A ROMANCE OF THE ANTIPODES.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2976, 29 August 1878, Page 2

A ROMANCE OF THE ANTIPODES.

ANTIPOD-Ef; Captain Batch, of .the ship Strathdon, belonging to the White, Star Line, plying between London and. Australia, acepm* panied by a young lady of about eighteen years of age, of considerable persoriafafe>, tractions, applied to the magistrate at,the Thames Police Courts a few days^ ago, under the following circumstances.:—lt appeared from the statement made by iffie 5 captain that the' young lady joined his vessel at Sydney as an apprentice., She was then dressed in masculine attire, and represented herself, to be .a runaway.ap? prentice from another Teasel, and she stated.that she wished to get back to London, and for that purpose offered herself to him. When the ship left Sydney the new hand did; duty as well as could be desired, and became rather a favorite with the ship's company. Whejii the vessel had been out about forty days a, communication was made to the captain which roused' his suspicions, and he accordingly taxed, the supposed apprentice with being of a different sex to what he had represented,himself to be. The. would-be tar thereupon confessed' that she was a female. ' Some female clothing was procured, and' the middy was placed ia apartments moie suitable than the forecastle,,; Captain Btteh ;nowrftated that to put himself right with, his owners he wished to know whether the young lady could make a statutory declaration as to how she came on board: hw)ship. Mr Lushington said that he did notthink * that was necessary. No doubt if 1 Captain Batch went to them and explained the affair it would be all right., The Captain, thanked His Worship, and withdrew. It is-stated that the young lady. is. the daughter of respectable "parents, 'wW reside ia the' North of Ireland. - It has not transpired how'she came to be at.Sydney. Messrs George Thompson and Co., the owners of the Strathdon*. have:kindly undertaken to send the; ini&ettiAg young "middy" home to her parents, who reside near Dublin. She says that about fqurteen > months ago, being/, then only'seventeen years' 01 age, she took it into her head to go to New South Wales or/^Australia. Ske, accordingly went but as an emigrant to Q P ueetti slan&, where she obtained a situation; as a bat* maid.' While there she received a letter from her mother begging her to return home, and enclosing v monpy ; to,pay her passage. - With this-she. bought M suit of mascu'iDe att;re and. obtained a situation as second steward on' bo~rd a steamer running short; trips between Weffcastle and Sydney. : She continued there two or three months, and - then -she' thought she should like to come to England, and that she might' as well work her passage 'oi»r as pay tor it. She sought and obtained ]a situation on board the Strathdoiu ' r '-<'•'