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Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seui clich6, il est filmA A partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. lies diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 WY / MECHANIC'S TOUE ROUND THE WORLD: BEING NOTES AND SKETCHES ABOUT LIFE IN SOUTH AFRICA, CANADA (including BRITISH COLUMBIA), UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AUSTRALIA, etc. By T. LOWE. There 8 freedom at thy gatoa, and rest For Earth a down-trodden and opprest : A shelter for the hunted head And for the starved labourer toil and bread. "-BiirAVT LONDON : WYMAN & SONS, 74-76, GREAT QUEEN STREET, LINCOLN'S-INN FIELDS. 1886. WTMAW AND S0K8. PElMTBHtl, eH»AT , old Home. — "Go West." — Sierra Nevada Moun- tains. — Snow. — Cape Horn. — California. — Sacra- mento. — Work. — Hotels. — Insects. — Gold. — Oflf to San Francisco. — Vineyards. — The Chinese Agony. — " Washee, Washee." — Presidential Elections. — English at " 'Ome."— Page 63. CHAPTER VII. \y Sea to British Columbia. — A Table for " Men " and a Table for Chinese. — Victoria, Vancouver Island. — Work. — Delightful Land! — Straits of Georgia. — The Eraser River. — Fish. — Lumber. — Farms. — Canadian Pacific Railway. — "The Ter- minus." — Paper Cities. — Cheap Land. — Rough Life. — "The old Gown." — Indians. — Chinese in British Columbia. — " Let it be a Home for Men only."— Page 82. CHAPTER VIIL ?he " Golden Gates." — San Francisco. — Hotels. — " Frisco " Runners. — Buildings. — Indian's Scalp. — California. — Revolvers. — China Town. — Sunday in San Francisco. — Good Wishes. — Page 96. CHAPTER IX. Voyage to Australia.-— The Steamship Zealandta.— -Agreeable I The Steerage. — Feeding-time. — " The old, old ioneers. —I Story."— Bathing under Difficulties. — • Sandwich leaving the I Islands. — Work. — King's Palace. — An Ally. VUl A Mechanic's Tour. ! N Fruits. — Sunday Morning. — The Natives. — Flowers. — Peace and Plenty. — Amusements. — Samoa. — Auckland, New Zealand. — Trade. — Glimpse of Home. — " Did you come from York- shire T'—i^e 103. CHAPTER X. New South Wales— .*< Our Harbour."— Hotels.— Travellers* Receptions. — New Chums. — My Capi- tal. — Work. — Genteel Occupations. — Women. — "Longings for vanished Smiles." — Food. — Chinese. — Black Men. — '* Bloomin' Parsons." — Circular Quay. — George-street. -^Buildings. — Rents. — The Gardens and Harbour, — Easy to ridicule and find Fault. — Botany Bay. — Paramatta River. — Kiss in the Ring. — Sydney. — Climate. — Loyalty. — " Con- vict Taint." — Eight Hours Demonstration. — Page 115. I CHAPTER XI. *' Marvellous " Melbourne. — Yarra Yarra. — Gold- mining. — Buying and selling Land. — Collins-street. — Merchants. — " Doing the Block." — Bourke- street. — Promenading. — Young Women. — Mar- riage. — Bachelors. — Chinese. — Cabbages and Car- rots.— " Push."— Hot Winds. —The Bay. —St. Kilda, ifec. — Buildings. — Gardens. — Rivals. — *' How do you like Melbourne 1 " — Melbourne Cup. — Christmas at the Seaside. — Jackals and Free Selectors. — Page 133. Natives. — | lusements. — ■* — Trade. — from York- '— Hotels.— — My Capi- - Women. — 1 — Chinese. " — Circular Rents.— The ule and find |er. — Kiss in Ity.— " Con- tion. — Page rra. — Gold- )llins-street. - Bourke- nen. — Mar- s and Car- Bay. — St. • Rivals. — ourne Cup. and Free A MECHANIC'S TOUE EOUND THE WOELD. CHAPTER I. IpARLY in the summer of 1881, three -^ friends and myself left the shores of old England for South Africa. We chose lone of the Castle line of steamers, and, after safely crossing the dreaded Bay of Biscay, saw our first bit of foreign soil in the beautiful island of Madeira. Our ship took in coal here, and while that pleasant operation was going on many of the passengers, myself included, went on shore to see the sights of the town and suburbs of Funchal. When our little boat had been safely landed, after much pulling and shouting by those on shore, we were beset B A Mechanic's Tour by dozens of natives, who wished to act as guides through the town. We engaged one, whom we christened " Jim " ; and this good fellow took us over the most interesting parts. The atmosphere re- minded us of hot-houses in England, and we were not surprised to see luxuriant flowers and fruits blooming and flourishing by the roadside. During our visit we spent some time in the fruit-market, which was the principal attraction, and, our time ashore having expired, after purchasing a stock of fruit, we returned to the ship. Those who had remained on board were amused by Madeira boys and young men diving, from their little boats into the water for any small piece of silver that was tossed into the sea by the passengers. The divers, however, knew their price, for the person who tossed a copper coin in was quietly told to jump in after that himself. Leaving Madeira, and passing the Canary Islands, the snow-clad peak of Teneriffe was presented to our view. In crossing t I ■?< V Round the World. to act as engaged i" ; and ;he most dere re- and, and uxuriant >urishing visit we 3t, which our time jhasing a )he ship. ard were mg men nto the ver that sengers. ►rice, for coin in er that Canary ^enerifl'e crossing the Equator we had a visit from old King Neptune and his men. The sailors had erected a large canvas tank on one side of the ship, and when the tank was full of water. King Neptune, seated on a gun- carriage, was hauled into sight by half a dozen sailors, dressed in fantastic cos- tumes. The sailors (and some passengers also) who had not crossed the " Line " before were then shaved and " ducked " in the tank. The passengers who were not shaved had to pay one shilling each, the sailors buying a " drop o' the cratur " with the money. There were very few passengers without a shilling. The un- fortunate one who preferred being .shaved was placed upon a seat, with his back to the tank, and asked various questions. Directly he attempted to speak, a man standing near would shove a large brush, covered with nice soap-suds, into his mouth. After the questions, the man with the brush began to lather the victim's face and head; then he took a large wooden razor, the blade of which was b2 'iill'; A Mechanic's Toitr II ir, about two feet long, and witli it rouglily scraped his face and head. When the shaving was over, the man with the razor took hold of the shaved one's feet, and toppled him into the tank, where two or three sailors, already in the water, made it as lively as possible for the poor fellow. At night Neptune's baptising ceremonies were finished off with a grand concert in one of the cabins. Seven or eight days after our departure from Madeira, we arrived at the small island of St. Helena, famed for its having once been the uncongenial home of Napoleon Bonaparte. Many of us went on shore, and regaled ourselves with the delicious fruits that grow there. Having stayed at the island about six hours, we once more got up steam, and put to sea, there being no other calling-place for us until we should reach the mainland of South Africa. Early one morning we sighted Table Moimtain and the Twelve Apostles of the famed Cape of Good Hope. I Bound the World. -u « [j rouglily Vhen the the razor feet, and :*e two or ^ter, made >or fellow, oremonies concert in departure | the small its having | home of 4 us went . with the I Having I hours, we | lit to sea, ice for us linland of I ted Table les of the To those who are unacquainted with South African history, it may be interesting to know that South Africa was first colo- nised by the Dutch in 1652. In 1795 the English took it from them. In 1802 it was restored to the Dutch ; and in 1806 it once more became a British colony, jmd is likely to remain so. A look at a good map will give a better idea of the position and size of the colony than will unwelcome figures — figures which sometimes answer for one day, but not the next. We were soon in the dock at Capo Town (the capital of the colony, and containing some 35,000 people), after a pleasant voyage of twenty-one days. Everything seemed very strange as we lolled on the rail of the ship, and looked at the mixed group of humanity on shore. One could not help noticing the number of black men. Some of the dark-skinned Cape boyj were showing ofi* their agility, some wjie sparring, and quite unexpectedly one wjuld hit his opponent a sharp slap on the face with his bare foot. \lr A Mechanic's Tour If 1 1 ' : III! i ! At the Custom House we tad very little trouble, simply answering certain ques- tions, our trunks and boxes being allowed to pass without any unpacking. We took it as a compliment, for it is said the Customs officials can tell by a man's appearance whether he is likely to deceive them. Although it was the South African winter, we were glad to get in the shade of the houses, the heat of the sun being very great to us newcomers. We were soon nicely housed, however, and put to rights, after our long journey. Grood board and lodging for a single man could be had for about £1. 2s. per week. As we had not taken the voyage to Afric's coral strand simply for pleasure, the question of employment was the first consideration. Fortunately, we had not long to search for situations. I commenced work the following Monday morning in one of the joiners' shops of the town. The average daily wages were about ten shillings for ten hours' work, leaving at two o'clock on Bound the World. very little ain ques- ig allowed We took said the a man's to deceive bh African the shade sun being We were id put to )j, G-ood nan could k. voyage to pleasure, 5 the first to search work the le of the average Uings for 'clock on Saturday. There are various engineering establishments belonging to the different steamship companies. The railway work- shops, which are situated at Salt River, employ many workmen. Wages range (from seven to ten or eleven shillings per day. Trade had been very good for a year or ;wo, and workmen of all kinds were in |demand. The development of the diamond- I mines at Kimberley and other places had [been the means of creating quite a " boom " In trade and business in all parts of South Lfrica. A stranger to Cape Town is not pong in finding his way to the fruit-market. |Grapes, peaches, bananas, melons, oranges, land many other tropical and semi-tropical Fruits wer^ in great abundance. The Tuit-stalls are attended mostly by Malay vomen, who are dressed in very gaudy [colours. On a Saturday night the market- jplfwce, Plein Street, and other principal Ithoroughfares wear a lively aspect, as Icrowds of people, of all colours and fnationalities, stroll about, chatting in !■ i M ' A Mechanic's Tour ih ' i I their different languages. In some of the side-streets and back slums are canteens crowded with black Kaffirs, Cape boys, and other dusky natives, drinking their cheap Cape wine and beer, and making night hideous with their drunken shouts. In the shop windows ready-made clothing seemed vo be marked reasonably cheap. Measured goods were nearly double the English cost. Most of the better-class furniture is imported from England. There are many fine churches, chapels, and other public institutions, such as are usually found in a busy, thriving city. The Wesleyan church is a handsome stone structure. Building operations were going on in all parts of the town, the buildings of the Parliament Houses and the Standard Banking Co. employing many men. As a rule, the smaller houses in Cape Town are not very good-looking buildings. Many of them are built of sun-dried bricks, and whitewashed, the roof being usually flat. Of course, the better-class houses Bound the World. 9 )ine of the 3 canteens 3 boys, and heir cheap :ing night its. le clothing bly cheap, iouble the letter-class England. 3, chapels, iich as are ving city. ome stone Lg on in all |gs of the Standard ten. As a Town are s. Many )d bricks, Lg usually Iss houses .re built either of brick or stone. In many if the houses there is only one fireplace, and that one in the kitchen. Fires are not »f ten required to warm the houses in Cape 'own. Wood is used for fuel to a great xtent. The streets of the city are laid lut at right angles to each other. The fashion of building a wall about four feet igh at each end of the house, and extend- |ng from the front of it to the edge of the Ifide-walk, is a particularly inconvenient |)ne. I believe the old Dutch inhabitants lire to blame for that style. With the Exception of about half a dozen streets in .|he city, a pedestrian has to walk in the iddle of the road on account of the old- •ashioned stoeps. Doubtless it is pleasant for the occupants to sit in front of their Rouses in the cool of the evening, protected |rom the annoyance of passers-by by the low walls ; it is anything but pleasant for )he poor wayfarer, who has often to trudge llong inwinter time ankle-deep in mud; and does rain in Cape Town in winter time. The principal pleasure-grounds of the 10 A Mechanic's Tour II Hii ■1 ill III 1 1 £! town are the Botanical Gardens, where the band of the regiment stationed in Cape Town plays selections of music each Friday afternoon, when the fashion, youth, and beauty of the place are seen at their best. The scenery around Cape Town is most enchanting. A moonlight picnic around the Kloof is one of the principal recreations of the young people. Then there is the grand old Table Mountain, with its smaller companions — Lion's Hill, Flagstaff Hill, and Devil's Puak, all standing guard over the town. A view of the surrounding country from the side of the Devil's Peak will well repay the trouble of climbing up the hill. On the left is the beautiful Table Bay, in shape almost like a horse-shoe, with the shipping riding safely at anchor. Away to the right can be seen the waters of Simon's Bay, and in front lie the pretty villages of Eondebusch, Newlands, AVyn- berg, and other places, nestling peacefully among the trees. There are to be seen the large suburban houses of the rich morchants of the city, as also the less pre- Bound the World. 11 s, where lioned in usio each m, youth, heir best, n is most 3 around creations [•e is the s smaller aff Hill, lard over "ounding I's Peak ibing up ul Table se-shoe, anchor, waters e pretty , Wyn- acefully le seen le rich jss pre- entious houses and cottages of mechanics, robably owned by the occupants, each ouse surrounded by its large garden, here the owner can calmly and truly sit nder his own vine and fig-tree. Beyond he villages is a stretch of open country, otted with the white houses of the armers. The one line of railway reaching nto the interior can be traced until it is lost midst the rugged blue mountains, which orm a good background to the picture. The ''Jetty" is also a favourite place f resort. It is pleasant to sit there in he evening, after the heat of the day, and atcli the moonbeams play upon the calm aters of the Bay. Here, too, amusement nay be found in observing the dusky iiasher, with big cufis, as he strolls along ith his equally dusky girl, rolling their yes, and showing their white teeth. oubtless it is the '' old, old story," that s told as they speak to each other vitli their eyes — and their teeth ! I found ihe old residents of Cape Town a sociable, jasy-going class of people. I f mjr" 12 A Mechanic's Tear r r CHAPTER 11. I UAD been offered a situation under Government at Kimberley, in the diamond- fields, and as the pay was more than double the Cape Town pay, I thought it advisable to go. So, leaving in Cape Town all luggage that was noL absolutely wanted at the fields, I commenced, early in March, the railway journey to Beaufort West, the terminus of the line, being distant from Cape Town about 300 miles, Ith while Kinrberley was about 700 mileslpo from the same place. if f^ On our way in the train to Beaufort -^vf West, we passed many small towns and to villages, including Paarl, with its numerous) of orange-groves, vineyards, and quaint white- \ wi washed Dutch houses. The scenery along j fa the railway is grand in many places. Ourfai r a r tc a u W Round the WorlJ, IS ain, with a couple of engines attaelied, ravelled round the sides of mountains, long green valleys, up steep inclines, uffing and snorting as we worked our ay almost in a circle up the different ild mountain passes until we reached the op, when soon all was changed to the onely wastes of the Great Karoo. No reen verdure there met the eye, all was arched and dry ; the only vegetation one ould see was a sort of scrubby sage- rush. However, night came and put a top to whatever sight-seeing there might ave been; so we settled ourselves into 'our corners to dream of brighter scenes. iWe were soon awoke by the stopping of the train and shouting. A heavy down- Ipour of rain had washed the loose earth from under the rails for about half a mile, we had, therefore, to trudge over the desert to some other carriages on the other side of the wash-out. These sudden floods and wash-outs are not at all uncommon. Eain falls in torrents, and floods the dry slcots and creeks, washing all before it. Soon 14 A Mechanic's Tour the waters run away, the sun shines with true African fierceness, and in a short time everything is as dry and parched as though there had been no rain for months. The one great want of South Africa is said to be a constant supply of water; there being often months of interval be- tween the rain-showers. Water, however, is sufficiently plentiful if it could only be preserved to irrigate the land when necessary. We reached Beaufort West after being twenty-four hours on the way. ' ■■ ' '^ '* -' ■ ,.■..,,. , I There are two or three modes of travel- ling to the fields from the terminus of the railway. A Scotchman, who had been my companion in the carriage from Cape Town, and who had been to the fields before, proposed that we should travel together on one of the freight- wagons. It was necessary to get a good supply of canned meat, milk, &c., some tea, coffee, sugar, and bread ; also to provide ourselves with kettles, cans, plates, and other utensils, as we should have to cook Bound the World. 15 bines with a a short arched as r months. Africa is )f water ; berval be- however, 3uld only md when brt West the ur own meals on the road. At dusk, fter a great amount of shouting and ourishing of whips by the black drivers, ur mule train, consisting of two large agons, each drawn by twelve mules, oved slowly out of the town for the nterior. There were three other pas- engers on the same wagon as ourselves, ne of whom travelled on the top of the uggage; the other two shared with us he "comforts'' of the small tent at the ack of the wagoi\, — a tent large enough ;for one to occupy coinfortably, but possible of travel- for three to lie at full length packed after as of the the manner of sardines. The fourth saloon passenger had to get where he could, while the other three attempted to sleep as the heavy springless wagon jolted along the rough road. It was during the two or on lad been >m Cape ne fields travel ■wagons, three hours the mules were outspanned at supply night that we relied upon for having a e tea, ! little sleep ; then we stretched our limbs provide upon the dry ground. Thus we travelled along, snatching a little sleep when we |to cook |€Ould, walking and riding, cooking and i 16 A Mechanic's Tour i:i 'ill eatino* our meals when the teams were outspanned and fed. We sometimes found it difficult to obtain bread from the Dutch Boers whose soHtary farmhouses we passed on the way. They often charged us three shilUngs for a dirty-looking loaf I would not have given twopence for in Enofland. We saw many herds of wild spring-bok, but they managed to keep clear of our guns. Tame ostriches would sometimes pay us a visit when we were out-spanned. They seemed to be able to digest any- thing, from a tenpenny nail to half a brick. It was comical to watch the big bones we tossed to them work their way down their long, thin necks. Many persons are engaged in ostrich-farming in South Africa. In 1881 there were 193,612 lb. of ostrich feathers exported. ' On our arrival at the Orange Eiver, we found that we could not cross over on the punt or ferry-boat stationed there, on account of the heavy floods from the rains of the upper country ; so we were obliged li,"" ■*Vi j. Bound the World. 17 •t» to wait there two days until the waters subsided. While waiting, that necessary article of diet, bread, once more ran short, and as there was no house (excepting one across the river) nearer than Hope Town, three or four miles away, two of us set off to that place in search of the staff of life. On reaching the little town we found, to our great disappointment, that it was impossible to obtain any of that com- modity, all the stores being closed in strict observance of the Sabbath-day ; so we retraced our steps in the direction of the wagon, with the hope of feeding on what we could get for a day or two. When we had proceeded about half-way on our return journey, the heaviest thunder and rain-storm I ever experienced overtook us ; and, there being no shelter of any descrip- tion on the road, in less than five minutes we were drenched to the skin. The water rushed in torrents down the slopes into the river, forming, by its force, **sloots" across the road, through which we had to ford our wav. The wind and rain were so ,« V m umv 18 • A Mechanic's Tour m a! ill powerful that we were almost taken off our feet. Our condition was anything but pleasant by the time we arrived at the wagons, in which we lay in blankets until the storm allowed us to get a fresh supply of clothing from under the waterproof covering of our store. During our journey we passed many pleasant evenings sitting over the camp-fire, telling yarns, singing songs, and other amusements. The country we had travelled over was very thinly populated. For miles we pur- sued our way without seeing a habitatic a, and the only vegetation the eye could rest upon was sage-brush. We could always tell when we were drawing near a spring or stream of water, by the luxuriant growth of grasses and small bushes around. After crossing the Orange Siver, we came to the wide but shallow Modder River, which the mules forded ; and early one Saturday morning the houses and mining-gear of the mines appeared before us. The first sight of the *' fields," with \m 1 Bound the World, 19 the blue ground piled up in heaps, and the winding-gear of the mines in the distance, reminded me of the " Black " country at home. We passed through Bultfontein and Du Toits Pan, on to the New Rush, or Kimberley, and there our journey ended, after having been fifteen days on the road, and costing about £13 each. I was recommended to a certain hotel, which was said to be very comfortable for Kimberley. There were four bedsteads in the room ; the floor was a bit of bare Africa, and not the levellest part at that. The door, which was hung outside, and opened into the yard, could not be more than half closed ; and when one was lying in bed at night, the dogs and other cattle came into the room from the yard, sniffing and lying about the floor. As one wanders over the face of this little planet of ours he becomes acquainted with some strange bedfellows. Of course I allude to human beings. About one o'clock one morning I was awoke by hearing some one stealthily walking about c2 'w I 20 A Mechanic's Tour the room. It was a rough-looking stranger, who had been sleeping on the bed near the door. He wandered over to a gentle- man sleeping in the opposite corner of the room, and awoke him by tumbling on to his bed. I noticed that the stranger was not quite quick enough to get hold of a pocket-book which the gentleman had placed under his pillow, and which the stranger had seen him do. Of course this strange bedfellow apologised for disturbing the other, saying he was in the habit of walking in his sleep. For the " excellent " accommodation and board provided by this " comfortable '* hotel I paid £2. 15s. per week. However, I only put up with it for about a month, and then removed into a house of my own, which I had built in the evenings or any spare time obtainable. I felt very snug in that shanty, after having experienced the hotel life of Kimberley. My house, like dozens more on the fields, consisted of one room, nine feet by twelve feet. The frame was of wood, covered with gal- Bound the Woi'Id. 21 vanised iron. I had put down a wooden floor, which was the envy of many of my morning callers. The inside of the house was lined with white lining. For furniture, there was a wood and canvas stretcher for sleeping on, a table, chair, three-legged stool, and my clothes-chest, which an- swered well for a seat when I had a crowded " at home." In the corner was a cooking apparatus, and with the addition of a few pictures around the walls the place looked very cosy. An old Australian came along to my place one Sunday after- noon, and after looking around the room, said half to himself, **Ahl it is nice to have the sweet comforts of life." There are many canvas houses still in use at the mines. When the first " rush " to the fields took place a few years ago, canvas tents were the only kind of cover- ings to be had. There are no trees of any consequence near Kimberley, therefore rough wooden shanties were out of the question. All wood and galvanised iron had to be drawn on wagons from the coast. .i»^{ M r '■ iiliiii 22 A Mechanic's Tour I so miners took their tents with them. At the present time, however, there are many fine brick and stone buildings in the town. ^ / I commenced work the following Monday morning after my arrival on the fields. The wages paid by the government were from £6. Is. 6d. to £6. 9s. per week. The hours of labour were ten hours per day, excepting Saturday, when we left at one o'clock. After having worked a week I was fortunately placed in a position of some trust, with a little increase of pay. There were various public works going on at that time, employing many men. Mechanics working in and around the mines received higher wages than the men in the town, for various reasons. There was hardly a day passed without some poor fellow in the mine being hurt and P' metimes killed. , . i I may say here that the first diamond is said to have been found in Griqualand West in 1867. There are many stories concerning the first " stone." One is to Bound the World. 23 the effect that it was seen in the hands of a child at the house of a farmer named Jacob. The man who saw it was one Van Niekerk, who wanted to buy it from the child's mother. She would not sell such a trifle, but gave it to Van Niekerk, who had an idea of its being a diamond. He sold it to one O'Reilly, who took it to Cape Town, and, after much discussion concerning it, it was finally examined by Dr. Atherstone, who pronounced it to be a diamond. It weighed twenty-one carats, and was sold for £500. There was soon a rush of diggers from all parts of the world into Griqualand West. Men left their ships as they did in the old gold- digging days of Australia. Digging was carried on in various places, but the New Rush or Kimberley mine has surpassed them all in richness. The old days of private digging have gone by, it being too expensive for private individuals to go any great depth. The mines are now worked by companies, with all the latest machinery and necessary plant. The •ft m ^•H 24 A Mechanic's Tour mM ..... ! V principal mine is at Kimberley. There are many smaller mines, including Du Toits Pan, De Beers, and Bultfontein. Various companies have claims in the Kimberley mine, and the united exertions of these companies have managed to make one of the largest artificial holes in the world. To a person standing on the edge of this huge cavity (shaped almost like a huge basin) the black natives at the bottom and around the sides look like black specks moving about. These niggers, or *' boys," as they are called, fill the large buckets with the *' blue ground " or earth contain- ing the diamonds. When the buckets are full they are drawn to the top of the mine by means of strong wire ropes or pulleys. The blue ground goes through various processes before the final sorting for the diamonds takes place. Each gang of five or six native diggers is watched over by a white overseer, who has to see that thev ffo on with their work, and Uso to see that the dusky- labourers do not pick up any of the dii m Bound the TforW. 25 M diamonds that may lie about. But not- withstanding all the precautions that are taken to keep the niggers from stealings many valuable diamonds are stolen. The stolen diamonds are generally sold far below their proper value to white men, who often make fortunes by this illicit diamond-buying, but who oftener get five or even ten years' penal servitude for buying stolen property. Detectives are employed to find out who does buy tlie stolen property of the various companies. When they think a person is secretly buying diamonds, the detectives set what is called a " trap " for him. The trapping usually takes place at night. The detec- tives engage one or two natives to take a diamond to the man in his house, and while the natives are endeavouring to sell the diamond, the detectives are secreted around the premises, probably watching the whole transaction through some small hole in the galvanised iron. If the man purchr*,ses the trap stone, they pounce upon .'lim and convey him to tbe " trunk." 26 A Mechanic's Tour He is then tried before judge and jury, and if convicted is fined heavily, besides having to go to prison for some years. To show to what extent the diamond industry is carried on at the fields, a few figures will not be amiss. The gross weight (avoirdupois) of diamonds con- tained in packages which passed through the Kimberley post office in 1880 was 1,440 lb. 12 oz., valued at £3,367,897. After one has lived in Kimberley some time, he cannot help noticing the small pieces of shining glass scattered about the streets. I do not know whether it is on account of my living on the *' diamondi- ferous " soil or not that caused me to think there never were so many bits of broken glass anywhere as at Kimberley. Money .v^as not scarce at the '' camp " in those palmy days. One clever person used to go swaggering about with a hat- band made out of £5 and £10 notes. The same man was almost destitute when I left the fields. Another man, after receiving £6 or £7 for his week's wages, would be ii Bound the Wwld. 27 !',> ** hard up " on Monday morning. Most single men found and cooked their own meals ;. by doing so, they could live almost as cheaply as in a boarding-house in Cape Town. We sometimes got our meals at the International Hotel, costing £1. 15s. per week. A large amount of canned meat, fruit, &c., is used on the fields, and it is a novel sight to see the little mountains of empty cans on the level veldt in the outskirts of the town. Provisions and articles of all kinds were dearer than in Cape Town, on account of the expensive freightage. We paid 6d. per lb. for potatoes, Is. 6d. for a small tin of jam, the same for milk, 4s. 6d. for a small tin of chicken. Is. for a small loaf of bread; meat, however, was reasonably cheap, but most drinks in the hotels were Is. each. If one went into a shop for a cigar he would be asked if he would have one at sixpence or a shilling. Sixpence was generally the smallest coin recognised. Clothing was an exception to the general run of things, and was sold in the market- s' ■"! i- . . t I -'-.k' m 28 A Mechanic's Tour -)■ iiiiij i place astonishingly cheap. A friend of mine bought what seemed to be a good pair of trowsers for seven shillings. The market square, upon certain days of the week, wears a very lively aspect. Amongst the noisy crowd can be seen the glib-tongued auctioneer, trying to impress upon the open-mouthed nigger the advan- tage to be derived from purchasing some trinket, shirt, or perhaps a pair of boots. It is not an unusual sight to see a nigger strutting proudly along the middle of the road, dressed solely in a shirt and one boot ! A wight he was, whose very sight would Entitle him mirror of knighthood, That never bow'd his stubborn knee To anything but chivalry. He was well staid, and in his gait Preserved a grave, majestic state ; And yet so fiery, he would bound As if he grieved to touch the ground. Many wild beasts' skins are brought in from the upper country by hunters and traders. The skins are usually sold by auction in the market-place. The wood Round the WorlcJ. 29 which is used for fuel is also taken there by the Dutch Boers, who carry it from the Transvaal Free State. The large wagon of the Boer is drawn by about thirty oxen, led by a black boy, who walks in front of the first pair. The native blacks make very good teamsters, to which employment they seem better adapted than to any other kind of work. They do not like steady employment, many of them remaining only long enough to save a few pounds, when they go back to their own country and set up on their own account, each purchasing a few cattle and, probably, two or three wives to work for him. There were about fifteen or twenty mule-drivers, who lived in a shanty about thirty yards away from mine. These boys were very fond of their Cape Smoke brandy, and on a Saturday night they would be particu- larly noisy. Many a big, excited nigger has knocked at my door and asked me to go over and stop the revellers from almost killing' one of his companions during one or another of their drunken orgies, as ■*i >5' 30 A Mechanic's Tour i^j I.). I some of tbem think the powers of the white man are unlimited. Thev live on very simple food, " mealies," or ground maize, made into porridge, forming their principal article of diet. About five or six boys feed out of one can, each slowly taking a spoonful while the others are chatting. The same large pot in which these gentlemen cooked their porridge was also used as a bath, regularly every Sunday afternoon. They would fill the pot with water, and then each " boy " would wash himself in it from head to foot, regardless of all passers-by, and without once changing the 'water. They seemed to thrive and get fat on such living, sick- ness being of rare occurrence amongst them, much less, indeed, than amongst the white people, for Kimberley is not one of the healthiest places in the world ; camp fever is very prevalent in the hot weather, and it is a serious thing'^for a man to be sick for any length of time on the fields. • Tlie heat during the daytime is often Bound the World. 31 t^ ^ ■■■■ i: -.1 intense, but the nights compensate for any inconvenience during the day. Such clear moonlight nights it will be difficult to find anywhere else. Then it is pleasant to sit; outside the house and enjoy the cool air, . though the quietness of the night may be broken by the distant shouts and singing of the black men around the mine. Some- times may be heard another and more welcome sound, that of the bugle as the English mail-cart dashes into the camp, perhaps with a letter from one's mother, sist3r, or some one else's sister. And what a disappointment is felt when one has been told there is not a letter for him. Ah, well ! one for him will be sure to come by the next maii^ which is the usual solace, though the expectation is not always realised. Dust-storms are very prevalent in Kim- berlev. One can see them travelling over ih« <« veldt " like clouds of darkness. They pass away as quickly as they come, leaving ererything covered with a'^thick layer of dust. Some people will tell j^ou i ' 1» ,1 32 A Mechanic's Ton.' il that the dust-storms clear the air, but where there is no proper sewer^\ge, and where all kinds of rubbish lie baking in the fierce heat of the sun on the sandy desert, dust-storms do not do much good. The air in the district is usually clear : in fiict, too clear to be comfortable some- times, for it is seldom a cloud obscures the sun's rays. There is very little vegetation in or near Kimberley, except a few small trees in what is called the park. About one o'clock one Monday morning I was awoke by the tramping of feet along the road, and on going to the door saw clouds of smoke floating overhead. One of the best blocks of building in Main Street was on fire. It was sad to see the firemen waiting for the water-carts to bring the water, and then have to put it into a tank before they could pump any on to the devouring flames. The supply of water was not half equal to the demand, the water having to be brought from wells some distance off*. Water-pipes, however, Bound the World, 33 any Iver, were tlien being laid to the Vaal River, so that, no doubt, by this time river water will be flowing through the streets of Kiraberley. There are many churches and chapels of all denomination's in the town, and many coloured people attend the English church ; whilf the week-nights were spent in bil- liari.j drinking, and "free-and-easies,*' which were in full swing in the gaily- lighted saloons and canteens. During my stay in Kimberley there was what is called a " rush " to De Kaap, a newly-discovered gold-field in the Trans- vaal Free Stpie. Nothing eke was talked about, and pt' pie were going in crowds ; wagon-loa^t ^c diggers were to be seen going daily, th^ .nen singing and hurrahing, glad that something had turned up at lai^it, for trade on the fields had been very depressed for some months. An old Aus- tralian dif:/er, whose mind seemed to be fired by ti. news of gold waiting to be picked up, was very anxious for me to . * jompany him to the new El Dorado; r n' r 34 A Meclianic^s Tour ri he had already made a cradle for washing the gold, and bought his tent and other ncessary articles, all of which I could share with him if I would go. Fortunately, I could not sell my house just then. In a week or two many of those who had gone away with such bn^ ' hopes, returned, very much down in spuits and lighter in pocket. Those who could not afford to pay their wagon fare back again had to foot it or stay in the Transvaal. The old Australian was one of the latter. The splendid gold-field had proved to be a swindle, a hoax, it was said, got up by the Transvaal Boers to bring a little money into their poor country. A short time ago, when the British had possession of the country, wages for mechanics in the town of Pretoria averaged £1 per day; since the Dutch have taken over the con- trol of the country it is difficult to get work at any price. So much for British rule ! I felt sorry for the old man. When young he left England for Australia, where Bound the World. 35 licro he had seen many ups and downs connected with gold mining. On a calm Sunday afternoon he would drop into my shanty and while away an hour or two chatting about his gold-digging experiences and adventures in the Australian colonies. He had found a considerable amount of gold in his time. Once he went home with a small fortune with the intention to marry the girl he had left behind, but instead of going straight to his waiting and trusting- sweetheart, he took IvMcWs advice with a vengeance, and '' didn't." The attrac* tions of London were too many for him with a full pocket ; freely indulging him- self Avith these, he loitered about town until his money had slipped away, and then, being ashamed to meet his lady love, he started once again for the gold- fields. He is now over sixty years of age, and still single, and as eager to make his pile as ever he was ; thinking, like all old gold-diggers, he is sure to do so sooner or later. Whether he will go home once more to keep his plighted troth with the d2 nf7 life! tfl* if: r^r' i.-"!;i ^i;i 36 A Mechanic's Tour lady of his choice, if she still lives, remains to be seen. On Saturday afternoon crowds of people assemble on the cricket ground to see cricket matches, though many a batter has had to retire on account of the heat. It certainly does get warm on th ' fields as Christmas draws near. Forbunately I had not lost a day through illness since my arrival, but with continued hard work, often working from six in the morning until ten at night, I had felt anything but well lately, and had thoughts of getting down to Cape Town for the Christmas holidays. The inhabitants of Kimberley, at Christ- mas time, generally take a trip to the Vaal River, some twelve miles distant. Another favourite resort is Alexanders- fontein. Hope Town, on the banks of the Orange River, also comes in for a fair share of patronage. One of my friends who came out with me, and who had been ill with the camp-fever, lip.d decided to leave the fields, so Ave travelled together Round the World. 37 down to Cape Town. The wagons gene- rally do the distance to Beaufort West in seven or eight days, having no heavy merchandise to carry; a few skins and the passengers' luggage being the heaviest part of the cargo. The back tent was occupied by a married woman and her family ; the front part of the wagon had also been made into a ladies' compartment, and in the middle of the wagon were nine men, all huddled together with our boxes. There were three wagons with this train, each drawn by the usual number of mules. The wagons were crowded, there always being more people leaving the fields at that time than were going up. The passengers on one of the wagons were principally black men. The first night after leaving the camp, some one kindly cut our provision bag, which hung at the side of the wagon, and extracted all our food with the exception of one can of Libby's canned beef. It was very thought- ful and good-natured of the thieves to leave that one can for us to keep us from ^ 38 A Mechanic's Tour fill 11 :■ r \'%. ■ "■ feeling hungry until we could get more, i)less 'em, and I should have liked to pub- licly thank them for their thoughtf ulness, only I could never find out who the good- natured people were in that miscellaneous crowd. I hope their consciences did not upset their digestion. We reached Cape Town on Christmas Eve, and were not known by the black servant at the old house in Sir Lowry Eoad, on account of being so badly sunburnt, but after a brief scrutiny we were at last welcomed with outstretched arms by the old landlady. I stayed in Cape Town a few months, then embarked for England in one of the Union Company's ships. In the second- class cabins there are only two bunks in each berth on the large new steamers. The man who shared the small bedroom with me had been cast upon a desolate island somewhere down south. He was the mate of an American seal-fishing ship which had been wrecked on the island. The crew had been picked up by an American man-of-war sent to search for Bound the World. 3& them, and landed aC-^Gape Town. The old sailor's story reminded me of Eobinson Crusoe. He made np for lost time in the way of drinking grog. The very smell of rum for weeks after would make me shudder. At last we sighted the green shores of old England, and were safely landed at Southampton after an absence of almost two years. CHAPTER III. After my return from South Africa I worked in England for about a year* Having long had a desire to visit Canada and the United States, W. and myself procured steerage passages to Quebec, and after purchasing in Liverpool sundry tin plates, cans, wash-basins, mattress, pillow, &c., we weighed anchor, and in the fair spring-time my second voyage to a distant land commenced. n ii m 40 A Mechanic's Tour There were not many opportunities of having a look at our fellow-passengers for the first day or two, and we almost imagined there were a lot of Red Indians on board from the peculiar sounds of ** whoop, whoop," which rose from all corners of the ship. With fair weather the deck was soon crowded with passen- gers, and time passed pleasantly until we neared the banks of Newfoundland, where the usual fogs at that time of the year were encountered. In the gulf of St. Lawrence we fancied oiu'selves in the region of the North Pole. As far as the eye could reach there was ice, — Ice to the right of us, • * Ice to the left of us, Volley'd and thunder'd. When we were below, the noise the ship made in pushing its way through the huge masses of ice, was very much like thunder. The cold do\vn in the steerage was very severe, and we needed lots of blankets to Bound the World. 41 keep out the cold, as we lay in a draughty place. The ship was used as a cattle-ship on the return-voyage from Canada, when all bunks would be taken down and long rows of cattle-pens put in their places ; so that the steerage could not possibly be one of the most comfortable for passengers. There certainly was a hot steam pipe about eight or nine feet long, with a seat over it, in the centre of the cabin, but that had no effect in warming the place. The hot seat was generally besieged by a cold crowd in the evening. It was comical to watch the twisting and con- tortions some selfish fellow would go through, sooner than relinquish his hot seat as the heat became almost unbear- able. That seat was a sort of throne each evening, — the throne of the king of dark- ness, one might fancy, after sitting on it a short time. Around that seat have been held many rowdy concerts, each man in his turn singing a song. One of the company knew only one song, and as regular as clockwork he would sing it yk, llli r f ■■'■> ■| p •4 |: i' i •'? I,,,.,.... 42 4 Mechanic's Tour cacli time he was called upon for a song, which would probably be two or three times a night. Oh ! the words of that song ring in my ears still. No matter if one stuffed the blankets into his ears and tried to sleep, the dulcet strains of "Thes a nuther jolly row down stairs " would be sure to rouse him. With considerable shoving and pushing we got clear of our Arctic surroundings, and reached Quebec early one fine morning in May, when we had the satisfaction of knowing that we were the first passengers that had arrived by steamer from the Atlantic that spring. There is some rivalry between the different steamship companies in trying to get one of their steamers first to Quebec, as the first steamer which arrives there each spring* is allowed certain privileges for the re- mainder of the year until the winter frost once more stops navigation on the Eiver St. Lawrence. After waiting a few hours at Quebec we were soon rolling along in the railway cars .i we ;ars Bound the World, 43 to our several destinations. These cars are altogether different from the railway carriages in Great Britain. The American car has a door at each end and leading on to a small platform, which platform is attached to a similar one on the next car, and so on the entire length of the train. One is able to walk the whole length of the train, there being a footpath through the centre of the car, with seats capable of holding two persons arranged crosswise a' ach side of the footpath. Each car is capable of holding from forty to fifty people. Naturally to a new-comer the farms seen by the roadside, with the old stumps of trees studded about, the rough zig-zag fencing and the unpainted wooden farm- houses had a poor and wild appearance compared to the brick and stone houses and the green hedges of the well-kept and highly-cultivated fa-rms we had just left in old England. After passing many towns and villages, we arrived in Toronto about three o'clock *• • ■ ^ ■ t m m i 111! 44 A Mechanic's Tour ■"'■')■ I I in tlie morning, having been thirty-six liours in the cars. During the first day in this city I saw two or three of my old fellow-passengers, including a mason, who said he had tried to get work at various places and had failed; he was, therefore, going back to England in a few days. A carpenter and his wife also seemed very dissatisfied with their newly-adopted country. The lady said her husband had left ninepence an hour in London to come out to this country, and he could not get much more than that here, where living and house-rent were ■dearer ; they were not going to stay. Old residents have said that if they had had enough money, when they first landed, to carry them back to the old country, they would have gone by the next steamer. But when they had been here a while, and got used to the ways of the country, they were more contented, and would be very sorry to go back to the overcrowded cities of Great Britain now. I heard of a woman who had kept a trunk Round the Wovhl. 45 with T said ur in , and 1 that were stay, had first old the ueen s of ted, the ow. unk packed for eighteen months after her arrival from England, and she was de- termined she would not unpack it until she got back there again. She has been In Canada about eighteen years now, and is likely to stay. Many of the new arrivals also expressed dissatisfaction with the prospects the country afforded them. They complained of the very glowing descriptions some of the Government guide-books gave con- cerning Canada. They had been led to expect too much, and their disappointment was correspondingly great. The Canadian Dominion is said to be nearly as large as th? whole of Europe ; and the 5,000,000 of inhabitants already in Canada have, therefore, plenty of elbow-room. I obtained work without any trouble, at wages of two dollars per day of ten hours. On Saturday wo kept up the British custom of having half a day's holiday, with the loss of half a day's pay. We had breakfast befjre commencing work at seveii o'clock, dinner from twelve 46 A Mechanic's Tour i I V to one o'clock, and supper at six in the evening. There are many advertisements for mechanics of all kinds in the spring, summer, and fall ; in the winter it is not so easy to get work, and wages are not so good. Grood board and lodgings were to be had for three dollars and a quarter — or about thirteen shillings and sixpence in British money — per week. My landlady was an Englishwoman, and had been in Canada about two years. She grumbled Considerably about the dollars and cents. She still had to compare the Canadian money with the British money, when pur- chasing anything, before she could arrive at the true value of it. If an article cost fifty cents she would say, " That is about two shillings in English money.'* It is well known in Great Britain that a dollar is equal in value to four shillings and two- pence, and that there are one hundred cents in a dollar. A cent is of the same value as a halfpenny. Toronto is surpassed by only one city Tff! Round the World. 47 (Montreal) in Canada in the number of its inhabitants. There are some splendid stores and warehouses built of brick and stone in the principal thoroughfares ; the old wooden structures are fast disappear- ing from the central parts of the town. In the suburbs and side streets the inhabi- tants have a fashion of building wooden houses and putting one course of bricks over the fronts of them ; they call it brick- veneering the houses. Horse tram-cars run to all parts of the town. Many of the streets are lined with trees, which give an agreeable shad^^ in summer time. TLe trees are also appre- ciated by the English sparrows that some l)enevolent person imported once upon a time. The sparrows have increased to such numbers that it is a debatable point whether they are a blessing or otherwise. They seemed to enjoy the fine spring weather after the frost and snow of the last winter. They have a harder time of it than their little cousins in England. From the numerous pictures one sees in w J IT 'Hi 48 A Mechanic's Tour \ fj IfSi li li ^'^ ' i,'! England about Canada and its winter- time, one is likely to think there is hardly anything else in that part of the world. It certainly must be cold when the weather- glass sometimes shows 20 degrees below zero. However, the winter is a most enjoyable time with many. At any rate, the Canadians (particularly the young' ladies) have a good-looking and healthy appearance. Canadians appear to be a thrifty and economical class of people, and there is not that terrible competition between the store-keepers that one finds in Great Britain, The clothes marked in the windows of the stores were about as cheap as similar goods in Great Britain ; the same with the commoner kinds of furniture. Toronto is sometimes called the city of churches ; four churches were clustered together in the same street as that in which my boarding-house was situated. The city has earned the proud distinction of being the second best in the world in regard to keeping the Sabbath-day holy. There are many good parks and places of Ttouncl the World, 49 [(i 111 resort. The little River Humber, some three miles out of town, is a very pleasant place to have a day's outing in the summer time. As one gently rows his boat along the smooth stream, his thoughts are likely to wander back to the time when Red Indians, in all their fiery war-paint and flowing feathers, swarmed over that part of the country. Not a hundred years ago, where one can now sit at ease in his well- made boat, '* let out at so much an hour," the Indian's rude canoe glided swiftly o'er the stream. At the present time, how- ever, one seldom or never sees a red man in the locality. The race is gradually dwindling out of existence. Ah ! the Indian's heart is ailing, And the Indian's blood is failing ; Red men and their realms must sever ; They forsake tliem, and for ever ! M'Cf.EI LAN. llOJ is .1 ■ I •' ' E ' f'' 50 A. Mechanic's Tour liii :i'r ;■ il.::4^:i CHAPTER IV. Being desirous of paying a visit to some friends in the state of New York, U.S., we purchased a through ticket to Albany, and commenced our journey southward, with the intention of staying over at Niagara Falls for about six hours. The southern part of Ontario has a richer and better cultivated appearance thati has the province of Quebec. The country around Niagara seems specially adapted for grow- ing fruit, particularly apples, large orchards being very numerous. At last Niagara wus called, so with a small hand-bag and stick we bravely pushed our way through the terrible line of cabmen and other touters. As we neared the world-famed " Falls," we could hear the roaring waters and see the spray rising in clouds. At the Falls the water is said to have an abrupt descent of 105 feet, and it has been calculated Bound the World. 51 cent ated that 670,255 tons of water break every minute over the mighty precipice. A certain writer calculates that the Falls have been in existence over sixty thousand years, a mere shadow of time compared with the age of the coralline limestone over which the water flows. The same writer also says it will take ten thousand years for the water to cut away a mile of rock. Such figures make one feel very insignificant. Many able and accomplished writers (from Mr. Trollope down to the man who called it a " tasty " sight) have given to the world their ideas concerning the Niagara Falls, so it is not necessary for me to give a long description of them. The guides and hackmen spoil one's peace to a certain extent, for as one looks on and listens to the continuous roar that has been going on for ages one is inclined to have a long day-dream, as thoughts of the shortness of life, compared to this never- ending work, flit through his mind, and thoughts of the uselessness of all the pride, malice, and fretting one sees around.: J E 2 I m 62 A Mechanic's Tour After crossing the suspension bridge over the rapids to the American side, where our baggage was examined by the TJnited States Customs officials, we travelled over the fertile state of New York, and arrived in the city of Albany early one morning. Albany, the state capital, is situated on the western side of the noble River Hudson, and is 144 miles distant from the city of New York. Steamers run between the two cities regularly. Immigrants who land at New York, and want to travel north, generally go by the river steamboats, as the fare is somewhat less than the railroad fare. There are some fine buildings in Albany. The Capitol is one of the best buildings in America. The town of Cohoes, where I had the pleasure of staying for a few weeks, is situated a few miles to the north of Albany, and is celebrated for its cotton industries. The water of the surrounding rivers and streams is the motive-power which is mostly used to work the machinery Bound the World. 53 in the mills. Many females are employed in these mills, some of whom are paid more for their week's work than mechanics get in Great Britain. It is often the case that a woman can earn more money in the mills than her husband can at his trade. One stout lady was pointed out to me who (my informant said) preferred mill work to house-keeping ; so she allowed her husband to stay at home to look after the children and household. America is noted for its strong-minded women, and no doubt that lady was a prominent member of the ''Women's Rights Association." House-joiners in the district earn from two to three dollars per day. Cabinet- makers do not fare so well as that. Many of the men in the cabinet factories are Germans or Swedes. Machinery is used for every possible thing, as it is a well- known fact that Americans will not do anything with the hands if it can be done with a machine. The working hours are ten hours per day, Saturday included. ->?;. 54 A Mechanic's Tour III i ::,. [^■Il 4"" '^ t ,1, ; ■(' There are numerous iron-works on the banks of the Hudson River. An Englishman who has been in the country about twenty-six years, and who has worked at the same estabUshment during the whole of the time, told me that the first time he entered the office for his wages he took oflF his hat, as he used to do in the '' old country.'* The gentleman in the office told him to put his hat on again : he had worked for his money, and he need not take his hat off for it ; he was not in England now. , There is generally a plentiful supply of labour in the Eastern States. I heard of a contractor who had hired a lot of Italian labourers to work on a road near Troy, at the rate of eighty or ninety cents a day. Good board and lodgings for a single man can be had for four or five dollars per week. Good clothing is dearer than it is in Great Britain. The shops, or '' stores," and other buildings in the principal thoroughfares are built of brick and stone; wooden Round the WorlcL 55 houses are numerous in the side-streets and suburbs of the different towns in the locality. In the market-places there is abundance of fruit at all times of the year. Oranges, apples, pears, pine-apples, bananas, and other fruits are quite common. The state of Florida is a great fruit- growing country, within easy reach of New York, and when the latter place is covered with snow, the New York people are able to have the most delicious fruit from the sunny state of Florida, where the snow never falls. Hundreds of delicate and invalid people in the Northern States go south to escape the generally severe winters of the north, when the Hudson River freezes over, and continues so for weeks. Then one appreciates the warmth from the stoves which are in such general use in America. It is seldom one sees the open fireplace, such as is used in England. Accompanied by a friend, we paid a visit to a farmer a few miles out of Cohoes, and during my conversation with the lady of the liouse (who was of Dutch descent, f', I WW 56 A Mechanic's Tour m W-' I and had inherited the farm from her father), I mentioned my being a stranger in the country. I could not help smiling at the reply she made. She said, " Is that so ? You don't look like a greenJiorn.^' The Americans look upon all newcomers as greenhorns, and sometimes the new- comers are described as " tenderfeet." Many of the farmers in the district are well-to-do personages, most of the land being very valuable, on account of there being so many manufacturing towns and villages scattered about. -♦o^ M CHAPTER V. Having stayed a few weeks in the " garden spot of the state," I commenced my journey westward, travelling through the well-populated states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, to Chicago, in the state of Illinois. One soon notices a great Bound the World, 57 difference between the States and Canada. The Americans seem to hve what might be called "faster'* than the people on the Canadian eide. In travelling in America, it is well to have some good strong boxes and trunks. The Yankee porter, or ^'baggage-smasher," has ear led a world-wide reputation for the clever and expert manner in which he smashes passengers' luggage. My boxes were exceptionally strong, having been made for the African journey. It was with ti :mile of contentment that we watched the baggage-fiend pull the trunks off a highly-loaded hand-barrow, and let them drop on their corners on the hard ground. My reception at the "Depot" in Chicago was one not calculated to cheer the spirits of a tired traveller in a strange land, for on answering a question from one of the numerous hotel-runners that are to be met with in Chicago (and who are kept from being too officious by policemen), I heard him remark aside to a companion,. ** He is a G — d damn Englishman." There i ■ if m 'I ill 58 ^. 1 Mechanic's Tour il N are numerous reasons given for the dis- like that exists among certain classes in America against the English. It is said they are proud and overbearing, and it is impossible for Englishmen to be gentlemen; for, when speaking to inferiors, they have an appearance of condescension that is most galling to the free-spirited people of the great republic. Of course there are different kinds of Americans. Half the people you meet can tell you of the day they came over from Europe. I never wish to be treated better than I was by the real live Yankees. Nevertheless, America is not the place for a wealthy man who expects a lot of bowing, and touching of hats, and all that peculiar homage he can command in England. There is no doubt that the feeling that one man is as good as another prevails to a great extent in tlie United States, although cases do sometimes occur whore rich men object to their daughters marrying their poor coachmen. Equality is, however, preached from the pulpit, and taught in Round the World. 59 the schools. From one of the American school-books the following is extracted : — "The American idea of aristocracy is drawn solely from nature and revelation. We say, let all men be equal so far as human laws only are concerned ; equal in rights, as they are in breathing the air or seeing the sun. But in respect to the infinite varieties of talent and character bestowed at each man's birth by his Maker, the law must not repress, but protect the development of the individual. No two persons are created exactly alike. Some have gifts of eloquence, poetry, or fine art. Some are inventors, some authors, some excel as soldiers, sailors, mathema- ticians, mechanics, or financiers. Now the American law protects each in his pos- session of all that he can himself gain by the exercise of his peculiar talent, so long as he does not trespass upon the rights of other people. Eeputation is defended against slander and libel. The author is protected by the copyright laws ; the in- ventor by the patent laws. The acquisitions m w M I 4' I 4 60 A Mechanic's Tour of all are secured by the thousand provisions of the civil law. And thus, during the lives of successful persons, they enjoy the benefits of a sort of aristocracy. Thus we have the aristocracy of talent, of learning, and of wealth. The mass of mankind naturally honour successful men in every calling, and successful men will naturally reverence and assist each other. '* But this kind of aristocracy is natural, and is consequent upon a free state of society. Freedom would be destroyed were the law to interfere with it. *' America enacts no such law as the English contrivances of primogeniture and entail, whereby property is handed down from generation to generation in the line of the eldest son only. The rich American, dying without a will, leaves his property to all his children, male and female, share and share alike ; and, each being free to do what he pleases with his share, generally soon experiences the truth of the proverb, that *' Riches certainly make unto them- selves wings ; they fly away, as an eagle Bound the WorhL 61 toward heaven.' Even if this do not happen, a large fortune divided into several portions becomes distributed among several persons. The soldier, the author, the statesman cannot receive a title from majesty, to be handed down to his eldest son after him. The son of the soldier must win his own epaulettes. The son of the statesman must make his own speeches. The son of the author must write his own books. No man can profit by his father's reputation, save to the extent of the pre- sumption it creates in favour of his educa- tion, whilst the chances are, that in making a name for himself he will be completely outstripped by the son of some blacksmith, cobbler, or hod-carrier, who never dreamed of being father to a senator or a genius. Thus the personnel of American aristocracy changes so constantly that it is too transient ever to endanger the liberties of the people." But from all this one must not think America a perfect country, and that all Americans are honourable and just, for il .:.:1 ■1 lll'l' I srWT' ,1!i' 'H' ti ' lilj,^ i^ 62 A Mechanic's Tour the well-known " smart " men are as numerous in the States as they are in any- other country. Chicago is a growing and busy city of nearly 700,000 inhabitants of all nationalities. It has many handsome buildings, immense stockyards, good parks, splendid drives, large hotels, and all the paraphernalia of a fast, modern city. Since the great fire that occurred there some years ago, the authorities allow no wooden buildings within certain limits to be erected. Chicago has been called the champion city of the world for divorces, on accoimt of so many divorces always taking place. The labour market was well supplied with all kinds of mechanics. Joiners get from two and a half to three dollars per day of ten hours. Good board and lodging for a single man costs five dollars per week. People work very hard in this district; there could not be a greater contrast between any two countries, in the way of working, than there is between the United States and South Africa. . . Round the World. GS There is a considerable shipping trade done at Chicago. Vessels can load there and sail to Montreal in Canada, over the fresh-water lakes, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and through the Welland Canal, to escape the great obstacle of Niagara Falls, into Lake Ontario, and down the Eiver St. Law- rence to the port of Montreal. This traffic cannot go on in the winter time, on account of the lakes freezing ovor. During my stay in Chicago the heat was intense. The following winter of 1884-5 was very severe, the thermometer reaching to many degrees below zero. . '■n '~'i. -»«*- CHAPTER VI. After working some time in Chicago, I began, at twelve o'clock one Monday morning, the great overland journey to Sacramento, the state capital of California, on the Pacific Ocean ; a distance of over m§. ■ '■ "■ a 64 A Mechanic's Tour 2,000 miles. A througli ticket cost me fifty-three and a half dollars. In America a man can buy his railway ticket days before he wants to travel. It is not neces- sary to go to the railway station to pur- chase it; agents in the town are always willing to sell tickets to all parts of the world. Those for long journeys are not unlike small folders of views, and one has to tear a view or ticket oflfand give it to the conductor at various stages of the journey. There are numerous railways by which one can travel from Chicago to Council Bluffs. We chose the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad. AYe travelled in the well-known second-class car peculiar to the country as far as Council Bluffs, where we were transferred to the Union Pacific Railroad Company's cars, which are made especially for the great overland journey. One of the company's notices will be suflScient to describe the cars : — " Emigrant sleeping-cars are attached to express-trains leaving Omaha (four miles from Council Bluffs) daily for San !m^ Icoitnd the World. 65 Francisco, running to Ogden without change. The new cars of this class are fitted with upper and lower berths. The upper berths swing freely on iron rods, and when not m use can be hung upon the roof of thecar,wheretheyarenotin theway. The lower berths are formed from the seats, and are made up after the manner of first- class sleepers by turning down the backs. The chief difference between these cars and first-class sleepers is that the former are not upholstered, and passengers must furnish their own bedding. Especial care is taken by depot passenger agents at Council Bluff's to place only people who will be agreeable travelling companions in the same sleeping-car." We managed to get an "agreeable'* company in our car, including two English families and some women going out to join their husbands in the Far West. I obtained a couple of large cushions at the depot, which, combined with my rug and coats, was as much bedding as a man without ** encumbrances '* needed. 'S I w^ 66 A Mechanic's Tour People generally take a stock of provi- sions for the journey, although meals can be had along the road. It is well to pro- vide oneself with one of the lunch-baskets and other little necessaries which are to be had at Council BluflFs. There are numerous " Gruides and Tourists" published to explain the points of interest along the road. The nautical and American phrase of " All aboard ! " is sounded, and we move off to the region of the setting sun. The land, both east and west of Council Bluffs for hundreds of miles, is flat and treeless, but very fertile. We passed many flourishing towns and villages. As one looks at his '' Guide Book," and reads about the dangers and hardships experienced by the pioneers of this country, he is apt to be glad he waited until the railroad was put in good working order across the country. About two hundred and fifty miles west of Council Bluffs the agricultural land begins to diminish, and we entered the great grazing region of the west. In that Bound the World, 67 of ited part are still to be seen some of the old log-houses of the early settlers, with their sides pierced with loopholes and walled up with turf, the roofs covered with the same material, to save them from the fire- brands of the savage Indians, against whom these precautions were taken. When atmcked by the Indians the settlers would retreat to their fortifications and fire upon the Redskins through the loopholes in the walls. At a place called Big Springs, a few years ago, a party of twelve masked men took possession of the railway station, bound and gagged the men, cut the tele- graph wires, and when the western train arrived took possession of it with guns and revolvers. The robbers secured 65,000 dollars from the express car, 1,300 dollars and four gold watches from the passengers ; they then mounted their horses and allowed the train to proceed. No person was killed or injured, but all were much frightened. A reward of 10,000 dollars was ofi'ered for the arrest of the perpe- r2 ppi liflH!* i ! n t If 68 -4 Mechanic's Tour trators, and several were caught and paid the penalty with their lives. About half the money was recovered. Having passed through the State of Nebraska, with the fertile plains of Kansas and the rich mining State of Colorado away to the south of us, we arrived at the important town of Cheyenne, in the cattle-grazing country of Wyoming. At Sherman we reached the summit of the Black Hills of Wyoming, 8,242 feet above the level of the sea. We are told the thermometer at Sherman ranges from eighty-two degrees Fahrenheit in the summer to thirty degrees below zero in winter. About one hundred and eighty- five miles from Sherman we reached the summit of the Eocky Mountains, the " backbone of America." A small sign- board bears the words " Continental Divide," and marks the summit, 7,100 feet above sea level. The atmosphere is very clear on the Rocky Mountains. I once heard Oscar Wilde say that in America he could read the name on a Round the World, 69 I 111 a door-plate two miles away. One could almost believe him if it had been stuck up somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. A considerable amount of sage-brush grows for many miles on both sides of the Black Hills and Rocky Mountains. The scenery in many places is wild and desolate. Game of many kinds is said to be found on the mountains and in the valleys; they wisely keep clear of the railway. The only wild animals that were to be seen from the train were a few little prairie dogs. A few years ago herd, of buffaloes were often met with on the track, but the onward march of civilisation has cleared the plains of those animals. Passing through many gorges and canyons, we at length arrived at the town of Ogden, Utah Territory. The town has a population of 6,500, mostly Mormons. At Ogden is the junction of the Union and Central Pacific Railroads. The disbance from Council Bluffs, 1,036 miles ; from San Francisco, 882 ; from Salt Lake City, 36 miles. All passengers, TTTrr V fif 70 A Mechanic's Tour lIPP Ifei^H-i ; J*' Slut Til''; il-'fi baggage, mail, and express, change cars at this station. The waters of the river Ogden are conducted through the streets of the town, and used in the gardens and fields for irrigating, the result of which is that the city is in the midst of one great flower garden and forest of fruit and shade trees. - . Utah Territory was first settled in 1847. In that year about three hundred Mormons entered Salt Lake Valley, and laid out Great Salt Lake City. It has since grown to a place of great importance under the fostering care of that fatherly person, Brigham Young. Brigham Young, the Mormon leader, said in one of his sermons : " Many persons are curious to know how many wives I have. I will satisfy their curiosity by saying I have sixteen wives. If I have any more here- after, it will be my good luck and the blessing of God. I have forty-nine living children, and I hope to have a great many more." Again ^* All aboard ! " is shouted, and Round the World, 71 we roll along in the cars, the Great Salt Lake being on our left. After passing the Lake we journeyed for miles over a sandy desert. When travelling through such uninteresting places the passengers take the opportunity of giving attention to the inside of the car. The members of one of the English families were very good singers, and often in the long evenings did they cheer us with their sweet voices as they sang some well-known hymns and ballads. I have seen the tears come to the mother's eyes as the young people sang of home, peace, and rest. Doubtless her thoughts wandered back to the scenes they had left, where they learned to sing those sweet melodies. We did not travel so quickly on the Central Pacific Eailway as we did on the Union Pacific Eailroad, as our cars had been hitched on to what is called a fast freight train. The emigrant trains we met going East seemed to be as crowded with passengers as were the trains going West. There seemed to be many who were not n t' i>'n 72 j!: 1 Mechanic s Tour 1 1 rf. t. 4 satisfied with Horace Greely's advice of *' Go West, young man, and rear a family." After passing througli the silver-mining State of Nevada, we ascended the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Our train went wind- ing around the mountain sides, up, up, among the trees, through long snow- sheds, with the beautiful Donner Lake on our right, until we reached the summit, the highest point passed over on those mountains by the railroad, 7,017 feet above sea level. The change from the dry plains at that time of year (the hottest part of summer) to the mountain top was pleasant in the extreme ; the everlasting snow lay all around, and with the cool streams that rippled down from the higher peaks, made our short stay aniost refreshing one. The snow sometimes falls fifteen to twenty feet deep on the mountains, and to keep the track clear they have built strong wooden sheds over the rails for miles. As we rolled down the western slope of Round the World, 73 of the mountains into the golden State of California, there was a sharp scream from one of the English women as she ran to the opposite side of the car ; the cause of the commotion was the train rounding Cape Horn, the grandest scene on the whole line. The railroad is cut out of the solid mountain side, and to the left of us we looked down an almost perpendicular precipice to the bottom of the yawning abyss, 2,500 feet below. On our right the mountain towered into the sky. We passed many old gold-mines, some of which were being worked over again by Chinese. Our car began to have a deserted appearance soon after entering the *' Sunny State," as many of the passengers had alighted at different stations. At last Sacramento was announced about one o'clock on Monday morning, after a journey in the cars of about six days and a half. Early in the next morning I sought out some old friend, and com- menced work the following day in one 74 A Mechaiiic^s Tour of the many sash and door factories in the town. Wages are from about two and a half to three dollars per day of ten hours. The principal machine shops of the Central Pacific Railroad are situated in the city, and many men are employed there. People live well in California ; excellent board and lodgings can be had at the hotels for five or six dollars per week. As a rule there are not many single men who live with private families on the Pacific coast, they generally live at the numerous second-class hotels to be found there. Many married people also prefer hotel life to the cares of a household of their own. Cahfornians are a go-ahead, restless class of people. At the hotel where I lived a fair specimen of the pushing, impatient Yankee store-keeper used to patronise the same table as myself; the man would hardly allow himself two minutes to eat his dinner or any other meal. On one occasion a '' tenderfoot,'* or now arrival, was sitting next me, and when he saw the American Bound the World. 75 i) jump up from the table, he wanted to know if he was offended with his dinner as . he had left it so soon. The town has a population of about 25,000 souls, and it is noted for its quiet beauty, its gardens, orchards, vineyards, and its shaded streets. From the top of the Capitol one has a splendid view of the Sacramento valley and the surrounding country. The moaquitos in Sacramento valley are very indut^Lrious little things, and their musical capabilities are of no mean order. As one lies ensconced imder the sheets to keep them from caressing him with their playful stings, he can fancy himself at a promenade concert in old Covent Gardei:, while a dozen or so sing around his head with their different notes, until one cute fellow manages to get beneath the cover- ing, and dispels the dreams and illusions of his victim ! Sacramento is the favourite hunting- ground of millions of insects and small flies of all kinds. The electric, lights which .■<■;' WW 76 A Mechanic s Tout wm. adorn the streets and hang over the store fronts attract the pests i^om the damp and marshy country around. The pedes- trian often has to move cil the footpath as thousands of flies buzz around a Hght hanging overhead, and the flies which have successfully burnt their wings lie thickly strewn upon the pavement. The mean annual temperature at Sacramento is sixty degrees, and for months in the summer time there is not a cloud to be seen ; the winter is the rainy season. Snow seldom or never falls. During my stay the " Native-Born Sons of California" held a demonstration in the city, and in the procession we had the pleasure of seeing Mr. J. W. Marshall, the man who first found gold in California. The discovery of gold was made on January 19th, 1848, in the mill race of Greneral Sutter. The announcement of the gold discovery caused the greatest gold fever ever experienced in the civilised world. People in the Atlantic States chartered ships to go round South Bound the World. 77 America and so get to the diggings that way, and numbers, in the excitement, started to cross the great continent on foot. Many a poor fellow never reached the new El Dorado, being either killed by the Indians or worn out by the difficult journey. I informed my employer of my intention to finish the overland journey by going to the seaport of San Francisco. He said I should find it difficult to get work in that city, for San Francisco was one of the worst places in the world for a stranger to get employment. I had heard some such statement before, and from another source. It was with a feeling of sadness I parted from that American gentleman. He was a native of one of the Eastern States, and had been settled in Sacramento ah out eight years, and had managed to work his way into a very comfortable position. On our way in the train to San Fran- cisco we passed many fine farms and vine- yards. California is one of the best wheat 78 A Mechanic's Tour and fruit-growing countries in the world : in fact it is hard to say what will not grow in such a favoured land. In the vineyards were dozens of " Heathen Chinee," picking and curing the grapes. The Chinese are in great numbers all over the Pacific coast. The United States Government have prohibited any more Chinese labourers from landing in the country. There are many reasons, from a workman's point of view, why the Chinese are not desirable residents in any country but their own. They live on fifty cents or one dollar a week, and are there- fore able to work for very little, and what money thoy do earn generally goes to China. It is difficult to see how a good and solid country can be built up by a working population of Chinese, — men who seldom niarry out of their own country. and who live and dress in such a miserable fashion as to completely outdo the white man. It is not always easy for a white man to get work in the Golden State. 1^0 twith standing its gold and good climate, Round the World, 79 many of the Eastern States can show as great a progress in the same time as can California. One would naturally suppose that a newly-settled country like California would be a good place for servant-girls ; but the Chinese do most of the girls' work; they are the cooks, dishwashers, and so on. All over the Pacific coast they monopolise the washing of clothes and household linen. A fastidious person had better not watch them V7hile they iron his underclothing, for when they want to damp anything they fill their mouths full of water and squirt it through their teeth over the clothes. Such a person, in regard to his old shirt, would be inclined to sav In the words of Shakespeare, — Rather bear those ills we have, Than fly to others that we know not of. At Benicia, on the Straits of Carquinez, we had our first sight of the waters of the Pacific Ocean. To save a long round- about journey to San Francisco the railroad company have built tlie largest steam ferry- ^^:|'if m 80 A Mechanic's Tour i-11 i i ' boat in the world. It is capable of taking forty-eiglifc freight ears, or twenty-four passenger cars, across the Straits (a mile and a half across) to Port Costa, where the train once more rolls along on terra firma^ to the City of the Golden Gate. At the town of Oakland the train runs along an immense pier into the Bay oC San Francisco, and at the end of the pier we bade good-bye to the cars and went on board one of the fine ferry-boats that convey the passengers across the bay to the city. At last we touched the land- ing-place, and getting ashore, soon went along the busy, bustling streets of the extreme western city of the States, a young city of about 300,000 inhabitants. The first house was built in *' Frisco ** in 1835. A stranger cannot help noticing the eager rush and bustle of the passers- by in the streets. Go-ahead and hard work is the order of the day. There are always lots of workmen to be had here. While in the city there was great ex- citement in regard to the election of a Round the WorhL 81 president for the United States. I went to many of the Republicans' meetings. Most of the Republican orators spoke upon the one subject of Free Trade, and the evils that would be sure to ensue from it, if the Democratic candidate were elected. Great Britain came in for a fair share of abuse from these gentlemen. They almost made one believe that hundreds of British ships were waiting outside American ports, ready to flood the country with their merchandise so soon as Mr. Cleveland was elected. My American friend apolo- gised to me for the abusive remarks in which the speakers indulged concerning England, and said it was a ''catching" subject with many people. The American people speak the English lanofuasfe in a better manner than the " masses " of England do. There are few of the localisms and peculiarities of dialect that one hears in the different counties of Great Britain. The Americans have a standing joke about the w^ay most English people drop their h's ; though they seem G j-iiii? iff 82 A Mechanic's Tour K Urns' to forget their own idioms and sing-song mannerisms that are so amusing: to the British. -*o*- !|l;ifr CHAPTER VII. I DID not stay long in ''Frisco" on my first visit, so will defer any lengthy de- scription of the town for the present. We shipped in the steerage of a passenger steamer bound for the province of British Columbia, the most western part of Canada. The fare from San Francisco to Victoria, Vancouver Island, is ten dollars steerage and twenty dollars first class. Since the opening of the Northern Pacific Railroad, passengers from the east need not take the sea route to get to British Columbia. The comforts of this sea voyage were notable by their absence. Our cabin was furnished witli two long tables suspended by ropes from the ceiling, and when nob Round the Woi'ld. 8$ in use they Avere hauled up out of reach. One table was for "white men," the other for Chinamen ; and when the meals were served, we had to stand around the swinging table-tops. To see the frantie efforts that were made to keep ourselves and the table steady, as the ship rolled anci pitched about, was most laughable. Some- times, when the ship gave an extra big roll, we went flying about like so many drunken men, some clutching wildly at the tables, and sending the tin-ware an3 delicacies flying. The suspended tables must have been profitable contrivances, for many who were not sea-sick could not endure the sight of the swinging appliances always in front of them. After a some- what stormy passage of about three days,, we arrived at Victoria. Victoria is the capital and largest town of the province of British Columbia. The town is situated on the south-east coast of Vancouver Island. The island is about three hundred miles long, with an average breadth of thirty to fifty miles. The? ■:^M m\\ G 9 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 !i:«^ I.I 1^ 2.5 S lie 1^ lllllio 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 = -m 6" — ► m V; A # 7 /<^ Photographic Sciences Corporation €\ %^ # \\ W(n ^ ^^\ o^ 93 WIST MAIN STRUT WIBSTER.N.Y. 14SS0 (716) 873-4503 ^ %'■ \ ^ ^ 6^ 84 A Mechanic's Tour M ' it population of the whole province is given at something like 80,000, including 30,000 Indians and 10,000 Chinese. The town of Victoria contains a population of near 12,000, more than one-quarter being Chinese. The town has grown rapidly within the years 1882-3-4. The next largest town on the island is the coal- mining town of Nanaimo, in the mines of which many Chinese are employed. Victoria and the southern portion of Vancouver Island have the finest climate in the whole province. The winter of 1884-5 was the severest known for twenty- three years, the coldest day being 10 degrees above zero. Of the climate, the Marquis of Lome said in 1882 : " No words can be too strong to express the charm of this delightful land, where the climate, softer and more constant than that of the south of England, insures at all times of the year a full enjoyment of the wonderful loveliness of nature around you." It may be fair to say that the " land of wonderful loveliness " has been described as a " sea of mountains." 1 , t i Bound the World. 85 •qms in be this ifter louth year Iness ir to >ss Ins. n )) The island is not overburdened with good agricultural land, and what there is is being rapidly taken up. In different parts of the island and on the mainland a man can have a hundred and sixtv acres of unimproved land for one dollar an acre by settling upon and improving it to a certain amount, and by complying with the land laws in force in the province. There are numerous factories and mills in the town, but they generally have a plentiful supply of workmen. Joiners' wages are about two dollars and a half up to three dollars and a quarter per day of ten hours. Good board and lodgings for a single man can be had for six dollars per week. After staying two months in Victoria, I went to work on the mainland, and remained there all the winter and part of spring. To get to the Fraser River on the mainland (distant about sixty miley), we had to cross the straits of Georgia. On a fine day, this is one of the pleasantest sails ajli^l 86 A Mechanic's Torn- I ■ f r I' it is possible to have. Our good old steamer, the Yosemite, glided along upon the smooth water, wending its way among the innumerable islands, covered with their green verdure, with now and then a settler's hut peeping out from among the trees. At the small town of New Westminster, on the north side of Fraser River, the winters are more severe, with greater snow and rainfall, than at Victoria. We had some good skating on the Fraser River, which was frozen over for two or three weeks. The Fraser River is a favourite run of three or four different kinds of salmon. They make their appearance in March in such numbers that some of them are often bruised and crushed on to the banks of the smaller creeks. One of the principal industries of the province is the catching and canning of these fish. Another important source of wealth to the province is the lumbering business. The most important trees are the Douglas 4irs. Cedars, alders, and many other kinds If Bound the World. 87 ster, the snow had iver, ;hree urite s of e in hem the the the Ih to Less. [glas inds of trees grow in abundance. As pre- viously mentioned, a man who would like to own a homestead of his own in the province can take up a hundred and sixty acres at the low rate of one dollar an acre. However, any one but a courageous person is apt to be dismayed when he goes on to his newly-acquired ranchy in a thickly- wooded part of the country, for he sees trees ten to twelve feet in thickness, and often two hundred and fifty feet high ; while many fallen trees lie around, which, combined with the undergrowth, make it most difficult to clear the land. When a person has cut down a certain number of trees, the next thing is to get them into a heap and set fire to them, that being the quickest way of getting rid of the immense mass of lumber. Of course, the roots of the trees cause the most trouble to the farmer. There are various methods used to get them out of the ground. Some dig them out, others burn them out, and, if not too large, they are sometimes pulled out by oxen. Fir stumps take years to decay 1 ?' Ki ■• ■ I i !J ' i ^ i;: ¥ I :.. .?^. 88 A Mechanic* "$ Tour aAvay. At the mouth of the Fraser Eiver and at Chilliwack thore are thousands of acres of low-lying prairie or lightly-wooded land, all of which is either settled upon or held by speculators. On the present timber-land, fruit, vege- tables, and stock-raising is the farmer's principal work, as the moist climate of the country is not so suitable for growing breadstuffs as is the climate east of the Rocky Mountains. In all probability, as the country gets settled up and the immense timber growth is cleared away, the climate will get drier and considerably improve, as it is a well-known fact that trees always assist the rainfall. Between the Cascade Mountains and the Rocky Mountains, the climate is hotter in summer and much colder in winter than it is in New Westminster district. In British Columbia the sportsman can have some good shooting and fishing. In different parts of the province are many wild birds, water-fowl, and animals. The various public works going on in the 'I'K Bound the World. 89 province give employment to many men. That great enterprise, the Canadian Pacific Eailroad, will probably be opened for through passenger traffic early in 1886. Port Moody, at the head of Burrard Inlet, was selected as the terminus of the railroad on the mainland of British Columbia. Doubtless, at some future time, the line will be extended to Coal Harbour, near the entrance to Burrard Inlet. Speculation in town lots along the inlet has been very brisk for the last few years, and much money has been lost and won. It is surprising to see the number of fine cities that are flourishing — on paper — along the banks of the beautiful Burrard Inlet, each to be the great terminus city of the future. As one looks at the plans of the different town sites, and sees well- known names marked on the different streets and avenues, he can fancy he hears the rush and bustle of another Babylon. At present, the future cities are composed of a few wooden buildings and many large trees. m I'i .;f rlET • • ■«• ■i1f ■■■ -' n , ' ]r- .i . ■ Sf ■■• ,(.',: b I k ', ^i',. \'t 90 ^1 Mechanic's Tour In North America, the holding of land until its value increases is one of the principal means of acquiring wealth. Many men who obtained possession some years ago of some supposed worthless land are now wealthy through the sudden boom or growth of some town on their land. The being able to own a farm or home- stead of his own, at very little cost, is one of the principal inducements a poor man has for leaving Great Britain for North America. Mechanics do not always better their condition as well as poor farmers do by leaving Great Britain for America. The work is hard and the hours of labour are ten hours per day, Saturday included, there being no such thing as Saturday half-holiday in America. It was Horace Greely who once said, " Go west, young man." But that advice is not so good as it used to be. The rail- ways are scattered all over the country, and have reduced it (in regard to work and wages) to nearly one common level. As soon as it is known that trade is good Round the World, 91 in a certain part of the country, crowds of men flock there, and men in America think no more of travelling a thousand miles than those in Bno^land do of travellino: a hundred. The Canadian Pacific Railroad will be the means of opening out the great North- west Territory of Canada to the products of British Columbia. To the treeless plains of the North-west Territory will be sent the lumber, fruit, and fish of British Columbia, in exchange for their good grain and bread-stuffs. In the wild regions of the Rocky Mountains, the work of making the railroad is very diflSicult and dangerous, and the men employed there have a very tough time of it. Who has not heard the story of the young man who, after being many months among the mountains and woods, returned to the more settled parts? As he ap- proached a house, he saw, hanging on a line, a woman's calico gown. He was so affected by the sight of it, that he sprang off* his horse, and kissed the hem of the 92 A Mechanic's Tour garment. The old gown was the emblem of that good and gentle society from which he had been so long absent, — of the love and tenderness of his mother, sister, and sweetheart in his home far away. The goods in the shop-windows are marked dearer than similar articles in Eastern Canada. Doubtless, when the railway is opened for traffic, it will be the means of reducing the price of goods, and also the rate of wages. It may also be the means of reducing the price of hair- cutting from fifty cents down to a more civiHsed charge. A ten-cent piece was the smallest coin in general use. There are many churches, public and private schools, hospitals, and other public institutions in the province. The " noble " Indians (or Siwashes, as they are called) are quiet and law-abiding. They are as clever in their canoes as were their ancestors, about whom we used to read in days gone by, and who are now in their " happy hunting-grounds." The Hound the World, S3 nblem from t,— of other, QG far rs are las in n the be the s, and Iso be hair- more was c and public les, as iding. were ed to ow in The women are as skilful with the small paddles as are the men. The Indian? like the Chinese as much as they like "pison." There are many Chinese in British Columbia, who are employed in every imaginable way. They are farm hands, gardeners, washermen, domestic servants of all kinds, labourers, and general heweps of wood and drawers of water ; in fact it is hard to say what they do not do in the labour line. They earn from seventy-five cents up to one dollar a day. Of course, the diflBculty for a Christian is, particularly if married, that he cannot live on such wages in British Columbia ; and if a white man did lower himself and his family to the Chinese standard of living, so as to successfully compete with them in labour, it would mean a dreadful fall from that high state of civilisation which the Christian race is supposed to have attained down into the depths of degradation and pollu- tion. One has only to read the reports of the commission appointed to inquire into m u 94 A Mechanic s Totii I lb the Chinese question in San Francisco to enable one to rid himself of many kind and philanthropical ideas concerning the Heathen Chinee. "John" has a very meek and cunning way about him when he is obliged to move abroad in the streets and public places (a way which is apt to deceive the passer-by), but in his own crowded haunts and dens his life is most revolting. There are very few Chinese women in the country, and these never work as domestic servants. The Chinese have some peculiar cus- toms, particularly in regard to their de- parted brethren. In New Westminster, on Good Friday, a crowd of these almond- eyed gentlemen carried to the graves of their departed countrymen about half a dozen whole roast pigs, some apples, oranges, cakes, whisky, and hundreds of cigarettes. Some spirit, or spirits, in the unknown world, were supposed to take a ''good square meal " from the food. There was a large bonfire burning, and into the flames a Chinaman tossed the whisk v, and Bound the World. 95 hundreds of square pieces of paper, of various colours, covered with their pecuh'ar writing. I stood watching the ceremony for over an hour, but the roast porkers did not diminish in size during that time. One could plainly see the fruit disappeariiig quickly ; the youngsters playing arouiul made short work with a lot of that. . Vfter a certain amount- of chanting and vvringin^j of hands, the Chinamen picked up what remained of the food, and took it into the town to satisfy their own hunger. Soon after my return to San Francisco^ there was a long account in the newspapers there concerning a demonstration held by the working-men of Victoria against the Chinese. Many hundreds walked in pro- cession through the principal streets, carrying flags with mottoes inscribed on them after the following style : — ^" Boycott the Chinese employers," " They are not with us, but against us," " No yellow slave shall eat our children's bread," " Cut out the Chinese cancer," " Down ■f ■H- 1 I :m 96 A Mechanic's Tour with the dragon flag," " Let British Columbia be a home for men only," ** Let no Chinese leper cross our thresh- hold." »o«- i: i4 •J CHAPTER VIII. ' Bidding farewell, when the gentle spring time came, to the rocky and picturesque British Columbia, I returned to San Francisco. We entered the celebrated *' Golden Gate " one gloriously fine morning. The Golden Gate is the name given to the entrance to the Bay of San Francisco ; the entrance is about half a mile wide. The " Bay," like many more bays, is said to be able to hold at one time all the navies of the world. About six o'clock our ship got alongside the wharf, and early as it was a crowd of vellinsr and excited hotel runners, hack- ii Itoitnd the World, 97 •itisli tily," resh- pring esque San rated fine [name San half tnany to the ;side ^dof lack- men, touts, and others, were there to meet us with that din which is only to be found among " Frisco " runners. We managed to find our man, and soon rolled away in state in the free coach belonging to one of the many large second-class hotels — hotels that are excellent in regard to size, accommo- dation, food, and charges. Our hotel was a long brick and stone building of four storeys and basement. On the ground floor were the offices and bar entrances — the lounge for anybody — barber's shop, tobacconist's shop, bootblack's shop, all attached to the hotel, lined the front of the building. For six dollars per week I had, for my own use, a large bedroom in the front of the building, furnished in an excellent manner, and food. If a person occupies a bedroom at the top of the building, the expenses are not so great. There were three meals each day, and at meal-time each person had his food brought on a lot of little oval dishes, and helped himself to whatever he fancied. Any outsider could enter the large dining- H tfi 98 A Mechanic's Tour room and have a '' good square meal '' for twenty-five cents. San Francisco is noted for the number and size of its hotels. The Palace Hotel, one of the largest hotels in the world, is one of the sights of the town. Private residences in '' Frisco," as in Sacramento, are mainly built of wood. Many of the large and palatial houses are of excellent design and workmanship ; others have a very gingerbread appearance, on account of having so many easily-put-up wooden ornaments stuck about. The buildings in the principal streets of the city are built of brick and stone. An afternoon's walk through Market Street, Montgomery, Kearney, and two or three other streets in the same locality, is something to be remembered. In those splendid thoroughfares will be seen a throng of well-dressed people, and such a show of wealth somewhat astonishing to a new arrival in the '* Far "West." The individual one hears so much about, who expected to find wild beasts and savage Bound the Woo^ld. 99 eal >r imber lotel, [•Id, is rivate lento, )f the lellent Lave a 3C0UIlt oodeii ngs ill built Market iwo or ity, is tliose 5eii a such Lshing The who lavage Indians prowling and lurking about in the vicinity of the town, seeking whom they might devour, must have been agreeably disappointed as he walked through the streets of one of the most fashionable and " fastest *' cities of the world. Even many Americans in the Eastern States seem to have a vague idea as to what the new western city and its vicinity are like. The minister of a Congre- gational Church in "Frisco " told a story about a friend of his in one of the Eastern States, asking him to send an Indian's scalp, the Eastern man thinking that Indians' scalps would be easily obtainable in wild and distant " Californy." It has been said there are more rich people in San Francisco, in proportion to its size, than in any other city in the world. The climate is the greatest item in its favour ; the mean temperature is 54 degrees, the variation being but 10 degrees during the year. In the summer time the nights are cool and refreshing ; one does not lose a night's rest through the op- n2 iBi' J I Ml- • !'>i m 100 A Mechanic's Totci pressi\^e heat, as is the case in the State of New York in summer time. One meets with all sorts and conditions of men in San Francisco; people from all nations seem to have made the city of the West their home. From pictures and cartoons of Americans one expects to find them all very thin and lantern-jawed ; that idea is soon dispelled in San Francisco, for a stouter and ruddier lot of people it is hard to find. The young women are more like their English cousins than are any others in the States. In the Eastern States the women have a pale and refined beauty compared with their Cali- fornian sisters ; but all, whether good- looking or " homely " (as the Americans call plain-featured young women), have the same independent and self-reliant manner. The American " small " boys and girls are known all over the world for their particular smartness and "cussed- ness." As one walks along the streets he cannot help noticing the number of pistols and revolvers exposed for sale in Bound the World. 101 ite of meets nSan seem their ricans in and pelled addier young ousins In the le and CaU- good- Iricans have •eliant boys 'Id for [issed- Itreets |er of ale in the windows of the pawnbrokers' and second-hand shops. If each " shooting- iron " had killed its man, there would have been very few men left to tell the tale, as the saying is. Carrying a '' six-shooter " is a fashionable practice in the States. A friend of mine, as we left his home together one night, turned back because he had " forgotten his revolver." A walk into a photographer's shop will amply repay the trouble, for the " glorious climate " being well adapted to the photo- grapher's art, excellent photographs of some of the wonderful scenery of the State are always on view and for sale. The fruit in the market-place is also a stranger's delight. San Francisco contains about thirty- thousand '^hinese, who mostly live in one part of the city, and which is called ** China Town/' The streets and houses are decorated with lanterns and symbols in true Celestial fashion. Most visitors to the city ** do " China Town, though it is anything but a pleasant place to stroll .imii- 102 A Mechanic's Tour 1 ■; \v\U' an. Jolin Chinaman has a very hard time •of it in San Francisco ; he is persecuted in a most unmanly fashion on every con- venient occasion by the " hoodlums " and toughs. Ill-treating the Chinese will not help the white man's cause against the ready-handed Celestial. Sunday in San Francisco is a very lively -day ; the cable tramcars and other con- veyances are generally crowded by pleasure-seekers going to Golden Gate Park or some other of the many pleasure resorts. The theatres, music-halls, drives, and drinking-saloons are all in full swing. During my three weeks and a half of hotel life in the city, while waiting for the Australian steamer, our better feelings got somewhat tired of hearing the click of billiard-balls on Sundays. However, with all their gaiety, the Americans have no barmaids ; men do all the waiting behind the bars. There are many fine churches and other places of worship in the city. The singing is often very good, the choir generally con- Bound the World. 103 time cuted con- ' and 1 not t the lively con- • by Gate lasnre rives, wing. hotel ' the ^sgot )k of with e no 5hiud Dther iging con- sisting of only four voices. At the Con- gregational Church, on 'the last Sunday of my stay in San Francisco, was held a choral and farewell service, not on my account, but for the minister, who was about to take a long holiday tour. As it was near the eve of my departure for Sydney, Australia, some seven thousand two hundred miles away over the Pacific Ocean, the service was most appropriate, and by a little stretching of the imagina- tion I was, doubtless, as much soothed and consoled by the prayers and good wishes as was the departing minister. CHAPTER IX. The Australian mail and passenger steam- ships sail from San Francisco ; so, after a stay of about three weeks and a half in the gay city, I procured a second-class or steerage passage in the mail steamer ^i •"'■'ii« fir lljlil.' i{ ''it' ■0 104 A MecJunic^s Tour Is :i:^ii| ft ZealancUa. There are only two classes in tlie Australian ships — first and steerage. A steerage ticket cost me a hundred dollars, rather an expensive journey when com- pared with the Orient steamships, which sail from London for Australia and travel nearly double the distance, and charge eighteen pounds for a steerage passage. At half-past two o'clock on June 6th we slowly moved away from the American shore. One of the crew standing near me said, " When we leave Sydney there is a good hearty cheer sent after us by those on shore, but when we leave America the people just quietly look on." There does not seem to be much hurrahing in the ordinary Yankee. For the third time we pass through the '* Golden Gate," and watch the so-called Land of Freedom fade slowly out of sight. The first night out at sea was rather stormy; it made one wonder why the water we were sailing over was named the Pacific Ocean. Trunks, portmanteaus, and other things were knocked about like nine- Roitnd the WorhL 105 the tiled ght. ^ther the the and pins, and one poor fellow was sent flying out of his bunk, sadly to the discomfiture of his nose. The following morning the weather was all that could be desired. The steerage passengers of the Zealandior fiired much better than such passengers generally do on many steamships, notwith- standing the assertions of the usual pro- portion of grumblers. Fortunately we were not overcrowded, the two long tables in the dining-room being capable of ac- commodating all the men, with the excep- tion of three or four, at one sitting. The desire of not being one of the three or four usually caused a crowd of men to assemble at the door of the dining-room five or ten minutes before the dinner-gong sounded. When that pleasant sound reached the ears of the hungry crowd there was a general rush for places ; doc- tors, ex-editors, miners, cowboys, all eagerly striving for a place ; and when the place was secured, woe be to the man who calmly took his soup before providing himself with what meat and vegetables he M 106 A Mechanic's Tour required. If any person did, unfortunately, so far forget himself, and bring forward that old-fashioned practice of first enjoy- ing his mock-turtle liquid, he usually found to his cost that the best, if not all, the meat and other delicacies had disappeared. One man in particular was very desirous of impressing upon the minds of the others the uselessness of being in such a hurry, saying, " It would be much better to take it calmly; we should be just as well off." Alas ! he was generally first at table. There were only two lady passengers in the steerage ; one going to her husband in Australia, the other travelling with her husband to the same place. The ladies usually dined after the men. An intimate friend of mine in British Columbia first saw the lady who is now his wife on board of one of these Australian steamers, when taking a trip to Sydney. Ocean passenger-steamers have much to answer for in regard to match-making. Many a time has the sweet story of old Bound the World, 107 been told in some quiet corner, and many a time has some crusty old bachelor or woman-hater been reduced, through the close and unavoidable companionship of some pleasant and lovable creature, to a languishing and sighing state of love- sickness, after two or three weeks' rolling over the ocean deep. However, there was not much fear of anything so dreadful happening at our end of the ship; we had to be contented with a few wistful glances at the youth and beauty of the saloon. The one great drawback to the steerage was the absence of a bath-room. The only way one could have a good bath in the warm latitudes was by getting out of bed early in the morning, while the sailors were scrubbing and washing the upper deck, and ask Jack Tar to turn the hose on to oneself. Jack was always willing to do so, but his mischievous and funny propensities generally came to the front, the bather often paying dearly for his hose bath. 108 A Mechanic's Tour « 11 £ ■J.Svl li'; We sighted the Sandwich Islands after being out seven days and a half. The Sandwich Islands have a more than ordinary interest to me on account of my home in England being in sight of the monument that is erected on the Yorkshire hills, near Middlesbrough, in memory of that great navigator. Captain Cook, who first discovered the islands in 1778, and who was cruelly killed by the natives soon after his landing on one of the islands. There are thirteen islands in the group, with a united area of some 7,628 square miles ; eight of the islands are inhabited, containing a population of about 72,000. We entered the harbour of the capital, Honolulu, about two o'clock on Sunday morning, and, dark as it was, many of the passengers embraced the opportunity of getting on terra firma once more. A friend who had been there before, accom- panied me round the town, and pointed out some of the principal buildings, in- cluding Queen Emma's house. However, we had to give up our attempt at sight- Bound the World. 109 m- ver, ght- seeing because of the darkness. We strolled back in the direction of the ship, and, although we could not see much, we could soon tell when we were in China Town by the peculiar odour which always attaches itself to where John Chinaman lives. The Chinese are on the islands in strong force, as in most of the other parts of the Pacific. There are also many European and American mechanics on the islands, whose wages range from about three to f jur dollars per day. A consfder- able export trade is done in rice and sugar. We had not long to wait for daylight, it seemed to come upon us all at once, as is usual in countries near the equator ; so off we started again to see the sights of the lovely place. King Kalakua's palace is one of the most interesting places to a visitor. It is not a very large one, as palaces go ; but, compared to his ancestor's shanties, which probably had holes in the roofs that answered for chimneys, win- dows, and general ventilators, the palace 110 A Mechanic's Tour *?itf' H\ i;»"v. was a superb home. There was some talk about the king having kindly offered to the British Government, in case of war being declared with Russia, the valuable services of his entire army of seventy dusky warriors. Doubtless it was the knowledge of that which kept the Russians from going too far ! There are many good residences belong- ing to the European merchants of the town ; such pretty houses, with their many verandahs, the trellis-work covered with gorgeous creepers, vines, and flowers ; forming nice shady retreats, where one could have a pleasant smoke or read; and in the gardens and along the shaded streets and roads were to be seen growing bananas, the bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, tamarinds, mangoes, and many other fruits in abun- dance. About six o'clock the church bells were rung for morning service. Many of the tall and well-proportioned natives were to be seen wending their way quietly to church ; the women with their long, flow- Bound the World, 111 ing gowns, and dressed in a manner that would astonish their old ancestors of a hundred years ago, could they only see them. As one thought of the change that had taken place among the natives within the last few years, it brought to mind the poet's poem of the Buccaneer : — " Inland now rests the green, warm dell ; The brook comes tinkling down its side ; From out the trees the Sabbath bell Rings cheerful far and wide, Mingling its sound with bleatings of the flocks, That feed about the vale among the rocks. " Nor holy bell, nor pastoral bleat, In former days within the vale ; Flapp'd in the bay th(5 pirate's sheet ; Curses were on the gale : Rich good s land on the sand, and murder'd men,. Pirate and wrecker kept their revels then. *' But cakii, low voices, words of grace, Now slowly fall upon the ear ; A quiet look is in each face, Subdued and holy fear : Each motion gentle — all is kindly done : Come, listen how from crime these isles were won.'* 112 A Mechanic's Tour 1 1 y i i i'll it;! i^ That lovely Sunday morning, as we walked along the roads, with fruit-trees of many kinds hanging over our heads, and the fallen fruit lying all around, the maii^ plants and flowers blooming in all their gay colouring, the warm and languid atmosphere filled with the peculiar scent of thousands of blossoms — all helped to create an inclination to make a home on that delightful islaud, away from the strife of the outer world, and with the poet's ideal life of love in a pretty blossom- covered cottage, enjoy the peace and plenty which seemed to be about the spot. But alas ! there is generally to be found some drawback to every country. Many of the natives of the Sandwich Islands are afflicted with leprosy ; those found to be suffering from the dreadful disease are sent away to some isolated island, and cut off from all intercourse with the outside world. After a sojourn of about six hours in a place that can never be forgotten in this workaday world, we once more put off to '>t- T 1 m Bound the World. 113 .any are lo be are cut iside in a this to sea. Many of us had returned on board staggering under the weight of huge bunches of bananas and other fruits. A few nights after leaving Honolulu, we had a grand concert in the saloon, and were fortunate in having on board the well- known author and actor, Mr. Dion Boucicault, and the members of his com- pany. We had a further run of about eight days, when we sighted the island of Tutuila, one of the Samoan group of islands. We only stayed twenty minutes — about long enough to take up two or three South Sea traders, who were quietly rowed to the ship's side, that dark morning, by some half -savage natives. Our next stopping-place was the town of Auckland, New Zealand. We arrived there one Sunday afternoon, and after the life and bustle of San Francisco, Auckland had a very quiet and " slow " appearance. All the shops and hotels were closed, contrasting strangely with the other gay city, where the saloons, theatres, and music-halls are in full swing on Sundays. i\\ P! 114 4 Mechanic's Ton r m !' I 1 I i M Oar short stay was like a glimpse of home as we wandered down the roads, with something like hedgerows on each side, the bright green of the country, and the young men and women with their un- doubtedly British faces. John Chinaman was not to be seen with his long hair dangling at the back of his head ; he wore the dress of the European. The town seemed to have a prosperous and well-to-do air, although I heard tales of trade being anything but good just then ; at any rate, the people we saw in the streets during the afternoon dressed much better than many people do in England when trade is what is called good. One could not see the rags and shoeless feet that are sadly too numerous in many parts of England. Wooden houses seem to be as fashionable in and around Auckland as they are in America ; but they are built in a much plainer style. After bidding good-bye to many of our companions, who were going to stay in New Zealand, we left Auckland, and Round the World, 115 m lome with side, 1 the iin- iiman hair wore erous tales just iw m essed o in ailed and rous oden and ica; tyle. our in and worked our way among the innumerable islands, out to the open sea. We had some strangers amongst us after leaving the town, one being a tipsy Yorkshire- man, who wanted to know if each person he met came from Yorkshire. Sydney, New South Wales, was our next and last halting-place — Sydney, with its beautiful harbour, of which I had heard so much from an Australian on board, after my praising the Bay of San Francisco. '•<■*- CHAPTER X. On a gloriously-fine, sunny morning, July 3, the middle of the Australian winter, we sighted the shores of New South Wales, and entered the " Heads '' of Port Jackson soon after noon. My Australian friend did not exaggerate when he said it was a beautiful harbour. After entering the ** Heads," our ship turned to the left until • i2 116 A Mechanic's Tour i il i I I we lost sight of the open sea entirely. Numerous ships, of all sizes and nation- alities, lay safely anchored as we glided along over the smooth waters, past various islands, points, and bays of the harbour ; past Watson's Bay, " AYoolloomooloo '* Bay (what o's in a name!), until we arrived at the Circular Quay, where our voyage ended. There were soon a number of hotel-runners on board, soliciting the patronage of the passengers ; they each had cards, with the name, address, and cost of living of the various bouses. Second-class hotel accommodation in Aus- tralia is not up to the American standard as yet. The average cost of board and lodgings at houses where mechanics most do congregate was three shillings per day, or eighteen shillings up to one pound per week. Of course that did not include the washing of clothes. As I was not -icquainted with any one in Sydney, I V ent to one of those houses. It is very nice to read about the recep- tions that some travellers like to tell us ,; il Eomid the World. 117 they received on landing in a strange country : how the mayor and other im- portant personages of the town came down to the ship, with their carriages and attendants, to welcome the newly-arrived stranger, to convey him to their homes and feast him, to make his heart glad, and help him to forget that he is in a strange land, some thirteen thousand miles from home. Alas ! where there is one who boasts of having been received in that manner, there are hundreds, nay, thousands, who do as I did ; that is, as soon as their boxes and trunks are off the ship, get a prosaic conveyance and go away quietly, to help to swell the ranks of the " new chums " who are continually arriving. By the time I had reached my Tem- perance Hotel, and paid all my expenses, the man with the proverbial shilling was almost as well off in the coins of the realm as myself, for my ready cash was reduced to eighteen shillings and sixpence as my capital with which to begin life in Australia. My prospect was not one of 118 A Mechanic's Tour W\ the brightest, as thoughts arose of the stories one often hears about men being unable to obtain employment, and knowing at the same time that I could not get a remittance from England in less than ten weeks from the time of sending for it. However, the following morning (Satur- day), there appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald a suitable advertisement, and fortunately I succeeded in getting work in Wynyard Square, at ten shillings per day of eight hours ; of course, leaving at one o'clock on Saturday. The job was only a short one, but still better than nothing under the circumstances, until something else should turn up ; so I commenced work at nine o'clock that morning ; and I may as well say here that I had as much work as was wanted during my stay in Sydney. There are generally numerous advertise- ments for persons of all trades and pro- fessions. One that appeared was for a young man for oflSce work, and, probably as an extra inducement, the amount of Bound the World, 119 pay was stated, namely, one pound per week ! It seems that young men for office work are not too well paid in Australia, as is the case in England. Of course, there are good situations, but outsiders, without friends or influence, cannot always get them. The Browns, Joneses, and Eobin- sons in Australia, like their friends in England, have the same desire to put their sons into the so-called genteel occupations. Bricklayers receive from ten to twelve shillings per day ; carpenters from nine to ten shillings per day ; and cabinet-makers receive, upon an average, one shilling an hour. Domestic servants are always in good demand, housemaids receiving from ten to twelve shillings per week ; cooks receive up to about sixteen shillings per week,, and so on. Complaints have been made by domestic servants to the effect that they work much harder in Australia than they did in England ; the cook generally having to do the laundry-work of the household as well as her other duties. By 120 A Mechanic's Tour Silt I* K.';).. . ,-ll 'M ■■M i: :>«!; the number of single women immigrants continually arriving, one might think the domestic service market would be glutted, but such is not the case. On one steamer there arrived 208 single women, and 117 single men ; and there were 249 applica- tions for domestic servants — single women — but only 86 were for hire. We often hear men say that they can do as well in England as they do in Australia, and doubtless there are exceptional cases of mechanics doing better in England than in the Colonies, it being quite plain that there are many trades not in much demand in a newly-settled country. Yet how many emigrants there are who do much better. A married carpenter, to my knowledge, is paying over a pound a week for allotments of land that he has bought in Sydney. It is not always that a car- penter, particularly if he be a married man, can save a pound a week in Great Britain, if he is working for daily wages. There is, however, often to be noticed among those who complain a desire to Bound the World, 121 return to their home and kindred, the love of their native land being so strong as to create a feeling of discontent, and thus prevent that determination to succeed in the land of their adoption which should characterise all emigrants. I was told of a poor Scotch woman in America who had such an intense lonoinof to see the heather on her native hills once more, that she sickened and died. The same feeling is said to prevail with the natives of the Sandwich Islands when they are taken to work in Queensland ; they lose all hope through being away from their native islands. But that tender subject should be considered before one embarks for ** furrin " parts ; and when it is a matter of bread or no bread, as is the case with many in Great Britain, such thoughts should have no weight whatever. In regard to the cost of food in Australia people can live about as cheaply as they can in England. For sixpence a person can get a much better breakfast, dinner, or tea in Sydney than he can in London. 122 A Mechanic's Tour : »*tl/-. 1^ When working in Gray's Inn Road, London, my dinner was often piirchased in a restaurant there, and for sixpence I could get a small plate of beef, cabbage, and potatoes ; anything else was extra. In Sydney, when a person goes into one of the " sixpenny " restaurants for his dinner, he has soup, and after that he has his choice of about a dozen different dishes and joints, with plenty of bread on the table ; when he has finished with the meat he has a plate of whatever kind of pastry or sweets are on the bill of fare ; he c*lso has a plentiful supply of either tea or coffee. Many single men rent private rooms and get their meals at the sixpenny restaurants. Good wearing apparel and other goods are slightly dearer than similar articles in Great Britain. As in New Zealand, the Chinese dress in the European fashion, and one never sees them washing white people's clothes or working as domestic servants in Australia ; they turn their attention more to cabinet-making and market-gardening. Bound the ]]'orld. 123 They are to be seen and heard working in their workshops from early morn until late at night, taking no notice of the European's half-day holiday on Saturday. The Chinese generally work with closed doors on Saturday afternoons, on account of the "larrikin" boys and young men, chaffing and interfering with them, if the doors are left open. Many of them sleep in their workshops. NotT7ithstanding their cheap labour, however, a considerable amount of furniture is imported from England. - One seldom sees a black face in Sydney ; if he does it will probably be owned by some Lascar sailor belonging to one of the P. and 0. steamships. The black men of Australia are certainly dwindling out of existence ; Sydney contrasting strangely with Cape Town, the latter place having an inexhaustible supply of coloured gentle- men. Neither does one see so many loafers about the quays and wharves, waiting for any kind of work that may turn up, as are to be noticed about those of San Francisco. The cabmen who are to be found at the ■;! I ili f ■ij'l: I '■' ,r lit 124 A Mechanic's Tour Circular Quay, upon the arrival of the English passenger and mail ship, seem to have a grudge against the newly-arrived *^ parsons." One cabman said to another cabby standing near me, "Don't let one o' them bloomin' parsons get into ycr cab; Sir Patrick Jennins writes 'ome before they come out, and tells 'em all about the cab fares and where to go. The parson will take yer right out to WooUahra and then give yer two bloomin' bob." The buildings chiefly romarkable around the Circular Quay are the immense wool warehouses for the storage and convenience of the most important article of New South Wales exports. Merchants' offices and warehouses and many of the costly Government buildings are also in the neighbourhood. In the principal street (Jeorge Street), one can see buildings that would put to shame many of the towns of the old world. The post office is a particularly fine building, which is supposed to cost some £350,000 when Bound the World, 125 ound wool ence New ces stly the reet ings the ffice is hen completed. The work of pulling down old and dilapidated house3 and erecting immense stone structures in their places, is continually going on in George Street, Pitt Street, and other important thorough- fares. There are many excellent private resi- dences in and around Sydney. One gentleman for whom I had the honour of working has built for himself within the last few years a house that would be a credit to any city. He landed in Australia a comparatively poor working man, and has since had some of the Lighest honours of the city conferred upon him. He is a good example of what perseverance, combined with a few other necessary qualities, will do for a man in a new country. Many of the house^i and shops in Australia, as in other sunny lands, have Ycrandahs. New arrivals are sometimes surprised at the high rents asked for houses, with or without verandahs ; one has to pay twelve or sixteen shillings per 11 i : i\l 126 A Mechanic's Tour week for a house that coulcl be had for four or five shillings a week in a town of Sydney's size in England. The population of New South Wales is now close on to a million; and Sydney, with its suburbs, contains about a quarter of that number. Besides its splendid buildings, there are many attractive parks and gardens in the city ; but the lion of the place is the harbour. Who has not heard of the beauties of Sydney Harbour and the Botanical Gardens? No matter what book of travels he may read, he is almost sure to find pages filled with descriptions of these lovely places. In whatever part of the world he may be, he is certain to meet some one who will tell him of Sydney Harbour; and if the exclamations of delight that escape the visitor's lips stand for anything, Sydney's sights deserve all the praise they get. The Harbour and Gardens have a particubrly pleasing effect when looked at from the neighbourhood of Bourke's monument. Doubtless there are many persons who Bound the World. 127 find fault with what they see, but assuredly they may also discover many attractions deserving admiration, and by which the people who are not troubled with a too aesthetical education, are pleased and soothed, like the young nian in thei London comic paper, when looking at the picture, who did not know whether it was the out- Jiv vi^, the perspective, or the colouring thao was good, but still he liked the *' pictchaw." Botany Bay is another well-knowu suburb of Sydney; it is reached by a ride of a few miles, on the big, smutty, steam tram-cars. Botany Bay is still a wild, de olste-looking place. Although discov^t'\l oefore Port Jackson, the only notice w ' now seems to be taken of it is on account of Captain Cook bavins- landed there. As one rambles among the trees and crushes through the brushwood, the inr imerable ferns, plants, and flowers of many ]dnds, his imagination leads him to expect some black and yelling aborigines to spring out from some dark lurking- i! I W\ 128 A Mechanic's Tour i. i i t^wH 1 1 r :•» I li - 1 - * 1 i iil:..! 1 k ' place. So wild are some of the surround- ings of the Bay that one might think that few white men had been there since Captain Cook and his band of explorers walked upon its shores a hundred years ago ; but after leaving the trees and get- ting on to the open sandy beach, all sentiment about ' '^\'s first landing-place is swept away befoi j the horrible smells of the refuse of some mills upon the banks. ,A sail down the harbour to the little town of Manly, with its good beach and pretty wild flower-shows, will doubtless be found a pleasanter pastime than a journey to Botany. A trip to the town of Parra- matta, up the river of that name, is a favourite excursion of many Sydney people. Parramatta is distant from Sydney some fourteen miles, and is celebrated for its oranges and orange groves ; that part is often calle(^ the " garden spot " of New South Wales. As we steamed up the river one sunny spring Saturday, and saw a picnic party of young men and women Round the World, 129 •ound- k that since )lorers years d get- jh, all f-place smells >ii the 3 little li and ess be )urney Parra- is a ydney ydney )d for part New the d saw omen on the banks, indulging in the old English game of " kiss in the ring," we had not to stretch our imagination much to fancy ourselves in England. When one re- members that in Australia he is about as far away from England as he can get, the thought about extremes meeting is not unlikely to come into his mind. Certain it is that Sydney is the most British-like place I have as yet been in since leaving England. It has the same sports, and games of cricket, football, horse-racing, boat-rowing, &c. ; the same British- looking faces, the same fashions — with rather more wide-awake hats on the men's heads — the same winding streets. It pays better wages for the general run of me- chanics, with fewer hours of labour ; it has more ants, mosquitoes, sand, and rabbits in the country parts ; there is more cheap meat, much buying and selling of building sites and allotments of land ; less green covering on the face of nature than in England ; but to make up for that drawback there are the same K pii I III 130 A Mechauic^s Tour catchy tunea played by the Salvation Army bands as they parade the streets on a Sunday morning. The heat is greater in summer time, the atmosphere often having a drowsy and sleepy effect. In the Free Public Library at Sydney visitors are not allowed to sit sleeping. On a close day it is amusing to watch the efforts of some to keep awake as they look over their books ; if they are caught napping they are ordered to leave the room at once. One sleepy fellow, whose head had been swaying about in a most suspicious manner, when aroused, said, " I was only thinking." The weather in winter and spring is all that could be desired ; in winter one is inclined to put overcoats and other things on the bed to keep the cold out. Thirsty souls are apt to think that the greatest drawback to Sydney is the closing of all bars and public houses during the whole of Sunday. Loyalty seems to be well to the front in Australia ; one out of many instances was that the only motto Bound the World, 131 hung upon the walls of the restaurant I frequented was — *' God save the Queen." The house was kept by a Frenchman, and doubtless he thought that would be sure to touch the hearts and pockets of the Britishers. One hears and reads a good deal about the convict taint inAustralia, through con- victs having been sent there in days gone by. Be that as it may, it seems quite as safe a place to live in as America, for one seldom hears of those cowardly shooting affrays which are so prevalent in the States. When I was working in Chicago, a young man came to the building in search of employment, and as he sat down on a window-frame, his cont got dis- arranged, exposing the butt-end of a revolver sticking out of his hip pocket. Of course, such little incidents speak very significantly to a "new chum." It is doubtful whether one revolver would be found on a thousand persons in the streets of Sydney. The more peaceful sound of the popping of corks out of bottles of k2 i\ I I ■liij 132 A Mechanic's Tour lemonade and other cooling drinks could be heard in Sydney on October 5th, that day being a great holiday. For some years past a demonstration has been annually held to celebrate the eight hours movement : Eight hours work, Eight hours play, Eight hours rest, And eight shillings a day. That verse has a very fascinating and tempting jingle to many a poor toiler in England. The eight hours work move- ment is also fully appreciated in Australia, as was testified by the thousands of manly mechanics who walked in procession through the streets of Sydney, amidst the awful blast of scores of trumpets, and waving of banners. All places of business were closed during the day, and the tradespeople enjoyed the holiday as much as those in their employ. Round the World, ]33 CHAPTEE XI. Soon after what was called the Carnival of Labour we left Sydney for a trip round the coast to "marvellous" Melbourne, a city founded in 1836, and at the time of our visit containing, with its suburbs, some 300,000 people. A pleasant sail of a few hours over the smooth waters of Port Phillip brought us to the entrance of the small but useful river Yarra Yarra. Thence the trouble in getting to Melbourne that night was very great as our steamer wended its way along the narrow and shallow waterway ; but after scraping and sticking on the bottom of the river many times, we at last reached the youthful city about midnight, Melbourne, like San Francisco, was *' made " by gold ; it was gold that first brought the great rush of people into Victoria, and it is principally gold that has kept them there. Most of the mining is 134 A Mechanic's Tour now carried on by companies, who have brought the latest and most improved kinds of machinery to extract the precious metal from its clothing dross. The process of gold-mining has been described by nearly every man and woman who has written a book about Australia, descriptions that are not always spoken of with respect by practical miners. At the present time private gold-digging ie very uncertain work, and the average working- man does better when working at some trade than he does at searching for gold. Even in the palmy davs of mining, when gold was easily got at, more fortunes were made by shrewd men who speculated in building allotments and other land where Melbourne now stands. Many are the stories told of fortunate individuals, who gave five or ten pounds for a certain piece of land, and in two or three years sold it for as many thousands. The mania for buying and selling land is still as strong as ever in Australia. A building site is the first investment to which a poor man Bound the W(yi*ld, 135 generally devotes his savings. By paying five or ten pounds down at the time of purchase, he is allowed to clear ofi* the balance at so much per week. One of the causes said to have produced the severe depression in trade in Adelaide and other parts of South Australia was over specula- tion in land. Be that as it may, the value of property is steadily increasing in Mel- bourne, the capital of the colony of Victoria. On the following morning we landed, and, after breakfast, commenced our survey of Melbourne. The streets of the city are laid out at right angles to each other, after the American plan. One would find it difficult to lose oneself in Melbourne, in strong contrast to the sister town of Sydney, where the streets wind about in all directions in true old Englisli style. Our first walk was along important Collins Street, the street of large banking houses, merchants' offices, first-class shops, and other good buildings. It was alive with merchants and their clerks, who were 136 A Mechanic's Tour hurrying, with truly metropoKtan hurry, to their different offices. One is almost forced to say, '* What a wonderful city ! '* when he remembers that fifty years ago black men and wild animals roamed at large over the ground where now white men, in black coats and tall shiny hats, gravely wend their way to that high- pressure work which generally appertains to their race. In a certain part of Collins Street, between the hours of one and four in the afternoon, crowds of fashionably-dressed men and women are to be seen strolling about, or what is called '' doing the block." Turning out of Collins Street we entered Little Collins Street, a narrow street filled with warehouses and offices, and running parallel with *'big" Collins Street. Next to Little Collins Street is busy Bourke Street, with its shops filled with all sorts of things from all parts of the world, and with its beautiful arcades, in one of which I found some of my Zealandia companions already established in business. Collins Bound the World. 137 Street and Bourke Street, although differ- ing greatly in their aspects — share the honours of being the principal business thoroughfares of the city. After six o'clock in the evening, Collins Street has a very deserted appearance, all business places being closed. Bourke Street, on the other hand, is all alive until midnight, and thousands of young men and women take delight in promenading up and down the well-lighted street. Vf hat numbers of young women there are ! Indeed, what a satire on the old idea in England is here, as to young women who desire to marry having only to " go out" to Australia, and there would be some rich men sure to be waiting to make them wives ! I heard one in England, who seemed to be getting nervous about being an **old maid," say she ivould get married even if she had to go to Australia to do so. A steady young woman can certainly do well in many kinds of work ; she often does better than many young men in some of the genteel W m m m ''V< I Mill l-'S, M t.i 138 A Mechanic's Tour J V • I- ■< !' ' ' ■ .; "J occupations ; but an entire stranger in the country does not always get married as soon as might be expected ; in fact, bachelorhood is getting so common in Victoria that one gentleman has endeared himself to the hearts of the ladies by introducing a Bill in Parliament proposing the taxation of single men of certain ages. Continuing our walk up and down the streets, we turned into Little Bourke Street, which runs parallel with its name- sake. We there found ourselves in the haunts of the Chinese. The Chinese do not monopolise any one part of Melbourne or Sydney as they do in San Francisco ; in the latter place they have, as already mentioned, their China Town, which is inhabited exclusively by Chinese. |In Melbo!irne, Little Bourke Street is their favourite locality, but there you will find the white man also- As in Sydney, the Chinese principally pass their time in making furniture of an inferior description and in market-gardening. Poor John Bound the World. 139 i8 leir ind the in mn )hri Chinaman's powers of endurance ought to create some kind of respect for him ; no matter what gay holiday it may be, John is seldom tempted out of his stuffy little workshop, where he can be found at all hours. But John's long and tedious labour does not find much favour with the eight hours working Australians ; they are even legislating to make the Chinese stamp all the furniture they make, and one Honour- able Member comically suggested that they should stamp all their cabbages and carrots. Beyond Little Bourke Street are other streets running parallel to it. Dividing these streets into east and west is Elizabeth Street, another capital thorough- fare. Elizabeth Street has many fine streets running parallel with it, anri the whole of the streets in the city forming squares and blocks something after the style of a large draught-board. Outside of the city are numerous townships and suburbs spreading in all directions. Not only in the planning of the streets 140 A Mechanic's Tour does Melbourne differ from the capital of New South Wales, but also in the apparent bustle and ^'^ go " of the inhabitants, and the push and competition in business and trades of all kinds, although wages are about the same in both towns, as is also the cost of living. There is also a con- siderable difference in the scenery of Melbourne, which is not such a hilly place as the other capital, while the country around is flat. When the hot winds blow, and the dust fills one's eyes, ears, and mouth, making one feel dirty and sticky, one is inclined to wish he could take a walk round the corner, and refresh himself by a sight of the briny deep, as is the case in Sydney ; but to realise such a desire one has either to drive or take the train down to Sand- ridge, St. Kilda, Brighton, or some other of the many watering-places on the *'Bay," before the enjoyment of a cool breeze off the salt water can be had. Indeed, St. Kilda, Brighton, Elsternwick, Toorack, ^nd one or two other watering-places and Round the World. 141 fcal of larent ;, and s and s are J also con- 7 of place untry ) dust aking ilined i the ht of ney; ther and- >ther eoff St. 'ack, and suburbs are A^ery pleasant and desirable places of residence. Most of the large public buildings and houses are built of brick or stone. Pine- wood is rather expensive in Australia, most of the pine being imported from America; the Australian ''hard wood" does not stand the weather well, as it cracks and warps, soon giving to the houses an old and dilapidated appearance. The wooden houses are generally plain wooden structures, built as though the owners had run them up until they could afford to build with brick or stone. I need hardly say that there are many excellent public buildings in the city. The Free Public Library is one of the best of its kind in the world ; that is something for a city not fifty years old to be proud about. A great peculiarity of the large towns of Australia is the number of large and pleasant parks and gardens for the public. Melbourne has its Botanical Gardens, Fitzroy Gardens, and many other parks and gardens in or near the town. 142 A Mechanic's Tonr The newspapers make one believe that there is a certain jealousy between the two cities of Melbourne and Sydney ; for ■what reason a stranger cannot always tell ; and strange to say, while there is so much rivalry, the different colonies are discuss- ing the subject of federation. The Sydney newspapers give figures to show that the population of the colony of Victoria is not increasing, while the newspapers of Victoria say that their colony is far ahead of the others, and is likely to stay so. Many are the stories told in Melbourne about the Sydney people asking every stranger who arrives, what he thinks of their harbour ? If the Melbourne people have no harbour, they are very proud of their town, and the question of '*How do you like Melbourne?'* is asked as often as is the other good-natured inquiry. All visitors are treated ahke, and certain it is, that while standing on the pisr at Sand- ridge, I heard one of tiie water policemen ask a Chinese sailor off the steamer Sherard Osborne how he liked Melbourne. Round the World. 143 The policeman seemed satisfied when the Chinaman ansv^ered, ** Me Hkee welly good." The horse-race for the "Melbourne Cup" is one of the great events of the year in Australia, and the Melbourne people are justified in being proud of that great horse-racing event. It is not for me to go into the pros and cons of such a subject, simply wishing to speak of events as I find them. The most particular per- son could not help wondering at the change that had taken place within fifty years, as he was whirled along in the well-appointed railway-carriage, and noted the excellent arrangements existing in all quarters. And when one stood on the Hill, and looked at the thousands of people gathered t gether, to witness the races ; the fashionably- dressed men and women on the Lawn and Grand Stand; and at the graceful horr^es as they cantered round one of the best race-courses in the world — one could not but feel that the Australians were not to be outdone by their European ancestors. ii 144 A Mechanic's Tour The man who left England for Australia^ with a lot of gaudy, flimsy jewellery and some paste diamonds, saying that they would do for the squatters' wives and other Australians who knew no better, would surely discover the folly of liis enterprise. Let no man leave England for Australia with the idea that he is going amongst a lot of uncultured people; he will find tliem his equals in intelligence, and pro- bably above him in independence of manner. Christmas and New Year's holidays are gay and lively times in Melbourne ; many of the shops are decorated in the old- country style as near as it can be done, and for weeks before the holidays the stationers' shop-windows are filled with Christmas cards — cards which have to be posted many weeks before Christmas, to reach in time that home far across the sea, the fair British Isles, which even the colonial-born people still speak of as home. Of course Christmas, to the " new Round the Wo7id. 145 Lew chum " in Australia, seems to have lost half its charm in the absence of snow. Instead of the thick wraps, snow, ice, and cold, blue noses of England, the Australians have their thin, light clothing, and go down to the seaside beach, or some other cool place — such, for instance, as a trip, on one of the many pleasure-steamers, round Port Phillip. Many country cousins, farmers, and " free selectors," make Mel- bourne their home during Christmas ; and a very welcome break it generally is in the free selector's monotonous existence, who probably has selected his two or three hundred acres of Government land in some backwoods settlement. Many of the " squatters," or men who lease from the Government large tracts of land for grazing purposes, strongly object to the free selectors or small farmers split- ting up their immense tracts of country. The land laws concerning the purchase and holding of land in Australia are published in full by the different Colonial Governments. The lowest price for un- 14G A Mechanic's Tour improved and uncultivated land is about one pound sterling an acre, payable in so many years. One English writer thus sums up the free selectors: "At the squatter's heels follow the selectors, an impecunious tribe of jackals armed with manhood suffrage, who rob him of his hard-earned gains.'* That seems rather hard on a man because he happens to be poor and desires to make a home for himself, his wife, and family. However, those anything but liberal ideas are not appreciated very much in a country where Jack is as good as his master. A man must have something better than a jackal's heart when he selects, as many do, forest land which a writer to the Melbourne Argus thus describes : " The gum-trees and messmate, which are as thick as they can stand, are interlaced at their base with an impenetrable scrub as high as a man on horseback, and so solid that a dog could not creep through. The trees and scrub do not grow in patches, Bound the World. 147 they cover just as many acres as the forest settler takes up, and before he can put in a plough he has to ring the trees, burn off the dead wood, and cut down and burn the scrub time after time." However, all the land is not like that, some of it being lightly timbered, and many of the selectors do eventually own good homes. CONCLUSION. As one travels round the world in these matter-of-fact days — days of fast steam- ships and railway-engines — he will doubt- less come to the conclusion that the world is not such a large and lonely place, after all ; for no matter in what part of the world one may be, he is almost sure to meet somebody he knows. I have accident- ally met friends among the diamond-mines of South Africa ; and friends and acquaint- ances have been found in remote British HH 148 A Mechanic's Tour Columbia and other parts of Canada and America. In Sydney an old English townsman of mine surprised me by sitting near me in a restaurant and asking how all were at home. And, in a sense, the world is gradually getting smaller, for men are continually building ships to do the distance from one country to another in less and less time. One can step on to a steamship in one of the ports of Great Britain, and have as good attendance during a journey round the world as he would have in his own home. There is an absence of those hair- breadth escapes, adventures, and rough life which seem to have been the accom- paniments of long journeys in years gone by. I trust that my ** Notes and Sketches " have helped to solve the diflBcult question with many a man, of, " To what colony or country shall I emigrate?" — that question which nowadays fills so many of my countrymen's minds. No matter what colony they may choose, to them I can Hound the World. 149 truly say, in the same words that a Rev. gentleman in South Africa (to whom I took a letter of introduction) said to me, —"There is plenty of room for steady, industrious, and God-fearing people." And now my task, for the present, is ended; and if any kind reader does venture forth to some other clime, that he may have God speed is the best wish of a Mechanic. THE END. WXMAW AKD SONS, rHIWIEBS, GBEAT QUEEN SIBBET, LOKDOIT, W.C.