MELBOURNE FROM AN AMERICAN WOOL-BUYER'S

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 208, 25 January 1872, Page 7

MELBOURNE FROM AN AMERICAN WOOL-BUYER'S

POINT OF VIEW.

FIRST OF A SERIES OF PAPBBS TO BE READ AT THE COOPER INSTITUTE, NEW YORK.

From the "Australian."

Fellow. Citizens. — I have been to Australia, and I have returned. I have been on a mission, and that mission was wool — 32cent wool. I have got that wool — a good deal of it. They let us have it; trust them for that. A big boss there in the wool trade said he didn't par-, ticnlarly want to sell it to us, but as *,ye were evidently bent on getting it, andoffered good money for it, he let us have: it, " so that there should be no unpleasant, feeling or animosity between the two great continents of Australia and America." My senior partner, I know, will swear a few when I tell him this, and express a wish that our Melbourne

friend hadn't been so confoundedly senti 'mental.

There are serious misimpiossions abroad here about Australia, encouraged I think, by the missionaries who ha\e preceded us. Tlip inhabitants' of Melbourne, where we lived mostly, are not black. Emphatically not. -Indeed, there are a lot of particularly white men there I could name, but I want to avoid being invidious. I have brought a trunkful of photographs with me, in case my assertion should be disputed. Nor do they eat each other now — at least, not while we were there. They had better food to eat, and a balance to export.

I don't think it worth our while sending any more such-missionaries there. The people are quite civilised enough. For our part, we may have thought before our arrival that, living as they do at the antipodes, they might not know very much. We hadn't been there a day, fellow-citizens, before it dawned on us that this was an error, and before we were there a week we could see they were "up to the whole bag of tricks."

There are two kinds of colonists — old colonists and other colonists. The old colonists get very drunk once a year — on the first of July, the anniversary of their separation from New South Wales, and the commencement of the separate existence of Victoria, which, before 1851 was simply the district of Port Phillip. The other colonists take their liquor freely on that day also, and on numberless other occasions. The old colonists are a very estimable lot of fellows. The others are fast following in tln j ir footsteps. They are an hospitable people the citizens of Melbourne, but I think they drink too much, and I told them so one night, very late, after dinner. We intended at first, by our example, to endeavour to restrain them in some degree in this respect, and to implant if possible, habits of selfcontrol amongst them ; but on reflection, we decided that such conduct on our part would be liable to be constructed as presumptuous, as an interference, so to speak, at once unwarrantable and impertinent, with what appeared to be a "domestic institution." We, therefore, concluded to take our " tots " like the others. We did so. They can't complain of us. We drank very fair.

Embedded in this community we found a score or co of uld Tanks. They had baen there from,' 15 to 18 years. They have not deteriorated very much. They have introduced " props," can-oysters, baking powder &nd John Collins there, aud other means of alleviating the tedium of antipodean existence. They are not fossilized, but on the contrary, lively. Most of them are beloved, some even respected.

Victoria is a great gold-producing-colony, but we noticed the list of calls in the Melbourne " Argus " each morniug was always outrageously, out of proportion in length to the list of dividends. In this respect Victoria is not singular. That it is a pastoral country is evidenced by the wool we have brought with us, as also by the sheep's trotters and mutton broth* of which we were in no way stinted where we resided. There are also hot winds there, preserved meats, protection, and excellent colonial wines and beer. We could have as much of the latter beverages as we chose to drink, morning, noon, and night — for, as I said before, they are hospitable people; but we noticed they never drank them themselves, so we refrained from indulging.

Talking of protection, they have a Treasurer there we ought to import. The framer of our tariff is a fool to him. The man who fixed the low duty limits at 32 cents can't hold a candle to him. His name is Berry — Graham Berry. Mr. Secretary Boutwell should have him over qu : ck, because he might die young, being very clever. He is a teetotaller, but I have seen him intoxicated. Don't misunderstand me. It was on the occasion of a review of the local naval forces, when he was so inflated with his importance as War Minister as to lose his mental balance. Some people get tight — through vanity — this way, and some through liquor. I thiuk the latter is. the more honest way. It is the best for trade. I prefer it. If we had him over, and put him in a place proportional to his merits, he would keep steady. He would never have cause to be taken that way.

There are five principal hotels in Melbourne — Menzies' Hotel, Scott's Hotel, the Port Phillip Club Hotel, Tankard's Temperance Hotel, and Wiutle's Hotel. We did not try either of the latter two. The other three are first-rate, though it is difficult to get anything to drink in one of them after 12 o'clock at night. Wintle does not run his hotel now. He is deceased ; but he was popular in his way, and his name is still kept up same as with the Astor House here. It is an exclusive place, and the rules about drinks are still more stringent than in the other hotels we have adverted to. They don't allow any, either before or after 12, except, indeed, in the eveut of you're going to be hung, whrn they relax •■$, little — the rules, T mean.

There are^-severe penalties for selling liquor on buudays, consequently we always got twicers much on that day as on any. other. Travellers and lodgers have privilege*. At a way-side hostelry kept by a downey

old chap, we' saw on the vi.i' t this ticket — ' "Beds 6<J. A deposit of i. sum reque You put down — if it le Sunl.iy — 6;1. b«^ide the oar 1 . I ;md immediately a nobbier (the loi-V. j name -for a tot) is put iii>wn also. You need not tell them as you go away not to trouble much about airing your bed. They would n fljj|jjßjWS themselves out much about it. Threw; a wrinkle for a thirsty Maine marl. I am compelled to the conclusion that God originally made these colonists upright, but, like ourselves, they have sought out many inventions. The two prinoipal streets in Melbourne are Collins-street and Bourke street. They are both exactly- the same width and length, but white hats are sdol. in Collins-street and 4dol. only in Bourke-street. Meuzies' Hotel is in the latter, Scott's in the former, also Burke and Wills' Monu- „ inent. , This memento is for tl^ benefit of future travellers. Menzies^* Hotel is in an elevated position ; the street slopes up to it either way, but the gradient, though it appears aericu? when you are coining home late i.fc night, is really not worth speaking of. Some nights it appeared really mountainous.

Snakes abound in Victoria, also snake stories in the newspapers in the summer time. They ar3 ve«*y dangerous — often fatal. Of course I don't uifan the newsnapers or the stories. We never, however, saw any snake*.

Therp are none in Bourke-street or Collins-street, though a man who ha<l been speculating unsuccessfully in Sandhurst stocks told us we would find plenty "under the verandah." We avoided that place.

In conclusion, fellow citiz'n*, I will fondly treasure while life lasts the memories of our visit to this isolated but not inexperienced people. They are members of the same great AngloSaxon family as we are. and our mother tongue is theirs. We cheerfully cast our lot in with them during the months we sojourned there, and contributed, to the best of several abilities, to alleviate their position ; { nnd proud I am now to think that we have had an opportunity of'participating in their anxieties and sharing their privations in tlieir disf.iuthomes, on :^Hj > margin of an untamed and almost un- . trodden continent. V