TRAVELS OF A TARANAKI MAN

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81878, 1 November 1906, Page 4

TRAVELS OF A TARANAKI MAN

Mr A. kyng .tun f.'twatds the fol-i->li"v. ng a. count m _i.„ brief -i.juiun ill ll.e U.-..C111 KcpUnllCs ot bouth Atmiica. ill- write, iu.in '.lie s.». i apaiua: "lou may rcie-inbci 1 ii-i. ..L.» .MaidllU .11 til.- .S.Z. SolppUig Co. a very tine s.s. i'uia&ina, wcicn .a... J iiom Ly.O.t, n on July ji.i. She wa- a la ny lull -h p. i iioid.iing .i.'mm! ot mi.' year, having 4S p.s-.n

~ .s m li.e "ui-i ..i.ci tic-lid s.i!i,ou, and 7S nme steerage. On tue 7111 . j passed the ifco degrees w-'.-'- iung;t .dcj anu o.n-e.iueiuiy my diaiy shows Saturday, the 7th, twice. On the 17th we reached our invest lat l.ude. Tin tueinicmetor in mv i-j-ui showed 57 degrees, i was glad t.j iind that me hot s.eam pipes, by v.iiich tii-: snip .a waimed, gave off u.. unp.eao u cl suiedl; 1 uad ije-Ti i l.'ld i.ity uou'.d. Oil the lyui we i-afoed the "lloiu 'ats pm- Al.

..i.- aturn-on v.e had a <:.:.i tne ad jacent snow coveied mountains, ..l.ie.. leo'icd beaut.;ul in the char ; t.nl.,.i>■ • AHliougit v.e were only about ii milefrum the Horn, we could not sec u vtry d stincuy in the twilight. To me ii looked iike an enlatged Pa.v lutu. Two days later we had a told gale from the south. The air ou d.ck was very ke.m, the temperature in my cabin being 54- C"lds were. very prevalent on board, and 1 did not c-capc. Nineteen days af'er leaving New Zealand, we came 10 anchor orl Monte Video, the capital of the small Kepublc of Uiuguay. Tinharbor is extensive, but ra her shallow. We lay outside the mole and breakwater, which form the harbor, a; about two miles fr»m shoio. The country looked Hat, except for one low hill, on which there is a fori. Passengers landing by the Com pany's launch were charged 4/ for 1 go ng and returning. On my lannmg I had no trouble withihe Customs. I proceeded to have a lock at tac city. The sireeis are narrow an<1 paved with cobble stones so .he traf he makes much noise, especially th'' mule carts, which have wheels abc,:: 6ft in diameter, and are drawn by three animals, the dr'vc- sitt ; ng on the near mule. Two and three Horse iram caff run in many of th*) streets. The houses, which are flat roofed, re r.und me of these in Italy. They are built ol rough brick, which is thickly covered w th concrete, so they lcok as if bu.lt 11 s.one. Much white marble i- u-ed for wps and stairway-. There are very few really fine build ings. The pcpulaticn of the city :s said to be nearly 300 000. Shops are very po-r and thngs are expen -ive. In the afternoon of the day 1 landed, I heard there was a steamer for Rio de Jianeiri' the .caplitaj of Brajil, to fail that evening, so I loi k my pa-sage on the Pacific Mai Co.'s Vxtoria. The accommodation was not good and the foreign Clemenamong the passengers was far from pleasant.

The entrance to Rio harbor is soruwhat narrow. After steaming«past two or three forts, we anchored off th* town, and had to land in private boats. The city is built at the base of some steep hills. The city looks as if it had been visited by a severe earthquake. Whole row" of houses h,ivo been pulled down, not only io widen the streets but also that finer building s may take their places. The work of demolition VI sli " in f"' l swing. Main Avenue is a magnificent thoroughfare. The wide street U laid with stone blocks overlaid with cement, and much of the broad pave ment is done in Mosaie work. Many of the streets are brilliantly lighten' with electricity. Some ot tiie snop» arc large and handsome, but they do not make much display. Electric trams are much in evidence. Rio, Deng within the tropics, is very hot in maimer. The principal hotels are on the hills. I put up at the Royal facing the principal square, which i" pretlilv laid out with walks, touma.n, bandstand- statues and flower bed--. The last nighi I was at the Hotel, there was an alarm of fire there. Eight or nine sicam engines were >oon on the spot, but fortunately their ser vices were not required. The principal export of Brazil is rubber; next tomes coffee. It has a population of over 14000000. Of these 01 m.i linns are whites, over two million nc gioe-, il millions Indians, and mote 1 than 4i millions mixed breeds. KlO I is certa nlv a very fine city, but livinK is verv'expens.ve. A young man connected with the shipping told me it cost him £3O a month.

On August Ist. I went on board too Koval Mad steamer "N-kv iath« a more comf.-rtable boat nan the Victor a, except that the passengers wer, more noi*y. \Y C coasted alous the Uraiilian coast, and next monrmg w. entered the rhu Santo-, up wlncii w«. seamed for a kwn»le.ulUvcm^ cd at the wharf, where there *t «. tw. or sx other «cean lin«r». Ihe banks "the harbor arc low, with surrounding hills. Before evening v.e feot under weigh. One noted pas<enge , wh ch commanded a good deal oi attention, was a horse bred by our King an(i a winner of the Derby, and sjld to an Argentine gentleman for ovei /;30.000. Many of the passengers on the ship were vaccinated, the immigrants compulsory so, as small-pox was so prevalent at Bucno. A> res. Karly on the sth we anchored oft Monte Video, only those bound tor that place landing. At 12.30 P-m----we steamed up the river La riaia, to Buenos Avres. Much of the way we were out of-ght of land. Alter cus to ms examination, 1 got a man 0 carry my handbag to the Hotel dc Piovnce, about 5 m-nutes walk. 1 had to pav him yd. Unfortunately, during a good «i ™? sta >' ln ' hc Argentine, 1 was laid up w.th influenza-

1 mu-t in the first place tell you v>mctbng of the city. The docks demand tn»- attem.on. Ibey ar-- a double line- ..[ quays, over tout miles, in length. 1 have heard of about 100 British steamers lying at theui at one time. Br.ck il.cm on one side. Between them and the citv is all made ground. I his ha* been rnostlv planted and beauty fiillv laid out in walk and drives, anu adorned w.lh fountains; statuary, cic. The chv and suburban tram service i< -aid'to be the muM complete i" .he world and the fates are very loi.. sometimes not as much a- id pn mile. Many of the the busy thon ugnfaies are very narrow, and the payment not wide enough for two o. three W walk abreast. The trdn r,r< -ometitnes actually bru-h the p-u'c-trians on lh- side walk-". Souliif the new streets are wide and wen planted. Th,- Plazo Mayo is to hne-t and has some of the most in. p„s ng building and mo >'• show; sliiipi. The eev is hud out in squares, ion blocks going t" a mile. 1-ev, building-- are mure than thuc or (our storevs high, and are mostly hirjt of brick, pla.-tercd with conereu., a good deal of gianate and marble be ng u-ed. One day 1 look a rule n Palermo. cio«e to '.\hich are tlie Zoological Gard-ns. from Hi re ■ walked to the Park, which adjoins the /.„„' The cemetery is one ot Hit 3 '-ght- of Buenos Ayie-. U » <■», r lo-ed bv a hgh wall and the ground d,.c= wt sc m laid out -n any uniioini plan Th- concte-c avenues wind amid't the Urge mau-olea. They ;,i.. bu It of brick and c'-nvnt. ;md ni.'ifl 'ot them hav' barred gate- or IdViK. w.th gla's panels. Looking through these on- generally sees an altar- on which ai<" placed cand.e- and powers and a crucifix. Anoihcr -ight in ihr city is the hor=c and caul? bazaar. I did not thnk much of the entires Ihe one that m- most looked I k" a h.-.ivv Suff-lk Punch, But. "h I the butls' 1 I had never seen such a < olledion of highcia-S well-bred ammaK I did noi notice one lnuifTer-,-ro l>e.i-! amongst ij,e ,l Z (,is th're. Shorthorns po-ponderatcl Tlieie v.e.e mix" l bred-. Mi«h as Shortln.rn and Devon-, and Sh-irthorn-.,iid Avr-hie.

On A.igu t -•'■!', 1 l'f' Aifiuji;.. nut 1 had n u l bt ' ll '•'■'■ " lllt " "'■ ua ' 1 -hould have I'k'd, a- tile m<-at pail of the time I \va* diei'- 1 was <:<-nlin,,l t., tl)'-- Iwt'L I 11 - ld r:llll '' r a s, '~ vre a-.uck '.l intiueiua. 'I In- tivr <U-am«r Venu-, is a bo.u of m,„,,, hunched- of ton-, and is well luted up. l'ai-t'iig'rs an- not landed at the wharf i, Monf \" d'-». hut have t•> engage

~iu- of die many boa., dial to me off to the -h'p. On landing, and pa-s----in it inv ban tlll"Ugli lie- Ctl-u>m3, f p-ueei-ded tu ih«: Omnial Hotel. It 1-. I Kin-id' r, mi.- of lie heat in the city, and tin- tar rf i = moderate, viz., 11/3 a day. mcaU included. Kaiu Ijll each day, J did, nut gut out

much, Iju: thi- I did n-.i r.-gii-t. being 'in- i;,ui ..' In .11 '• 1.11 i a l'.:|..ii m had f "if u tin- „iunch, and j.; i-,..-.d 1.e.. I; I v:a.- not till the next murning that I «;.:• uii my way U, i.ie Uitl Country. .."lul-. iu.bi._- bii.i.. 1 h.ivi- a good cab nto iny-.-lf. Tin- passengeran' an exceptionally picas;, nt 1..1 and in' s -'..a ii s are vci> atiemive in i -.heir (lu i.',. J'll,- !- em- 1 |,.,d 1..; | : my terni.muter has been oS. We : i ■ iave ii-;r ~,.. o a-s'ii!v u ~,.- i, ,- near I iv a fortnight. 'lh's ha.-undid ii.uc.i 1 to kc-p iin- an (•,.,,-. i,., ~; . .-. ! ' '•hoi- do combat" and um>r i :•.<.' chip's •'"<: "r. i ai,i ..,.- .-i.;> wth,h. p.r of ..iv tour. Had Ibe n w-'ii i :-h uli ~ hare sum you, I .l'.pe. a ml.it ;ih, 4». more inUT.-ting acc-tint of my tip r thus far. I