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AUSTRALIANS ABROAD.

A book published by Mr. George Robertson, of Melbourne, bearing the title, “ Hasty Notes of a Flying Trip with the Victorian Rifle Team in England and America in 1876,” has received a rather amusing critique from a “A Vagabond” in the Australasian. The author of the book is Captain Arthur Blaunin, Iron, secretary of the Victorian Rifle Association, who, in such capacity, paying his own expenses, accompanied the Victorian five on their late chivalrous excursion to compete with and win fame from the other nations of the earth at Wimbledon and Creedrnoor. “A far better title for this book,” says the “Vagabond,” “ would have been ‘ Riflemen on the Rampage.’ Although hardly adapted for Sunday school reading, it is written in a charmingly simple manner. The author takes you at once into his confidence and into the confidence of his compaynons de voyaye. Before you have got to St. George’s Sound on board the Bangalore with them, you appear to know all the personal peculiarities of each gallant rifleman. This book is decidedly modelled more after the American than the English style. It is evidently the work of a citizen of a new country, who despises old-fashioned notions and puts in ‘his best licks in his own manner.’ The humors of thevoyageintheßangalorearewell described. The ‘ boys ’ appear to have had a remarkably good time of it. They commenced their fun at Adelaide, and kept it up steadily till they got to Galle. High wassail appears to have been held every night,—indeed, the amount of drinking, with accounts of which this book is from first to last filled, is samething enormous. It is one of the thirstiest effusions I ever read, and clearly proves that where two or three Australians are gathered together there shall be shouting and draining of nobblers. The author is to be thanked that he has spared us all guide-book description, and given us his own personal experience and those of his friends. We learn how they enjoyed themselves on shore at Adelaide and King George’s Sound. They everywhere seem to have made the best of their time, and at Galle saw everything, from the cinnamon gardens to the uautch girls. At Aden some of them had a wonderful ride around the fortress. In the Red Sea, theatricals, mock trials, and midnight merrymakings passed the time. “ At Suez Captain Blannin left his companions and lingered a week in Egypt. He appears to have enjoyed himself very much in Cairo, and to have been more impressed with the bazaars and cafes chantants and divans on the Esbekieh than the Pyramids or the Sphinx. But our author is evidently one of the new and irreverent school of travellers. He is the only writer I knew (not excepting myself, I have been as guilty as the rest) who, in describing Brindisi, has not referred to Brundiisium and its ancient glories. You can make a page or two with such description. But Captain Blannin dismisses the ancient seaport thusly :—‘ I was not long in getting ashore, had some breakfast, and finding I had two hours before the train started, secured the services of a youthful guide and did Brindisi, and I found it ample time. It is a quiet old-fashioned town, something after the style ['of Geelong.’ Vesuvius, Pompeii, and Herculaneum, call forth no emotions in our matter-of-fact Australian. One of the only bits of sentiment in the book, however, is about the Neapolitan guide ‘George.” He aroused the captain’s sympathy by a tale of his having ‘ seen better, days,’ ‘ had his home broken up,’ &c., with the desired result of being lavishly treated to wine, and no doubt receiving an extra fee. Guides are privileged liars everywhere, and the ordinary Neapolitan is renowned as being the biggest; liar and thief in Europe. Eryo, what is a Neapolitan guide? Our author scampered through the large cities of Italy. Venice alone appeared to impress him much. On the lake of Geneva he fell in with the members of a ‘ shooting feast’ on the boat bound to Lausanne. Noticing the address on his luggage, he was asked if he was a rifleman, and on admitting it a scratch match, Australia versus Switzerland, was at once made up. Capt. Blannin was successful, and was decorated with the trophy, a cook’s feather, which it is to be hoped ho keeps. The author arrived at Wimbledon in time to see the conclusion of the shooting, and to find that the Victorians, or Australians, as they were called there, had only secured £72 in prizes. Our boys do not seem to have been ever happy in England ; although at ‘ home,’ they found themselves strangers there after all. In the great world of London half-a-dozen Victorians are easily absorbed. After the shooting was over they lived together at the Bedford for a time, and devoted themselves to the weary business of sight-seeing. This seems to have involved a lot of drinking, and a general meet at the Criterion as a haven of refuge each night. Then two of the party started off on a flying trip to Paris, Brussels, and Waterloo. They were very much shocked —innocent, young Victorians—at what they saw at Mabillo and Bullier’s. “ The team left for New York by the Algeria on the 12th August. They had a rough passage, and found that voyaging on the North Atlantic was a different thing to their experiences in the comparatively calm southern seas. On arriving at Jersey City, Major Sleep and Captain Blannin were despatched across the river to New York to obtain information, and the rest awaited their return. I can imagine our four Australians, rifle in hand, dismally keeping guard over their baggage on the dreary wharf in the dreariest of New York suburbs, Jersey City. But the two spies they sent out fell in with a good Samaritan. They called at the office of the American National Rifle Association, in Broadway, to endeavor to see the president, who was not in. ‘As wo were leaving the office, a tall dark gentleman said, “ Are you the Australian riflemen ?” “We are," said I, “part of them." “Ho,” said he, “that’s real nice, My name is Rhodes. I’m from the Tribune, and I should be glad to accompany you back to your friends.” We said we should be delighted, so he joined us, and we returned by ferryboat to Jersey City. After making arrangements rc our luggage, we departed for New York under the guidance of Mr. Rhodes. And here I must state that the everlasting gratitude of the team is due to Mr. Rhodes for the verygreat trouble he took with us during our first day in New York. What we would have done without him goodness only • knows. But in America our boys found that their lines had fallen in a pleasant place. Hospitalities were everywhere showered upon them. They had receptions given them by the Centennial Commission, by the Mavor of New York, and the National Rifle Association. They had excursions down the bay and up the Hudson. The combined teams received an ovation at Booth’s Theatre. ‘ As

we,took our,seats, the, progress of the, piece—(Sardanapalus) was stopped for several minutes to allow the audience to give us a hearty welcome. At the conclusion of the first act the orchestra burst out into our National Anthem, and as we rose to ora feet at the sound of the grand old tune, the Americans broke again into tumultuous cheering, and when that had died away, gave three cheers for each team separately.’ They were honorary members of no less than six clubs, and received ‘invitations from all quarters for every kind of entertainment.’ A grand complimentary banquet was given at Delmonico’s to the combined teams. Altogether there is no doubt that our boys enjoyed themselves more in America than in England. They were evidently more at home in the former place, and as representatives of Australia appear to have had special attention paid them.”

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZTIM18770711.2.19

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5085, 11 July 1877, Page 3

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,329

AUSTRALIANS ABROAD. New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5085, 11 July 1877, Page 3

AUSTRALIANS ABROAD. New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5085, 11 July 1877, Page 3

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