Year: 1869




Macadam had not yet asserted his sauthority there,
and the streets were still bed of sand and Aeas.
We learned that in the lower part Of the town
Flinders street to Widths style Of paving was
changed in the winter for soft mud, varying in
depth from four feet 10 m unknown quantity.
And parchcd a. we were with heat and dust, the
very thought of mud seemed refreshing Per-
haps it helped US onward, for we paced along
the various thoroughares, and think in the end
had trayersed the city through We counted
but five buildings, in whose structure stone or
brick took any part, All else was an indiscrm-
nate collection Of canvas tents, set off here and
there with a shanty through timber Teams Of
hullocks, with drny at their remote extremity,
were dragging their slow length along and the
oaths Of their rough, british drivers filled as
much Of the air as was not already monopolized
by dust


can imagine nothing which, If added 10 the
prospect, could have made Il less encouraging.
But yet we wandered on and If the reader
must know why we staid moment longer in
such place than suiiced to show us It's deformi-
ties will tell the honest truth We passed
probably four or five hours that day in Melbourne,
and my belief now is that Of that space perhaps
rs much as half nm hour was devoted 10 a formal
survey Of tie locality,--the balance we devoted
i0 .enrch after something to drink. There
were numbcrless grog shops but these were
not what we wanted moreover, vague kind OF
/ instinct seemed % warn Us against them. At
last we found a small tent which upon close scru-
/ tiny seemed 10 offer some kind Of rcircshmeut 10
| the dust-bcsprinkled traveller; 80 we screwed
our courage to the sticking place and went in
There was a small counter and behind it stood
a. fine a specimen Of womankind as il has been
/ my lot to witness. She was fresh from Tippera-
ry and if physical development be any qualifca-
ton She would have been invaluable 10 Soross as
a champion for the Rights Of woman. She tow
cred far above us in the airthe very embodiGca-
tion Of rude Irish grandeur fred with colonial in
1 dependence. will not weary the reader with q
long description of how We oyercame our awe
stricken modesty, or of how we at last recovered
sufficient presence Of mind to secure and TO de
molish two cheesecakes" and two bottles Of
" ginger beer /" but as a matter of history it is
quite worth while to chronicle the fact that for
these four articles composition unknown) we
paid the very apprecable sum Of three dollars
and half


Finding this refreshment amply sufficient for
temporary purposes, we retraced our steps TO-
wards the beach--haying first sat down in the
middle Of the road to pour out the sand that had
Accumulated in our boots and socks. Once more
we waded through the 1eas--still merry as in the
broad heat of day--and after an hours toll found
ourselves in face Of group Of as Jolly, rolcking
batmen as ever handled q tiller But nothing
we could say, do, or promise, would induce them
10 put us on board the ship. Il was free coun-
try and an independent people we had got to-and
men only worked for pleasure. So we went on
another tack-expressed our utter Indifference
about the Inatter-sat down with the party-inade
ourselves one Of them--and gossipcd and joked
till perhaps another hour had been added to the
past. The stratagem was successful, for we Won
our way so far with our new aequaintances, that
at last one Of them volunteered his boat and ser
vices. With a diGidence legned as well as ",
were able, we entered upon a consideration o
termS-aud were courteously informed that i
was only hy special favor that we had been lande'
at midday for the triding payment Of twenty dol
lars They did not like to be hard to d" new





cause YOU know the boat would have to come bacl
again-our friend would obIige us However
we preferred to pass that night under gum tree
The weather was warm, and we thought W,
should rather like it,-barring the feas, whcl
we supposed we should soon get used 10. Tho
demand then underwent modification, and by de
grecs laborously reached, it came down 10 twenty
five dollars. But all diplomacy failed to effect 1
further reduction. aud we committed ourselye
with becoming resignation TO our fate.


Our arrival on board was hailed with an outburs
Of curiosity or perhaps anxiety would rather de
, scribe the feeling with which most Of our ship
mates poured out their enquiries. Nor had we th
satisfaction of being able to offer much consolation
A town of dust, and IDEAS, and blasphemy, ant
, bad smells a town where water, not the sweet
est was doled out to the inhabitants at fifty cent
. per bucket where standing room for sInal
tent would fetch rental Of five thousand dollar
, year in gold where ginger beer was retaile'
. at something like dollar per bottle, and egg
4 were worth about twenty cents piece, presente'
but a sorry picture to needy immigrants. Never
4 theless, there was prosperity behind it for al
who chose to work and lead a steady life; and,
our editor permit, may in a future paper tell ho'
4 that city grew, how filth, and dirt, and disease
q have disappeared before good government, AN
), how in ten years. a town Of calico and disagreed
bles became a city Of palaces, and model 70
municipal corporations. For in the Melbourn
of the present there is not left single yestige
= the Melbourne Of the past.