A HOLIDAY TRIP TO MELBOURNE, 1894.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2648, 19 April 1894, Page 3

A HOLIDAY TRIP TO MELBOURNE, 1894.

By “Cushion Tyre”. ( Continued.) Elizabeth street and Swanson street are very busy thoroughfares, and of an afternoon are crowded with the wealth and beauty of the city, doing their shopping and exhibiting the latest vagaries of fashion. In the morning, between the hours of eight and nine o’clock, it is an interesting sight —affording plenty of food for reflection —to stand at the junction of either .of these streets with Flinders street and watch the moving mass of humanity on the way to the work pf the day. It is a long string of people, of all shapes, ages, and sizes, bustling and jostling along, each unmindful of the other. To count them is an utter impossibility —they must be thousands in uumbar. This same scene occurs again in the ey,suing, between 5 o’clock and 6.30. Whilst on street and street traffic, let me say something tram system of Melbourne. It CRU be expressed by one word —excellent. It 19 a cable system, with the travelling ropes underground, and with winding centres in different parts of the city and suburbs. There is a double lino of rails, all cars on the outward journey on one line of rails and on the other line on the return journey. The most pleasing feature of the trams is their extreme steadiness and easy motion, their regularity and the ease with which they can be stopped and set in motion. Notwithstanding the great bustle and traffic in the city, and the great number of trams which are crossing and recrossing at the various points of intersection, they never seem out of place—never collide, and <> r e singularly free from accident. One need not walk far in Melbourne, for the tiam fare is cheap enough, as 3d will take one from the city to any of the suburbs, distant perhaps four miles, Nevertheless they are poorly patronised, and oonsoquently are not earning fat dividends for the shareholders, the price of tram shares being now about as many shillings as they formerly were pounds. Wherever the trains run the streets are paved with small wooden blocks, instead of metal, as in the towns of Now Zealand. Whole streets for miles are tints paved their full breadth. All the streets in the city, and Clarendon in Somh Melbourne and Chapel Street, in Prahran are thus treated. Melbourne is surrounded on all sides by beautiful suburbs, in which the city merchants, , | financiers, and business men have their

charming villa residences. Across the river the chief suburbs are South Melbourne, St. Kilda, Prahran, and Toorak. On the city side of the Yarra are Richmond, Carlton, Collingwood, Clifton Hill, and N. Fitzroy. By far the most fashionable suburbs are Toorak, Prahran, and St. Kilda, and here may be seen many beautiful residences—especially at Toorak and St. Kilda, the latter on account of its esplanade and piers. Of an evening especially after a very hot day thousands of people may be seen on the beach and piers at St. Kilda promenading about and enjoying a taste of the “ briny.” It would take one a month at least to see the principal sights of Melbourne its gardens (botanical and zoological), its library and museum, its picture gallery, public buildings, and Government institutions. Hence in the brief space of a fortnight spent in Melbousne many places must remain unvisited ; so I will give a brief account of the places I visited. They were Zoological Gardens, Botanical Gardens, Library, Picture Gallery, Exhibition Buildings, Houses of Parliament, Princess Theatre, Waxworks, Cyclorama, Cole’s Book Arcade, Melbourne Gaol, and Pentridge Prison. The Zoological Gardens—the best in Australia —are situated at Royal Park, on the Sydney road, and are reached by tram in a few minutes. They are open to the public every day in the week. The admission on week days is Is’ on Sundays free. They are well laid out, the arrangements are all that can be desired, and they are complete in every department of natural history. It has been the object of the promoters to present every animal in as exact a state as though it were at home in its native element. Thus the monkeys have a large, roomy cage, with several branches and perches to disport on. The lion in his cage has a cave formed, in which he makes his lair, and the aquatic birds are in a small lake, with an island in the centre as a breeding ground. In their case, they are badly off for a supply, of clean water. That in their lake is of the muddiest and dirtiest description; .so their plumage suffers accordingly. An afternoon can be very profitably spent at the “ zoo ” amongst the various inhabitants. Here, as in most other places of popular resort, are refreshment booths, where delicious summer drinks—ice creams and sodasquash—may be had. One animal here —a llama—seems to have contracted a very bad habit—that of spitting on persons who happen to be looking at it. So troublesome and annoying was the habit that the authorities have placed fine wire-netting round the enclosure, and have also a most prominent notice up, “ Beware! This animal spits.” Ladies, especially with new dresses, were the chief objects of this animal’s sport. In the gardens are to be seen animals and birds of many kinds and of many colors. Here a cage of chattering monkeys, there a collection of snakes (some as thick as one’s body); here a group of lions basking in the sun, there parrots and other birds of gay plumage, keeping up a most horrid din; here a timid antelope, and, by way of contrast, a huge elephant whisking the flies from off his huge body. The Botanical Gardens, on the road to South Yarra, are in close promixity to Government House, and are the most interesting and beautiful of the many places of public resort. Especially on a Sunday afternoon they are thronged with people, who lounge, about on the beautiful sloping lawns, aud ! listen to the excellent music discoursed by some of the best brass bands in Melbourne. -In these gardens may be seen plants and trees from all parts of the world, and for the information of the passer-by have their names, common and botanical painted close to them. There are also hot houses and ferneries in connection with the gardens, which contain some very rare plants and most delicate ferns. There are several winding and shady walks, encompassed by beautiful specimens of native fern trees, so common in our bush. There are also ponds in the gardens well stocked with aquatic birds, which seen to disport themselves for the benefit of the visitors. Coming out of the Botanical Gardens, and walking round to the city by the Yarrabend, one passes the meeting-place of the Socialists, so conspicuous by its streaming red flag, and so noisy on account of the inflammatory speeches delivered by some of the leaders. Every Sunday afternoon the Socialists have their gatherings, which are attended by themselves—a small body —and supplemented by a crowd of curious onlookers. The Public Library aud Picture Galley—in the one building—form an interesting study. The library is on the upper floor, and contains copies of almost every known book. Here may also be seen severy historical documents aud charters which mark most momentous epochs of our history. There are also specimens of early Australian agreements drawn up with the aborigines. One could spend days—even weeks — admiring the many beautiful pictures in the various art galleries, aud the beautiful sculpture and statuary work. In one of the galleries there is a full-sized figure of a bull with an attendant by his side. The figure is cut out of white Italian marble. This piece of sculpure was on view at the Melbourne Exhibition, and is the finest of its kind in Australasia. The galleries were almost destitute of views of New Zealand scenery, there being but two specimens, and they were not of the beat views of our world-renowned beauties. The ipost taking and natural picture ju the whole building is that of a sheep watching in the snow over the dead body of her newborn lamb, while she is surrounded on all sides by a flock of ravenous crows. As one stands back and looks at the piteous spectacle one can almost see the warm breath coming from the mother-sheep as she cries for help. (lq l>'‘ confi/iiii’d.)

She Would be a Paubeu.— Mr Denman, at the South-Western, gave his decision in a prosecution instituted under the Vagrant Act by the guardians of the Wandsworth and Clapham Union. Alice King, whoso age was given at twenty, was charged by them with neglecting to maintain herself, and consequently becoming chargeable to the union. The magistrate decided in favor of the guardians, observing that the prisoner had dcliberatily refused to cum her living, aud by her own conduct became a pauper. lie, however, gave her another chance, aud imposed a nominal sentence of one day's imprisonment, she having promised lo cnti-r homo o.doaging to the ’’ Elisabeth fry " refuge, whore she would bo employe.i at laundry work,