FROM NELSON TO ADELAIDE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 146, 21 June 1881, Page 2

FROM NELSON TO ADELAIDE.

•J'.i'. !•■! I;' .'*l I'""''."'' ''[ '' '■''■■'■' '-I :'• •''■••■ '' : After residing for more than 16- years in New, .Zealand .wjftout having; h«i tho.ripf»ortunity of Tieitiog' the plater, colonies, the prospect 'bf 'a'trVfy ".Aae'laide/ in wWc'h we could combioeduty and pleasure, was cheering. .The voyage. wa'.Pictbni to Wellington was, bb' such. a.j voyage .mu^ j; J)e any one pbssessing^an eye for tfc(e be^u^if i;l ? .a., source of ibiniense pleas'uiie. ' Th'e scone'ry of Queen Charlotte's Sound stands almost nnri^aUed In its wondrous lovelinessi o Hera Nature 1 seferiis Jo, have lavished her ,|aitfl?t pburmp;; »nd ihad it not been foe downpour of, rain, which, we: are told, always greets 'the ,vUitpr' toPicton, ourlpasaa'ge^: wbulcMavci.'b'eerl simply pepfe'etflo ovjb r. •>',> o'.\i o/Js <'* ■**■'•"• ( Asthepjeasqreof a Beavoy»go; dependi bo much upon the character of the, .ateam.er, in which it li made, >e ' were fort aoate in Bailing f rotn Welliogtori to Melbourne in the 6.9. Te Anau, which it vsnyucstiojitebly the most .comfortable i and luxuriously fitted and concerning 'its excellent, courteous, and thoughtful cbmtoa^ider, and civil Hndatt^ntiVe oß3oers»nd fit^warda.llfc is Impossible tQspeak ip',tqo much praise. ,)Qqe «pscialieaJsttOßtweSQbr served with. much satisfaction Q|i ( entering ,our well-appointed robin's, namely a printed notice directing 'btfil^tteiUbn' tb : the I 'fact (hat: bdoqath the bolster of each berth would be|oucd / a. I[ lif^ I |)elb.ißjc|aB < e fif accident, Sand as we Ipok'ea upon' it we could not helo say* ibg" M What k'i&y there i waa .not' similar provision 4a > connection with ttib ' ill-fated Tarawa^ t <.v h ..\, ;, •; :.•". I:-.-;... ■!.'■• ••"' ■" r - 1 - !! ,Our trip, do^n the qpas^j aqd ftaaky gliance at the different ports of call, enabled, ua-to. Hep- tha"t, reil 'iabstsLntial progreßß had beep made during bur 18 ihbhthß' ibß^nce frbtn former familiar scenes, and wa marked with pleasure the japparent reWrni of ■ .the, commercial prosperity of \ a, few , yeara' ago/; ; .We w'ere espedlal|y : pjeaßed with -the appearanpe of 'IbYerdaYgill, tfhibh We ' had not itkn he-i £ore, and ; which. now ranka as thri ttiird town of , Jmpprtanpeiin jtl^e. Middje. J#l»nd. ;::lts streets are pro^d,, Jtg. biiildings r?gi|l»r and elegant; and* ifcf entire appearance' 1 indicative ofigrowth and 'prosperity. Nd'doUbt'in'tbe future it will . ba a large 'and most; important IWP-rl WP-r ■ ..j i, , :•. ,; I, ; ,:f|i n ••••Jiv/.i Leaying the Blaff our voyage waa^oompiratiVely ntfeVeatfui. JlfUr'tbe firat day the elements were against ' tie, ' Head , winds •ndift heavy! sea sadly iaterferbd withbtir games pffuoitti, and wp we.(« gUdof tha Joo»l H«U,with^i excellent niai^o, ,^nd of Melboiihie Sra. reached Uod.^s lit«r ihun wt expeotfld, «hd the " LJgUrk ?' ia tfbich' i W ?f?P?A %m ,to A«eUide ;; h»d Mt. >.u We I bad, therefore, time to glance at ft city whiph ia Yiotorjao told us wsJ nearly Veqaat $3 Loo-

aon, a modest statement when we remember that it would take i.S.Melbpurnes to make a London ; and yet no leas a personage than Sir George Bowen has claimed Melbourne to be the ninth city in the world. Our first impression on approaching Melbourne wes not very favorafele. Leaving WilliamstOwn We entered tbe Yarva, w?;ose waters in the imperfect moonlight seemed to be about the color and thickness of treacle. The 6mell was simply intolerable, and we were thankful when after the lapse of an hour and a half we reached the Melbourne wharf and could again breathe with safety. We had sufficient time to see the principal objects of interest that this really wonderful city contains. The Houaes of Parliament, the Treasury Buildings, the Town Hall, the Public Library, the Picture Gallery, the Statute Gallery, the Academy of Music, the Wax Works, the Temperance H&ll, and some of the largest Churches are all placea that every visitor to Melbourne should en leaver tO Be£i The Victorian* tin especially proud of their Town Hall and Public Library, and not without reason. The Town Hall is equal to anything of ita kind in Europe, and its grand organ is in itgelf a fight worth seeing, being the largest in the Southern Hemisphere, and it is aaid also the fifth largest in the world. It was certainly a treat to hear its magnificent tones at one of the Saturday 'evening recitals which we had the privilege of attending. Tbe Public Library with its vast book ■helves containing nearly 100,000 volumes is a noble institution, and the numerous visitors occupying almost every available seat from, morniDg to night indicate that it is duly appreciated. Nothing, however, pleases us so much as the Picture Gallery, perhaps for the reason that pictures always gltfe us pleasure. This Gallery contains not only many copies of the great masters, but numerous original paintings. One picture alone, lt The Italian Brigands," is worth a great deal of trouble and expense to see. Nearly all the public buildings of Melbourne aije attractive in appearance, and substantially built, affording in the latter respect especially a striking contrast to the buildings of our New Zealand cities. The special beauty of Melbourne, however, lies in its Buburbs, which extend for miles it: each direction, and are easily reached at a trifling coßt by train or omnibus. The splendid mansions and elegant residences are a!) indicative of the wealth of this great city. Yet we are told that Melbourne is not quite so prosperous now as a few years ago, and the one answer to our ecq'iiry as to the reason of this wap, "We are being ruined by our protective duties." Whether this be; true or not we found that almost everything! in Melbourne was 20 per cent dearer than in Sydney or Adelaide. We left Melbourne; regretting that our stay waa so short, and feeling proud of the energy and enterprise of the Anglo-Saxon race, through whose in dustry and perseverauce so magnificent a city now occupies the place that little more ! than 40 years ago was primeval forest. From Melbourne to Adelaide is /easy and, cheap by reason of the keen competition be- ; f.ween the steamers. The Aldinga and the; Claud Hamilton, both old traders on the; New Zealand coast, each sail from Melbourne! to Adelaide once in about five days, salcon* passage by the former being 30a and by the latter. 258. The steamers Victorian andj South Australian are boats of a better kind.; and charge £3 ; the mail steamers' fare i?i £3108. Only recently tbe fare by almost' any Bteamer was £5. '. The only steamer suiting us being the; Aldinga, we bad to be content with the. moderate accommodation, and made the: passage in about fifty hours. We had little time to see much of Port: Adalaide, which ia about 7 miles from tbf fiity, nor does |it contain much of interest There is nothing picturesque about it. It is built on what was originally a swamp, tbe foundations being formed mainly of the tens of thousands of tons of silt that have been raised through dredging the river, and piled \ upon the swamp to the height of several ; feet. Though unattractive in appearance,' it contains spacious wharves, at which vessels of almost any tonnage can lie with safety The Municipaliy tat present contains aboui 3000 inhabitants. \ We proceeded by train to the City of Ade-; laide, so called after the Queen of William tbe fourth, and xere almost immediately charmed with its' beauties. As a city ii compares favorably with its much larger sister Melbourne. Though not containing uiore than 40,000 inhabitants,, it covers a space of nearly six square miles. It would h*v« been scarcely possible to have selected a better site for a city. It is about 170 feet above tbe level of the sea, the ground rising gently on both banks of a small stream known as the river Torrens The table land on which the city Btands lis backed by, 'a splendid amphitheatre of (Continued on Fourth page )

The Wairarapa Daily tells the following delightful story:— A gentleman preparing grain for poisoning rabbits, had a narrow escame from meeting the fate he intended for the furry pests. In stirring the boiling mixture he accidently put his thumb mio it. The agony caused by the burning liquor was intense, and all efforts to remove it were un- ; vailing, and as a last resource the suffering one put his thumb into his moiitk. The result was that he was nearly poisoned ps well as having a nasty hole burned in his thumb. The Wairarapa correspondent of the N.Z. Times writes : — The apostolic injunction " to provoke one another to love and good works" is just now being piactically exemplified by the good folks of Carterton. The Wesleyan congregation of that township, under the faithful ministrations of the Kcv. Mr. Thomas, having outgrown the accommodation afforded by their present meeting house, resolved just recently to erect a larger place of worship. One member gave a valuable freehold building site. Sundry saw mill proprietors in Carterton have generously promised a large quantity of "building timber; one member, the requisite shingle* ; and another, the piles. Promises of cash of various amounts are likewise coming to hand. Building plnns for a new chapel are being prepared. It is confidently expected that, ere many months have elapsed, a new chapel will attest the zeal and ability of their present pastor. We take the following from the Dunedin //eraM.—Statements of an interesting ami startling kind were made at the meeting of the Permanent Building Society last evening It seems that those who are desirous of erecting houses find that they can get money cheaper in other quarters, and are now ceasing to patronise building societies as they were wont to do. The result is that the" business of these boclus has decreased considerably during the past \ear, and the directors of the Permanent Building Society are of opinion that the days of such institutions are passed and gone. They accord ingly propose to adapt themselves to the altered financial circumstances of the community, and to convert their society into a loan company of a comprehensive character, including the lending of money on mortgages and bills of lading, and discounting paper for those whose names may not be H the highest repute with the stony-hearted haukers. The " Loafer in the street " writes to tne Cbristchurch Press :— The British census brings its usual collection of drollments, the following being about the best I've yet read:—" In the Shetland Islands the work of the enumerators was do easy one. The worst difficulty encountered was determining the ages of old people. A great many were entirely ignorant of their age, while others, who doubtless prided themselves on tbe knowledge, would tell the enumerator that they were born the year in which some Dotable event occurred, such as 'the year the rot was in da tatties,' • tbe year 'at da pilticks and sillocks wir sae plentifll,' *tbe year 'at da whaalscam' ta da Ness,' 'the year 'at Johnnie o' Wastermel lost his right leg at Greenland,' and so on; and the enumerator, poor man, not being versed in such matters, would be at his wit's end. One woman, Meggie by name, was ' twa years aulder dan Johnnie ,' but alas ! Johnnie's age was wrapped in obscurity also, for he was ' twa years youDger than Megerie.' " "An Arbroath parent made the following entry in the ' rank, profession, or occupation ' column of his census schedule in reference to bis two daughters:— 'They toil not, neither do they spin.' " The United States Government are considering measures to stay the flow of Mormon immigration to its shores— particularly of women for polygamous purposes. It has under consideration a suggestion that a provision of the existing law might be strained so as to ! apply. This provision is contained under an Act of March 3, 1875, which •' makes it unlawful for aliens of the following classes to immigrate into the United States namely :— Persons who are undergoing sentence for conviction in their own country for felonious crimes other than political, or growing out of or the result of such political offences, or whose sentence has been remitted on condition of their imrnigratiou, and women imported for the purposes of prostitution. Whether this can be construed so as" to include these obnoxious immigrants, and so cut off the Mormon supply of recruits is now the question under discussion. Should it be decided in the negative Congress will, it is understood, be. asked at the next session to enact a law which will strictly prohibit the admission of Mormon immigrants. The N.Z Times says that the aphorism that "All that glitters is not gold " was fully realised the other day by an over-sanguine shareholder in a quartz claim, not far from Wellington, in the course of a trial crushing in this city, whose "glorious summer" of anticipated dividends was at one fell swoop converted into a very "winter of discontent." A parcel of stone was brought into town as a trial crushing, and during the operation some of the shareholders were busily engaged,, glasses in hand, inspecting the quartz. On% of the number, while turning over the heap, came across a. lump of shining metal, which he fondly believed was a piece of the ' right stuff." His fond anticipations, for a time at least, were, however, doomed to be .blighted. The "patch" was eargerly scanned by those present, one of whom applied aquafortis, which at once proved that the metal was nothing, more than a piece of fused brassy which had been placed there by some wags, who, of course, were not far off when the -"find "was made. I was talking the other day, says the author of "London -Town Talk" in the Melbourne Argu*, to one who knows more about such matters than -he cares to tell, and put the question to him—" Granting your wrongs, why are you a Nihilist? Why do you not demand your rights?" He answered "We can demand nothing; we are forbidden to speak; the only means by which we can gain a hearing is by dynamite.". " But if you got what you wanted, would that be anarchy ?" "Yes; that is to say, it would be anarchy to' begin with. There is nothing in Russian administration that is not rotten to the core, nothing that admits of mending. It must all go to pieces, and from nothing we must start anew." This is not very hopeful, but it is at^east intelligible, and as it seems to me, a notable contribution towards understanding the whole subject. 'The impression I gathered from the gentlemim's talk (which now and ;th.eni curled my blood more thanWilkie Collins ever did) was that if the new Emperor manifested a strong desire to right matters so far as in him lay, his life would be spared.,, He was even so good as to imply that a little-law, would be given him— time to make up his, mind one.way or the other, but that if he decided on repressive measures >he wa 1 * a doomed man.

(Continued from Second Fage.) bills rieincr to a height of 2400 feet, the highest point being Mouot Lofty. The city is divided into two parts by » strip of Park lands through which the small river flow*, and the two parts are connected by three iron pirded bridges, the largest of which, the "Victoria Bridge "is 172 feet long. The streets which number about 360 are for the most part of a pleasing width, nope of the original streets heipg less than 66 feet wide, many of them are 99 feet and some as wide as 132 feet, while the terrace?, of which Adelaide contains many, are each 165 feet in width. The principal street, King William-street, contains seven out of the eight Banks of the colony, as well os tha Town Hfil!, the General Post Office, and other ornamental building?, and being almost immediately entered on leaving the railway station, gives a most favorable impression to tho3o who for (he first time visit Adelaide. Along the centre of tha southern portion of the Btreet is (be line of the Adelaide and Glenelg Kailway Company, on which its magnificent cars sre almost continually to be seen by reason of the frequency of the trains between Adelaide and Gienelg. The buildings of the city are equal in eize and elegenca to those of Melbourne, and a few of them ore deserving of special notice The Town Hall in Kine William-street, built at a cost of £24,000,13 most imposing in appearance. The front of the building is 73 feet wide and projects over the footpath, the arcade being 20 feet wide and famished with a teries of massive arches. The whole of the front, including the tower rising to a height of 145 feet is built of white freestone. The belfry contains a peal of eight belle, wh,ose magnificent (ones can be beard at a very great distance. The entrance hall is 43 feet by 27 feet and the psesage 7 feet wide. The Hall is 108 feet long, 68 feet broad, and 44 feet high. It contains room for between 2500 and 3000 people, though on Bpesial occasions a larger number have been within its walLj. Its grand organ, containing forty stoppj and fitted with pneumatic bellows and hydraulic engines for blowing, was built in England and placed here at tha cost of £2,200 The General Post Office, a little further op the street, on the opposite side, and facing both King William-street and Victoria square is the greatest attempt that has been made at architectural display in South Australia., It Jb Italian in its design, and is built of a freestone found in the colony. Its frontage to King William-street is 150 feet, and to Victoria-tquare 160 feet. Its splendid square tower is said to be the highest in any of (he colonies, and will only be eorpssJeed by that of the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. Patrick's cow in course of erection in Melt our ne. Some of the moßt coitly and elegant buildings are its Banks, some of which sre unequalled in the colonies. The Bank of South Australia, erected at a cost of over £60,000, stands probably without rival. It is built in the Corinthian style, the front and aides being faoed with stoce from quarries near Sydney. The inside walls are enriched with panellingFj. pilasters, and arches, a couple of Corinthian columns, and a deeply coffered ceiling. The floor is of polished white Sicilian marble squares, laid diagonally, end alternating with smaller squares of polished black marble, presenting a most pleasing appearance. ■•. -. ..;■:•• ' ' ■ One: special feat are of Adelaide ia the facility for travelling about the city andsuburbs, tramways traversing the streets in every direction from morning to night. The beauty of the city is enhanced by the stately trees that intermingle with its buildings. Not merely ■within the oily boundaries ' are there trees in numberless varieties, but the whole of it is surrounded by a broad belt of Pat k lands, comprising 2,300 acres, and :coatainigg 40,000 trees, which afford delightful shelter in the heat of the summer months. No description of Adelaide, however brief, should fail to mention tfcej Botanical ■ Gardens of which South Australians are justly proud. They occupy abonjtf forty -isixj acres, end contain lakpe, plantations^ roaeries, fountains, end avenues all arranged, in exquisite tastes \ r -" : - -;, v ' M 'l'^ 5 , : |q ''Style, ,~cbDtatne £00 roae trees of 300 different varieties, with .colors shading from carmine to the purest white. ■ i The 'palm bbuep, a fine structure of irtin /and glssp, erected at' a "cost of £4000, contains epme of the most baodspine palmp, and the grandest ferns that are known to exist. ..=.■ „..:....,.. ..The, zoological .department is deservedly popular andtcontaina numerous objecti.of interest. ■ ... Time did cot permit us to see much of the beauties which outside of the city itself sre well worth visiting. We saw Glenelg, the principal watering i place ;in colony, situated on Holdfast Bay; ' Bed - Were reminded of the beautieß of the Redcar Sands on the English Coaßt. . - ; , > We reached the top of. Mount Lofty, 10 miles from' th'e > city,' and looked wjtb; wonder^ and delight upon the gXand/ panorama stretched . ,<mt. , befpre v ut. Beneath tir on 'one 'side was |he; gfeal fertile plain reaching further than our viiion could compass, variegated by towns "and • Tillages, farms sod forest patches ipparently beyond number,; Od the other side' the view though more limited was not less beautiful, with the Bea aB its back ground. As we saw it in the early winter the scene was levely, but we can: easily imagine how its lovelineßS would be greater, when ita fields are covered with corn, audits Dumberleai froit trees are clad in verdure. We left Adelaide regre'tfc"y;fas w had only seen half the objects of interest that it contains, and were appreciating the and unbounded hospio taiiiy -for which South Australia is famed. ,; •• ■■.-.' . - .learning, io Melbourne, .we deterwlnfiilJft -go back -to New Zealand «ta, r Sydney. Through the courtesy <$ j ; j%j:Bton. -the Minister of Mines we obtained ferftee"pasfr to> Wbdonga, ' the fsii*u£ :; $„$$ '[ 'yictprian railways., contef joise forest scenery; of ml

interesting character, "but yet tame in comparison with the varied scenery of the New Zealand hush. We were interested, of course, as we passed through what is known as the Kelly Country, and saw many of the scenes of the exploits of the daring gang that so long bid defiance to the Victorian police. The district evidently abounds with places where concealment is easy, still it is evident that but for the sympathy and help of many of the residents in the district, the gang could not so long have remained at large. We saw Sydney under very unfavorable circumstances. On the day of our arrival it rained heavily ; the streets were nearly ankle- deep in mud, and journeying either by omnibus or on ioot was unpleasant. The following day being fine, we saw something of the city and its environs to great advantage. The city itself is old-fashioned in appearance — its streets are narrow, crooked, and ugly, but full of bustle. Sydney, altogether, has the appearance of vigorous growth : its suburbs are beautiful, and its magnificent harbor unrivalled. Leaving by the Wakatipu, we had again a good steamer and an excellent, genial captain. Our passengers, however, were rather numerous, and not the most pleasant companions, comprising 420 smoking, opium-eating Chinamen bound 'for Hokitika and Greymouth. We, however, survived the obnoxious fumes, reached Wellington, transhipped via Picton, when again the rain fell in torrents, and reached Nelson, whose pleasant hills as viewed in the dim light of early morning we regarded as the most welcome sight we had had since last we looked upon them. Our trip to the other colonies, though exceedingly pleasant and enjoyable, has only increased the lore we already had for the beautiful islands that constitute the Britain of the South. W. L.