THE CHINESE QUARTER OF MELBOURNE.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2167, 14 December 1875, Page 3

THE CHINESE QUARTER OF MELBOURNE.

'.}{tQbjaetipi^ has : been taten,!by.- tlve Curstyle of; archuHec ; .tare's laffected-ibyi many- ofathe iGhinese; residents in Little Borke street, and the slane^whidtrraldfito! Great Bbiiirlse street, Notices 1 to^quit! have beenseVved^upbn jiTriumber-e)f':Mong:olians whose re^idence^s r"d6^ply:-\with:;'the;'',V,^visions:''of 1 t^ :IBliildin^!'Act;!' eitTier in' '.l^gard; % m- feptistrPing/the: MrMartm! Evans, the Corporation inspector, 'pr"o-:

(j of the dP^ss^jind JDeiecujfii.JfQOk,,piling,----;|p 3 in§e(Bfc f spmft ; $«$& }iQUsgs, wliictt. .abound) sq^pl&ntifiiliy: : m ike ()flcs\tiyz-jihs\'e Opined,!. i tJEJo.urke: street b^s^ifeight-of-TOayitiwluch/rruhs through to Little Bourke street, thei ; r -pcriyf!|o3a' jfoundj^th^iiisqlras >%nbnjg a number of ramshaclile'wodden^eWmeWs, •which hung in some mysterious way to the brick twall'Sj from''which they seemed to jut. The right-of-way was an exceedingly"' 1 t[uiet place, and no lights were risible to the majority of the visitors,: who, however, under'the guidance of Mr Evans, were promptly admitted to a '•' Chinese lpdgiqghous.e.". The, sight .^as: a curious one;' 'The ground floor was uncovered .and, jdanip,. kjitchen utensils aud! other!, articlesJ De'ihgl strewn 4! about in delightful confusion, giving the impression , th£t !Chinese b'dcnefdrs, like- their "European brethren, are by no means very tidy when left to' ;tbeni§efves.' - A CMnanian, who came down-stairs on hearing the ; visitors enter, then led the way to the upper apartment, access to which was The inmates were just beginning to. think about " going to sleep," a,nd were using opium freelyy in order that Morpheus might clasp them in his arms. The «*W^er.&bTo rd§n of Jll|h./^ jlf.Qur dirty beds, curtained with ragged drapery! ■which might have been,,washed years be-, ifore, Occupied' the' apartment/ On one couch squatted •":a l!Chinainan engaged in mending clothes,, while, eac,a of, .{-he -k>fMe =r f three a! in'iserable*barbarian ssat tlying to get his opium pipe into smoking or*der, "the 'result 1 being 1 'that the placVwas filled with an atmosphere, which, in point g6f"offdnsiveness' wa's! unique';" Eight men „i.t was state.d^Q^cupied.t^e.roomSjat tim.es, "though there was not space in it to swing 9,.cat decently.. ..Leaving t thejodging-l}LOUs,e, ' a start was niade for a carpenter's shop J>y,j the o^cupier.wor^ing byythelight of a rag steeped in fat, arid on being asked Whether, hp. jWjOuld letjtihe visitors see his sleeping apartment he at once consented to , Apse. The/rpo.miWas^muchrbelQw th.elevel of the street, and it was very damp and very filthy, bujfci John; seemed quite r satisfied with his place of rest, which was; contrary to the general rule, supplied with blankets. Both the buildings mentioned had been ; erected'Jb'y dimply covering in yards with rough pieces of wood, on which was placedl aheet bf-'-wood; and ia fact anything which might; be expected tovexclude-the-air of heaven, and to promote a. filthy and uncomfortable '> state -of- affairs. "Then a: visit'was j'aidtd . a .".cookshop." In the front'i-bom, which opened on' t<*s&ittte'-'Bqurij c- street, & numr ber of Chinamen were'engaged in preparing- fo-Vrl3tfor/eobkingf and here <was seen a peculiar specie's bY- cake^- mafdoJof: flour and Chinese oil,'.tb§ paste thus;formed o.fceiag Jsha^ped'iltft^-circular pieties'l and sprinkled over with a sort'iof seed intended' to vprpchice-.»inseftsibflity, iorael iujclkiit■iireseinbluig.i I4haifii P c^iise^./fey' *M' administration of Indian hemp. In a *qqm behind, thejnpsme was^ proceedingi r «^eyerai.lf6wls^hiup>:bMng^r^p'p fed^ 4 cauldron of bpiUng;W?itey?.; As the flesh ke^am^ dope^.j^^ eoo)f r tpQk;j}t^p.u>t of t^e w^ter by i^e^' of "an instrumenrre ? sembling a landing'"net, and dropped into some bowls which were „'andingjn ""fead'uess."" The upper apartnicntti of this house presented a somewhat bottler f.p- ---" i pearance ttan those of 'the places previously, visited. The rooms were ]>artit)oned oft'by dc.al-boards, and the only ■ furniture visible w s as acl a;r or two and the customary wooden tables, it which soup was drunk. Two or three European girls were here seen driuking sc-u-p- -rthich

I was brought to Wemt^J 1 the Chinamen, i The rooms" wore clpsely packed , with beds, and'very''.iir ventilated. x The , vow of gambling lioiisos in the old arcade were then visited, and after some hesitation the'party, were allowed to watch the ceremony of " drawing the bant* from the inside of the" rails by which the crowd of investors is shut M 'ftomßtba linkers?' iT-tiisi licenc, lias often been described, andit may be wit-apssed-on; any, nigh t of /the .week) in one or j other .ofitbe •!< ! banksr'Vr;o\ «:■; w\ vfouiox. \ The revolting part of the night's entertainment ! was t yet: in: i^t'ore'.! rltf iw^S decided to )< go to >'" Brogan's: lanet" Prowling; through a .low: dobr,;"eijijlrapce was gained: to one of a series of I shanties, raised by . cprerin^; over yards. -^!Fai^t glimmers w;ei ve'seen through cracks in the boards, and wherever lights we're visible Iftbk,.Shirig ,sang out, to: the dnjellersj "Op9n.the door." A door-resembling that of a'cupboard was opened^ 1 and & Chinaman was seen lying on abed of-.tlii? usual class, smoking opium. A dull light was on a tray if* the middlo of the bed, separating the. Chinaman from a woman of apparently, about fifty, whose ,eygs rollep.: mi.a way which sliowedt that, she too; had contracted a taste for a narcotic other than tobacco.,, Qn;being spbk : eh';'.j;p she. answered with: a drunken kindaof laugh, and jabbered a mixture of 'English aiid'Chine^^ It may .be here remarked, that both men and women, whenever seen in| bed, 1 had not divested : tne'mselv^es! of any j)6r tion of their '.clothing, but were sleeping "iv their ordinary | day 'attire... The, Chinaman, whjeici Asked whether! his " wife." , liked': ,'opium, chuckled, showed his ,'teeth,'and 1 sai.d "welly good." Jn- other houses '.'■. abou't this place,l women of notorious character w.ere, Ibubd drinking ,I'sp'up.. ;Mr Evans tbeiavisifcedaihouse occupied by a woman ■wlio.' had- rrecejived!, nptice; to reriiove, iconsequent upon the plate.dL de-! moiitidn of her premises. He jaskipdi her whether she . would■^..alldW ?jhim \ to .see r, the place .tin .which; her :twb', children-/ aged;!fifteen, \sns} elfevjen r'espectiYeiy, .slept/ - She promised -to comply,^ and"steppidg forward, undid a bblt; whicli sedured the ;doQrpf i apartmentj containing two' filthy!' arid! ragged couqhes.\Thei'e:was r ' p pp;. ffopr, to \ ,tne room ,, tut the. woman.stated /that her; ;lapidlord'had promising tolay pn& dowtf, ap'd'.'.,'.fp:; fjiriher'.imprpve thq. place,,')Mr Evans advised the. stoppage -of allexpenditur^; as the . hov^el, marke^d for ,: :de|; I truction, and the woman-then said-it was | a hard case, as she had no oth'eir placVtol go to,'and-she was a poor woman earning j her living by doingß a little washing. ' •In i ply. to ;a,, questipn, she. said. that '.^er! children were'at night-school, at least; she believed so. After lea ving'this | a number of Chinese dens'were visited, each presenting the same characteristic, j for when-one- has-been described, all:are: known. There was. the same miserable: ■filth on the ground floor, the'same:ricketty \ steps up\yarjils, and.'the samegliastly spectacle of poppy-iueb.riation'.ip^esent'ed by < the dirty Mongolian smokers, packed in; bed like sardines in tins. • Atttone house ; ffiere existed !a cesspit uhdjpr the/ Samb: •roof/as the kitchen, and! separated, from it; ibnlyby'a^safeen of cahva'ss/ A..quantity [ of offejQsiv(3;matter was also contained in j jars placed near the cesspit, which had not, I according to the-inspectorj been emptied; forfyears^and- which /entitfeedi;a:■•;most! fnpisome . .odour. •• At another j house, aj gopdrlooking girl, who said she. wasj nineteen years, of...age, was found! in company,witjrtwo Chinamen, who were: lyiDg in bed opium smoking. "Thelove of: tawdry finery had not left her,-for she: was engaged on some ornamental needle-' work. She hadbeen with JChinainerfCshe; S3id for a long time, and was [satisfied; v\iththem. "She had lost her shame." Iv another room was found 'a good-; humored half-caste child of about twoi years old, which chattered in Chinese,! and played without fear with a lamp for; lighting opium pipes." After visiting! several other places, in which for, the most part Chinamen were-found by themselves, the tour of Inspection concluded.—Daily Telegraph. yf . '.