Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-09-28
IN FAIR AUSTRALIA.
Or. TALMAGE IMPRESSED BY ITS
BEAUTY AND GRANDEUR.
Sydney Harbor, the Magnificent Gate to
Wonderful Country-A Beautiful Picture
of tho Breaking Day-Sweet Voices of the
Postoflce Chimes.
fCopyricht. Louis Klopsch, ls9Ll

copyright, Louis Klopsch, 1891
SYDNEY, Aug. 7.-Pitched, shaken
twisted, flung, sickened, bruised, DIS
mayed, alarmed, are some Of the words
which describe our feelings whilo cross
ing from New Zealand to Australia. We
heard that the passage was like crossing
the channel at Calais from France to
England, but that, instead of the hour
and a half, it would be four days and a
half. 1t was worse than we expected and
worse than usual We had nearly SIX
days of it. The only alleyiation OF the
voyage was the captain, who was Jolly at
the time to be jolly, serious at the time
to be serious and deeply religious at all
times. Converted III a Presbyterian
church in New Zealand, he has become
a flaming evangel, preaching on board
his steamer once or twice every Sabbath.
Our rough sea experience prepared us
for full appreciation OF one OF the
brightest panoramas Of the land and
sky that ever unrolled before mortal VI
sion. Captain Neville said to us, we
will soon be in sight Of the Australian
coast, and when we approach the harbor
Of Sydney come up on my bridge and l
will point out to you the objects OF IN
terest." Thank you, was our reply
to the unusual invitation, for sea cap
tains do not ordinarily like to have
company on the steamers bridge In
few moments we climbed to the side OF
the captain. Great walls OF rock built
by the eternal God reached along the
coast and stopped only wide enough
apart to allow ships to enter and to keep
the boisterous ocean out.
"Yonder, said the captain, lis the
retreat in the rocks which i'll the twi-
light deceived the captain OF the Dun
can Dunbar to mistake it for the harbor
and to aim for it, crashing into destruc-
ton. All on board perished save one
man, who was picked up after he had
floated down onto the shelving
Safely we rode in between the two
great brown. pillars of Hawkesbury
sandstone, and then began the reveia-
tion of q harbor such as nowhere else IN
the wide world is to be found. The
whole scene is an odyssey, a 'Dl-
yina Commedia," an Old Testament
and a New Testament of grandeur ana
loyeliness. You cannot for moment
relax your energy Of watching without
missing something which you cannot
see again. The white palaces OF the
merchant princes Of Sydney shine
through the foliage Of the trees DIP
ping to the bay are gardens abloom III
winter and lawns with m emerald Ike
unto the fourth layer Of the wall OF
heaven. Tropical plants and tropical
flowers stand side by side with the
prowths of moro rigorous climates.
VINEYARDS and orange groves, pome-
eranates and guavas and pineapples
growing in a revelry of luxuriance.
Norfolk pines, palm, Moreton bay hg
and Eucalyptus trees, stretch their scep-
ters over the scene Complete bewitch-
ment of landscapesl "SteadyP cried
the captain to the man at the wheel
"Steadyp' But no observer can keep
very steady while watching this ever
changing, ever inspiring, ever enchan'-
ING scene. "Yonder is the monastery.
Yonder, Just coming in sight, is the ad-
,,,irol,s house. Yonder is the universl-
tv. Yonder are the houses OF parlla-
ment. Yonder are the old prisons.
There Is the governors residence 10
Here sweeping up CLOSE to our steamer
on, launches with excursionists. fonder
are sailing boats so small they suggest
gathering sea gulls. While the area OF
the harbor is said to be nine square
niles. tho water line Of it, if followed
mn and down all its inlets, would DC
I 200 miles. The ripping waters kiss
the beach, and the beach embraces the
bav. At the next turn Of our steamer 8
wheel more garniture Of island and har-
bor and inlet and promontory. On
how the marine loveliness played "hide
and seek" amid the islands, Five
! grim batteries pointing their Armstrong
guns at us, but only in play. "fon-
1 der" says the captain, lis Frencn
steamer, yonder an American and yon-
der an Englishman.
Sydney harbor is so broad and honest
that no pilot was needed to come on
board Room here for all the navie' Of
the earth to ride in and secrete them
selves so that they could not be found
without much search. Room for the
Great Easterns Of the past and the
Campanias of the present to wheel
without peril. Room to welcome all the
centuries and generations and ages
which are yet to drop anchor in it'
clear depths He only belittles and be-
dwarfs and bemeans Sydney harbor vhC