
of the apartments is appropriately designated as the Menagerie, on
account of the peculiar shapes produced by the crystal-like formations,
from which the imagination can easily create various animals.
When lighted, these subterranean palaces form a gorgeous spectacle. One
peculiar division is called the Bell Tower, being a small chamber in
which are five or six stalactites hanging near together, and which when
struck give out rich metallic tones similar to a chime of bells. For
extent, variety, and beauty combined, these buried halls and chambers
have no equal so far as our experience goes, though they recall the
grotto of Adelsberg, near Trieste, which exhibits some similar features,
and also the subterranean caverns in the environs of Matanzas, Cuba. In
these Fish River Caves the fantastic shapes assumed by the limestone
formations are infinite in variety, as well as weird and singular in
their groupings. But perhaps they excel most particularly in their
beautiful coloring, in many instances presenting great brilliancy of
lustre, which causes the individual stalactites to seem like ponderous
opals.
A magnesium wire is introduced by the guide for the pleasure of the
visitor, and when the caves are thus illumined the most fairy-like
effect is produced. It is as if one suddenly stood within the charmed
palace of Aladdin, the gauze-like fountains reflecting the light upon
one another like a series of mirrors, and the whole sparkling like
rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. The effect then becomes fantastic,
unreal, theatrical. From some of the intricate windings the distant
music of waterfalls strikes pleasantly on the ear, and crystal streams
reflect the light in azure hues. When the guide extinguishes for a
moment his powerful light, gloom and darkness surround the visitor,
stimulating the imagination to vivid activity. These might be the caves
of Erebus leading to Hades, and where is Charon to ferry us across the
Styx? May not that distant sound of falling water be the voice of Lethe,
that river of oblivion "whereof whoso drinks straightway his former
sense and being forgets"? Some of these natural temples have domes
rivalling St. Peter's and St. Paul's. How many there are of these caves,
running for miles into the mountains, no one can say, as they have never
been fully explored; but every year some new grotto is discovered and
added to the number already recorded.
Caves of limestone formation are produced in many parts of the world,
and the simplest knowledge of chemistry coupled with a little careful
observation shows us clearly how they have been created. The conditions
must first be those of an underlying bed of limestone nearly horizontal
in its layers, over which a forest or wooded surface has grown. The
falling rain washes the decaying leaves, and in doing so borrows from
them certain chemical properties, charged with which the water sinks
into the limestone beds. The carbon acquired by the water combines with
and dissolves the lime and other components of the rock, which then
escape as gases through the interstices of the earth. Thus openings are
at first formed, which are slowly increased in size by the same process
during the passing ages, until vast and curious caves are created. When
underground channels have been begun, coursing streams of water assist
the chemical action and wear away the rock by simple friction. With
these facts in mind, the Fish River Caves cease to be miraculous
formations, as some have imagined them, and are only marvels,--giving us
tangible evidence of the many thousands of years which must have
transpired during their creation.
In the broad space of country lying between the coast and the Alpine
range, of which the Blue Mountains form a part, there are many
sheep-runs of large proportions, upon which are sheep in almost fabulous
numbers. The land here seems especially adapted in its natural condition
to the raising and sustenance of these profitable animals, though it is
also susceptible of a much higher degree of improvement and cultivation.
Our observation was confined mainly to the country nearest the borders
of New South Wales and Victoria. Here one man, a thrifty Scotchman from
"Auld Reekie," with whom we became acquainted, was the owner of over one
hundred and twenty thousand sheep, and several other men had more than
half that number each. Forty or fifty thousand belonging to one person
is not considered at all remarkable in this great South-Land of
Australia. When it is remembered that each one of these animals must be
sheared annually, the enormous labor involved in caring for such a stock
begins to be realized.
In the clipping season, bands of men sometimes numbering forty or fifty,
go from one run to another to shear the sheep, and become very expert at
the business, realizing a handsome sum of money at the close of each
season. Some of these men invest their money in flocks, and thus
gradually become possessed of runs of their own. Several such instances
were named to us. Such "a neighbor" (any one within ten miles is called
"a neighbor") "began as a clipper two or three years ago, and now he
owns his twenty thousand sheep." The annual natural increase is fully
seventy-five per cent per annum. Some clippers are not so careful of
their means, but after the season is finished they hie away to Sydney,
Melbourne, or some other populous centre, where they drink and gamble
away their money much faster than they earned it.
A smart professional shearer will clip one hundred sheep in a day of ten
hours. The highest price paid for such service is five dollars a day, or
rather five dollars per each hundred animals sheared. These men often
work over hours during the season, for which they are paid at the same
rate, and are always found in board and lodging by the owner of the run
by whom they are employed. Machinery to do the clipping is being
introduced, though not rapidly, as only a few more animals can be
sheared per day by machinery than by hand,--a process similar in its
operation to that of horse-clipping. The great advantage, however, of
machinery is the perfect uniformity of cut obtained,--a result which the
most experienced shearer cannot insure. The operator often cuts the
sheep more or less severely in the rapidity of the hand process; but
this is impossible where the machine is used, though it leaves the
animal with a shorter fleece all over its body, and consequently gives a
yield of three or four ounces more of wool from each. To feed and
properly sustain such vast numbers of sheep requires ample space; but
there is enough of that, and to spare.
Australia in its greatest breadth, between Shark's Bay on the west and
Sandy Cape on the eastern shore, measures twenty-four hundred miles; and
from north to south--that is, from Cape York to Cape Otway--it is
probably over seventeen hundred miles in extent. A very large portion of
the country, especially in the interior and northwestern sections, still
remains unexplored. The occupied and improved portions of the country
skirt the sea-coast on the southern and eastern sides, which are covered
with cities, towns, villages, and hamlets where nine tenths of the
population live. The country occupied for sheep-runs and cattle-ranches
is very sparsely inhabited. The reason for this is obvious, since the
owner of a hundred thousand sheep requires between two and three hundred
thousand acres to feed them properly. The relative proportion as to
sheep and land, as given to us, is to allow two and a third acres to
each animal. Of course there is land which would support these animals
in proportion of say one sheep to the acre; but the average is as
above.
Those who are engaged in agriculture have pushed their homes back inland
as far as the soil and the watercourses will avail them. The latter
element must be especially regarded, as the country is unfortunately
liable to severe droughts. Thus district after district has been
reclaimed from the wilderness and turned into fertile grazing lands.
There is no bound to this gradual progress of land cultivation; slow but
sure, it will only cease when the western coast bordering on the Indian
Ocean, now mostly a wilderness, shall be reached.
A sort of patriarchal simplicity has until lately governed these
pioneers of agriculture. Any unmarked and unoccupied land has been
freely appropriated to their use. But as a higher grade of husbandry has
advanced, more stringent laws have been enforced and cheerfully
acquiesced in; so that at present there is very little near the coast
suitable for grazing which is not under registry with the Crown
officers. Squatting is therefore no longer a happy-go-lucky venture, but
that which the pioneer has he pays for,--a small sum to be sure, but it
renders his claim safe from any chance infringement. The want of such
well-defined rules in the earlier days led to many a bitter quarrel,
which not infrequently ended in a fatal manner. Adventurous men, who
always go armed, are generally quick to quarrel, and reckless in the use
of weapons.
The central portion of Australia is described as being one vast extent
of alluvial plains, interspersed with sandy ridges, dry lakes (or land
depressions), and occasional hills. Many portions have a very rich
black soil, bearing what are called nigall-trees, which yield a
transparent gum in large quantities, in all respects resembling
gum-arabic, being perfectly soluble in water. This gum the natives eat
freely; and it is very palatable, though its nutritive qualities are
quite doubtful. The natives eat this gum to allay the pangs of hunger,
but it is not believed that human life could long be sustained upon it.
On some of these central plains there is a natural grass of the most
nutritious quality, which grows profusely. The Europeans call it
blue-grass, of which sheep and cattle are very fond. Large tracts are
liable to inundation from floods during the brief rainy season. The soil
consists of a rich plastic formation. Wild carrots and wild flax abound;
the former are especially sought for by sheep, while the bolls of the
latter are considered fattening for all stock. Sheep will patiently dig
with their fore-feet to get at the carrots, and devour them eagerly,
though they are very bitter to the taste. Another peculiarity of the
country, as it was described to us, is the entire absence of all stones;
not one is to be found except at the foot of some of the hills, which
are often twenty miles apart. It is believed that this part of the
territory is at a certain depth underlaid by an abundance of fresh
water, which would be perfectly accessible by means of artesian wells.
If a suitable and efficient system of irrigation could be adopted it
would bring into use at once an enormous territory as large as
half-a-dozen of our largest Western States, which is now little better
than a dry desert, where in summer the grass becomes hay dried upon the
roots, but which in winter, when the rain falls, puts on an inviting
aspect of rich verdure.
The great dividing mountain chain of Australia is near the coast-line in
the south and east, averaging perhaps a hundred miles or more from the
sea. Nearly all the gold which the land has produced has come from the
valleys and hillsides of this range. The gold diggings of New South
Wales have proved to be very rich in some sections; but unlike those of
Queensland and Victoria,--the former six hundred miles north of Sydney,
and the latter six hundred miles south of it,--the precious metal is
here found mostly in alluvial deposits. A true fissure vein of
gold-bearing quartz, as we were informed, has never been found in New
South Wales. As a source of pecuniary and lasting income, her coal mines
are far more valuable than all the rest of her mineral deposits
combined.
Sydney holds high rank as a British colonial city, and deservedly so,
having special reason for pride in the complete system of her charitable
and educational organizations, her noble public buildings, and the
general character of her leading citizens. Land in the town and its
vicinity is held at prices averaging as high as in Boston or New York,
and the wealth of the people is represented to be very great in the
aggregate.
The City Hall, now in course of enlargement, is an admirable structure
of stone, grand in its architecture and most substantially constructed.
When finished it will equal the Hotel de Ville of Paris in size, and to
our taste surpass it architecturally. It is of the composite order, with
bold reliefs and pillared front, its whole effect being in strong
contrast to that of St. Andrew's Cathedral in George Street, which is
close at hand. The latter is in pure Gothic of the pointed style, and
although it is comparatively small, it will rank favorably in its
decorations and internal arrangements with any of the lately-built
English cathedrals. The view from the open cupola of the City Hall, at a
height of about one hundred and fifty feet above the level of George
Street, is unusually comprehensive, taking in not only the immediate
city on all sides, but also the environs, including the several
divisions of the harbor. To the westward, fifteen miles away, lies
Parametta, while eastward the heaving breast of the restless Pacific
Ocean dies away in the far horizon. From this eyrie one looks down upon
the Cathedral, which is a very costly edifice, and was thirty-one years
in building,--the funds being frequently exhausted, and money for the
purpose difficult to raise. But it now stands as a fine Christian
monument of choice design, thoroughly and artistically carried out.
The Post-Office is a very large stone structure surmounted by a tall
square tower, rather out of proportion. This building extends over a
whole square, or rather fronts upon three streets, embracing ample room
for every department of the postal service, including that of the
telegraph. The whole building is surrounded on the three sides by lofty
pillars of stone, forming a corridor open to the streets, admirably
conceived so that the attendant public are at all times under shelter.
Among the other prominent public buildings are the Treasury, the Land
Office, and the Colonial Secretary's Office, each four or five stories
in height, built of stone, and situated near the shore of the harbor.
This is the immediate neighborhood of the Circular Quay at the head of
Sydney Cove. This quay has a length of over three thousand feet, and is
available for the mooring of the largest steamers that navigate the
ocean. Numerous steamships of five thousand tons and upward lay here on
the occasion of our visit.
The erection of new buildings is always an evidence of thrift and
general prosperity. Much building was observed to be in progress here,
mostly large stone edifices designed for business purposes, remarkable
for their architectural pretension and the solidity of the mason-work.
All this activity gave us the impression of being in the midst of a
prosperous, progressive people.
The contrast presented by Sunday compared with the rest of the week was
remarkable, the day being one of perfect repose so far as all outward
appearances went. The bar-rooms were all closed and every branch of
business suspended. The Public Gardens, Public Library, and Art
Gallery, however, were all open.
The tramways of Sydney are operated by steam-power, noisy,
smoke-dispensing locomotives being in constant use on the main
thoroughfares where tramways are laid. Two or more passenger-cars are
run coupled together, stopping at certain designated points for
passengers, say at the end of every other block, and nowhere between
stations either to take up or set down passengers. Flag-men are placed
at what are considered to be extra-hazardous crossings, and we were told
that accidents seldom occur, except through the carelessness of the
passengers; but that there was constant and imminent risk caused by
these steam-cars was perfectly manifest. A woman was run over and
fatally injured, so that she died on the same day in the hospital, while
we were in the city. Of course it was represented to have been the
victim's own fault; but we beg leave to differ from this decision, and
to ascribe the blame to those who first permitted the introduction of so
dangerous a motor into the crowded streets of a large city.
Labor combinations, labor "unions," as they are called, have proved very
disastrous in Sydney to all concerned, but more especially to the
laboring classes themselves. General enterprise in several departments
of mechanical labor is seriously impeded. Men well inclined and able to
work for fair wages are not permitted to do so, the "unions" terrorizing
them into obedience to their ill-conceived and arbitrary rules, though
wages are about double what they are in England, and as high as in this
country. The consequence is that the street-corners and bar-rooms are
crowded with idlers and vicious men, half driven to despair by their own
folly, who somehow find money for beer and rum if not for bread for
their suffering families. There is ample and remunerative employment for
all independent men, but those who prefer to be led by others rather
than to think and act for themselves must pay the penalty. The laborer
of to-day if thrifty, industrious, and sober becomes the employer of
to-morrow, and as soon as a man is possessed of land or other real
property he begins to complain of the want of hands to carry on the
same, and to look upon the whole subject of labor and capital in a more
reasonable light. That the real interests of both are entirely mutual is
perfectly obvious to the intelligent mind, and those designing agitators
who strive to array one against the other are emissaries of ill-omen.
Laborers were asking for work from the Government officials when we were
in Sydney, and demanding high wages with circumscribed hours. Such were
told that there was employment for all who would seek it inland, upon
the farms and plantations, where indeed the great drawback was the want
of able hands; but the naturally idle and dissipated will always crowd
to populous centres. Agriculture is taking its place as the main
industry of the country, and if people who are now asking for aid from
the Government in these colonies would go inland and seek occupation,
independent of all hampering "union" connections, they would promote
their own interest and the best good of their adopted country.
Respectable female help is especially needed here, for which the best
wages are paid; and when we read of the somewhat startling cry of London
women of the humbler class, "Give us work and pay which will feed and
clothe us," it seems as if the need might be easily supplied here, to
the mutual advantage of these women and the colonists. Already in these
colonies there are well-organized means by which worthy and deserving
persons can reach Australia or New Zealand free of cost to themselves so
far as passage is concerned, so desirous are the colonists to induce
emigration from England of a class of men and women who will become of
general use in the community. The explanation of this incongruity
between want of occupation and the dearth of laborers of either sex is,
that the sensational cry which we have quoted comes mostly if not
entirely from a class whose habits and lives are not such as to make
them desirable in the colonies, or indeed anywhere else. For the most
part, undoubtedly, it is the dissolute, drinking, thieving classes of
London and other large cities who loudly utter these demands, spurred on
to do so by reckless socialists and conspiring anarchists.
For the worthy and industrious poor, above all others, Australia and New
Zealand offer unequalled inducements in the way of a new home. The
climate is admirable, not liable to extremes, and constantly reminding
one of the south of France or the shores of the Mediterranean.
Statistics exhibiting the death-rates of the several colonies were a
surprise to us, showing that Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania were
healthier even than London, which is well known to be remarkable in this
respect. Owing to the purity and elasticity of the atmosphere, which is
proven to contain an unusual amount of ozone, the same degree of heat is
not realized so much as it is elsewhere. The thermometer while we were
in Sydney showed a mean of 60 deg. Fahrenheit in the shade, in the month
of June, which answers to our month of December in America. The death-rate
of the New England cities is perhaps safely put at twenty-one per
thousand, while that of Australia is shown to be seventeen per
thousand,--a statement equally applicable to New Zealand and Tasmania.
So far as we could learn by careful inquiry, malarial fevers are there
quite unknown.
While in Sydney, we heard much relative to the proposed federation of
the several colonies; that is, the adoption of one parliament for and a
recognized union of all the provinces, following as a model the general
idea of the Canadian organization. At present each section of the
country--namely, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia,
West Australia, and Tasmania--is under a separate government, carried on
without any unity of interest as regards the whole. Indeed the bitterest
rivalry seemed to exist between them, a petty jealousy being fostered
which is entirely unworthy of an intelligent and liberal people.
Doubtless the world at large can see that the best interests of
Australia would be served by a consummation of this purpose of
federation, but it is not universally popular among the colonists. New
South Wales, we were told, decidedly holds back from such a plan, her
individual interest inclining her to maintain isolation; but, so far as
one might judge, the other colonies favor it. It has been said that New
South Wales is more loyal to the Queen than are her own English subjects
at home; and as shrewd judges surmise that a complete federation of
these colonies would ultimately lead to a declaration of independence of
the mother country, they partly oppose the idea upon this ground.
Undoubtedly it would be a step in that direction.
Many nationalities are represented in Australia and New Zealand, but the
majority are English, Scotch, and Irish. The officials of New South
Wales, especially, look to England for many favors which a separation
would cut them off from; among these are honorary titles and
appointments under the Crown. The constitution under which these
colonies are living is such as to entitle them to be called democracies.
In many respects they are more liberal and advanced than is England
herself. Church and State, for instance, are kept quite distinct from
each other. As to the legislative powers of the colonies, the home
government has not even a veto which can be said to be of any real
account. When such dissent on the part of the Queen is expressed (which
is rare), there is a certain legal way of avoiding its force,--a resort
to which the colonists have not failed to betake themselves at times.
Here as elsewhere there are two parties in the general politics of the
country,--one loyal to the last degree to the British throne, the other
ready at the first opportunity to cut loose from the home government,
which is so many thousands of miles away. The most important question
relating to federation seems to be that of the tariff. While New South
Wales favors a low and simple tariff, Victoria insists upon "protection"
in the fullest sense of that much-abused term. Queensland is more
liberal, and favors free-trade. This question therefore becomes an
important factor in the proposed federation; and could it be settled, no
doubt a general union would soon follow. It is clearly in accordance
with the logic of events that in the near future not only will
federation take place throughout these colonies, making them one just as
these United States are one, but their independence of the mother
country will naturally follow. That great English writer on political
economy, John Stuart Mill, says: "Countries separated by half the globe
do not present the natural conditions for being under one government, or
even members of one federation. If they had sufficiently the same
interests, they have not and never can have a sufficient habit of taking
counsel together. They are not part of the same public; they do not
discuss and deliberate in the same arena but apart, and have only a most
imperfect knowledge of what passes in the minds of one another." It
would seem as if Mr. Mill had these colonies of the South Pacific in
view when he expressed these ideas. The pride of empire is all-powerful,
but the growth and extent of nations, as shown in the history of the
Babylonian, Assyrian, and Roman Empires, are governed by principles
beyond their individual control. When men have builded too high the
structure topples over. The more dominion is extended the more
vulnerable it becomes. There is also, as Mr. Mill intimates, a vital
distinction between continuous or contiguous empire and empire dispersed
and separated by thousands of miles of ocean.
If there were not such a persistent spirit of rivalry existing between
the several colonies of Australia, the different railroad gauges which
have been purposely established could not be maintained for a single
month. Such obvious folly seemed inexcusable to a stranger. Victoria has
the broad gauge of five feet three inches; New South Wales has a gauge
of four feet eight inches; while in Queensland the narrow gauge of three
feet six inches is adopted. Freight or passengers going over the
railroads from Brisbane to Adelaide must change cars twice, and from
Sydney to Melbourne--only six hundred miles--freight and passengers must
change cars at Albury. It was not very clear to the writer why this
spirit of jealousy should exist at all, much less why it should be so
universally indulged in. At Sydney, Melbourne is vilified most
recklessly; its simplest enterprises are decried: no good can come out
of Nazareth! Melbourne, on her part, returns the compliment with
interest; and so it is also with Adelaide. This feeling operates as a
serious and ever-present drawback to colonial progress in nearly every
direction.
Were Australia to become independent of the mother country, and its
divided interests consolidated, the benefit to be derived therefrom
seemed to us to be unquestionable. One occasionally heard the saying,
"Australia for the Australians," in the same sense as the Irish demand
"Ireland for the Irish." It is a favorite phrase used by the agitators
in addressing the masses. The only possible danger of this country
becoming involved in a foreign war arises from her being a dependency of
England; and it is doubtful how long these colonists will remain
contented to be exposed to such a serious emergency, in the issues of
which they could have no direct interest.
The proposal for federation, as it was explained to us, contemplates
uniting far-away New Zealand with the other colonies,--a purpose which
seems to be without any good reason to recommend it. New Zealand and
Australia are as far apart as Africa and South America, or as Turkey is
from England. The sea which separates them is without islands, is
turbulent, torn by Antarctic currents and swept by raging storms at
nearly all seasons. Even in what is called fine weather there is a
ceaseless swell heaving the bosom of this sea very trying to endure, and
which it is only safe to encounter in large, well-equipped vessels. In
ethnological respects as well as in scenery and climate the countries
are diametrically opposite. The Maoris and the native Australians--the
aborigines of the two countries--are as different as white men are from
negroes, there being no actual resemblance except that both are of
bronzed hue. New Zealand has a damp, windy, but not cold climate, with a
never-failing supply of water; Australia is a dry, arid land often
suffering from drought. The first is characterized by deep cool shades,
the latter by heat and glare, and by inland plains which in their
present condition might not inappropriately be compared to an African
desert for sterility and temperature.
Nearly every city has its "St. Giles." In Sydney the quarter which might
be thus appropriately designated is known as "the Rocks." Here the
backsliders most do congregate, and here are located rookeries devoted
to their temporary lodgment. The police rarely penetrate here unless in
the special pursuit of a criminal, as it forms a sort of neutral ground
between crime and justice. This city contains at least as many
whitewashed rogues as other cities of its size,--men and women who
cunningly keep within the pale of the law, or who may have served out
one or more sentences of imprisonment, and are legally clear from the
clutches of justice. Such characters, if they do not openly resort to
"the Rocks," are very apt to have some secret connection therewith. The
daily habitues are persons whose lives are filled with constant
mis-deeds, who gain their bread by criminal acts, and whose career is
characterized by recklessness and excess. Sailors are often enticed
hither, and after being plied with drugged liquor are robbed. We do not
remember to have seen anywhere more petrified rascality to the square
inch than was evinced in the features of the men and women of "the
Rocks." No enterprise, it seemed, could be too wicked for them to engage
in. Gold-digging is not as a rule conducive to morality; indeed it is
apt to lead directly in the opposite course. Thus it is that toilers
after the glittering metal having acquired a goodly sum are apt to toss
aside the pick and shovel for what is termed a "lark," and wending their
way to town bring up finally at "the Rocks," where a miner and his gold
are almost sure rapidly to part company. If he shows resistance, a knife
or a revolver may be the fatal resort.
Clubs are as much of an institution in the colonies as they are in
London; indeed, an Englishman at home or abroad without his club is
never quite himself. In Sydney and Melbourne the club takes the
character of a private hotel where members, and strangers introduced by
them, lodge and take their meals. We were officially informed in both of
these cities that our name had been recorded as entitled to all the
conveniences of more than one of these organizations; but further than
the prompt recognition of the courtesy and kindness of these committees
we did not avail ourself of the privileges tendered. To be sure one is
introduced at these clubs to the best society of the place, but the only
trouble encountered by the author in this respect was that he could only
with difficulty escape the profuse hospitality and cordial attention
pressed upon him by the colonials. Our journey into the South Pacific
was a long one; we had but a few months in which to traverse the length
and breadth of these great islands; time therefore was precious, and
self-abnegation a duty in order to fulfil a comprehensive programme.
The first time the author made the acquaintance of the "laughing
jackass" was in the bird, fruit, and flower market on George Street. His
sarcastic notes were afterward often encountered in his wild state and
among his open-air haunts. Not to make special mention of him would be
to omit reference to one of the most curious creatures the traveller
meets with in his wanderings about the country. Mischievous, sly, droll,
insulting, without a particle of shyness, what a bird it is! His plumage
is mottled, white and black; he has very little tail, but is provided
with a great gawky head, a well-rounded body, and is a little larger
than the domestic pigeon. His eyes are preternaturally big, and gaze
coolly at you as though they would pierce you through. He laughs almost
exactly like a human being, with a touch of bird malice added; and
though it is harsh, his merriment is ludicrously contagious, for no one
can avoid laughing both at and with him. It is a riotous tumult of
laughter. He is as intelligent as the mino-bird, and can be taught to
talk better than a parrot,--at least so we were told,--and, sad to say,
shows a manifest delight in profanity. The bushmen consider him to be a
sort of barometer foretelling the weather; for when it is about to rain
the jackass becomes miserable, dejected, and sleepy, sitting upon a
branch of a tree with his feathers all awry and his head hidden under
his wing,--a very picture of melancholy. Of all birds he seems most like
a caricature of his own species. Though he is of the kingfisher tribe,
he does not seem to pay much attention to fishes, his favorite food
being small snakes. These he seizes just back of the head, and flying
rapidly aloft drops them upon stony ground, thus breaking their delicate
spine. This process is repeated until life becomes extinct in the
victim, when the jackass proceeds leisurely to devour the body
piecemeal. As he is thus considered to perform an important service to
the settlers, who are much troubled with snakes, he enjoys complete
immunity from trap and gun.
Sydney fully illustrates the commendable passion which all the colonies
of Australasia evince for the establishment of public parks. If this is
a weakness it is a grand one, which we heartily wish was epidemic in
this country. Nothing is more conducive to health, beauty, and good
morals than these beautiful places in and about populous cities and
towns. Every capital or considerable town in Australia, New Zealand, or
Tasmania is thus beautified and improved; but Sydney and Melbourne have
endeavored in this respect especially to rival each other. Sydney being
the oldest settlement has had more time to perfect a grand system of
gardens and reserved lands which are not surpassed by any European
capital. First there is Hyde Park, situated in the centre of the town;
next the Domain, as it is called, containing one hundred and forty acres
on the north side of the metropolis, ornamented by broad paths and noble
shade-trees; close at hand are the beautiful Botanical Gardens of forty
acres in extent, which we have already described. Added to these there
is the Prince Alfred Park of twenty acres, and the Belmore Park of ten
acres. Virtually forming a part of this same system of reserved lands is
a tract of six hundred acres known as Moor Park, lying on the southeast
side, adjoining which is the popular metropolitan race-course. This list
of parks speaks for itself, representing an amount of open, ornamental
space which would serve a city of three millions, while Sydney has but
about that number of hundred thousands. No one thing is more indicative
of opulence, liberality of sentiment, and regard for the public good
than such grand free resorts.
Being in the vicinity, a flying visit was made to the township of
Bingera, situated in a northwest direction from Sydney on the Gwydir
River, at a distance of three hundred and fifty miles from the capital.
It possesses more than passing interest, as it has, besides some
valuable and paying "diggings" of gold near at hand, something still
more attractive to adventurous spirits,--namely, diamond mines. These
are being industriously worked and with paying results, though no very
large amount of profit has yet been realized. Nearly a thousand small
diamonds have been found here and sent to market. Though they are not
large, they are remarkable for purity of color and excellence of
quality. This is a rich mineral district, abounding specially in copper
and tin; but there are not over a thousand people at Bingera, even
including the floating population attracted by the diamond-fields.
The most famous of the gold mines here is the "Upper Bingera," which has
proved very profitable to its owners, and is about sixteen miles from
Bingera. Another somewhat famous mine of this neighborhood is known as
the "Bobby Whitlow;" and still a third which deserves mention as being
nearly as prolific is called "The Boro." All these mines have been more
or less freely worked and partially abandoned for more promising fields,
but they are by no means exhausted.
It may very reasonably be doubted whether Australia would have risen
into notice, or have been so promptly peopled by Englishmen, had it not
been that hordes of convicts were shipped thither from Great Britain in
the early days of its discovery. Though this transportation of criminals
thither was long ago abolished, and this element of reproach has been
nearly lived down, "there is still unfortunately a convict flavor
permeating some classes,"--we use the very words of a respectable
citizen with whom we were conversing upon the subject. Some of the rich
men of to-day came out from England as prisoners; and the heads of some
families, whose descendants are now reasonably esteemed and respected,
were once ticket-of-leave men. But in sheer justice it should be
remembered that persons in those days were very often transported by the
courts of the old country for crimes of the most petty character.