The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-11-26
AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE.

lne IOllOWlnS eNurac.S VI II leltei
from Mr.. f. w. Scaifc, late of the
DuIy Howdiion, will be read with
interest by his many friends in Homo
lulu. The letter is dated Melbourne,
Victoria, Australia, Nov 3rd. 1885:
II left Hongkong by the S. 5.
Guthrie, one of the most beautifully
fitted-up ships l ever saw. From
Hongkong we went into North China
to Foo Chow Foo, where nearly all
the foreign vessels load their tea
cargoes. We had stay of about
fourteen days here, and took the
most of the opportunity of visiting
the interior, which we found exceed
ingly interesting. We visited several
of the chief joss houses, amongst
which was that of the Shan, the
oldest and richest one in China" T"
Mr.. Scaife then briefly recounts
his trip up the MINI River, past the
sites of several notable land and
naval battles in the recent Franco
Chinese war. Several ironclads were
building at the Pagoda Anchorage,
where are dockyard and arsenal.
He proceeds
"After getting between 5000 and
1000 tons of first seasons tea on
board we left Foo Chow for Palm
erston, Port Darwin, rs we were the
mail steamer and had to call for
mails. Things are getting q little
lively at Port Darwin; a new ships
pier is in course of erection, and y
new railway from Port Darwin to
Adelaide is being contracted fol"
The steamer made brief calls at
several minor ports, but stayed two
days at Brisbane and about eight
days in Sydney, The writer says:-
Il consider the harbor and en-
trance to it, at Sydney, the finest in
the world without exception, and
passing the Heads, especially at
night, with those enormous, powerful
electric lights lighting up the narrow
defle, makes a sight always to be
remembered afterwards. About three
days after leaving Sydney we arrived
at the Queen City of Melbourne,
Victoria. | like Melbourne very
much, and think it one of the most
beautiful and best laid out cities
have yet visited. The streets are
broad, the footpaths ditto, and are
kept exceedingly clean. Nearly al
the streets either have the wood
pavement or are receiving it, and
the new cable tramway is just com
mencing to run out to Richmond ant
the suburbs. Melbourne is, nj
doubt, going ahead. Sydney is
a fine city, but not, in my
opinion, anything in comparison tt
Melbourne. The streets are too
narrow, crooked, and not over re
markable for cleanliness, and th
public buildings do not show up tt
the same advantage as in Melbourne
owing to their having the appearance
of having been crowded into thei
present sites, and not having elbow
room"
Mr.. Scaife describes the TRACED,
on the Pennington racecourse on tn
Saturday before his writing, when
collision of two horses brought tn
whole field of AZ horses down il
a struggling mass, from whicl
Nicholson, the leading Australian
jockey, was taken out dead ant
many other jockeys seriously in
jured. He gives Il graphic DIES
cription, too lengthy for our space
of the terrible spectacle. Other mat
ters of general interest referred t
are the sculling race, to have com
off on the 10Th inst, between Beac
and another Australian for til
championship of the world, an
subsequently "A race between Beac
and Teemer, the American wi
lately defeated Hanlan. A pos
script of Nov. 4lh describes Il
race for the Melbourne Cup the pr
vious day: 1.-The scene was an e
pecially brilliant one, and put OF
much in mind of our Derby
Epson. The race itself was sple
didly run; all the field keeping We
together for three-fourths of Il
distance and making most brillial
finish, beating the record, and ye
terday's cup was won in the quicke
time ever made in the Colonies-tw
miles in two minutes and 295 Sc
onds. An outsider, Sheet Anchor
was the winner and most of I'll
people present were pretty well bit.
Mr.. Scaife was doing well,
good spirits, and well pleased wit
his new location.