'.■'/.4},:iCi.,\i',\', ;-r.;;;,'"',-.'i;'vV;';->-,;j<-:;;;,v'.;":-. .■■•;'■ ".'-■'•■•■ ■,"•4 -.-■/■■•'■ .I'.f-; '.■-.; :'.■••■ ■: •:-'"'.'~.".|"| tifimmi^M^ii m ii» )i i |w«i««>»«»»«M»i»«titB«»*wn«w>w«i>«>ii»«i>wt^^ i iti i l a H i iii iii«<| > ; y i'i r» | ■ nay 1 1 THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES "THE DRAMA BIRTHDAY BOOK." COMPILED BY PERCY S. PHILLIPS. Foolscap Sz>o, art Hnen^ '^s. 6d. ; morocco, \os. Gd. The Daily Telegraph says : "An interesting variant in the way of natal literature is the ' Drama Birthday Book,' which Mr. Percy S. Phillips has compiled and dedicated to Miss Annie Hughes. The little volume is prettily decorated both inside and out, and contains witty and sentimental quotations from the works of a very large number of modern playwrights." The Stage says : "'The Drama Birthday Book,' compiled by Percy S. Phillips, and dedicated to Miss Annie Hughes, is really a charming little work, that should find ready sale at this time of year. Each page, too, is illustrated in quaint and pleasing fashion. This is a volume I can certainly recommend to my friends." The Era says : "The volume is daintily got up and brightly illustrated, and would make an appropriate gift-book to members of the profession." The Globe says : " Every printed page has pictorial illustrations, most of them very quaint and taking. The binding is neat, and altogether the little book, which is dedicated to Miss Annie Hughes, is likely to have a wide popularity." JOHN MACQUEEN, Hastings House, Norfolk Street, Strand. By Special Appointment To j" Her Majesty the Queen. Dated yan. 12, 1888. Absolutely the 'BEST SPECIFIC FOR PRODUCING HAIR IS Clarkson's " uvo. >> Easily Applied and Pleasant to Use. It stands unrivalled for Promoting Luxuriant Hair, Whiskers and Uoustacties. PROMOTES THE GROWTH. STRENGTHENS THE ROOTS. MAINTAINS THE GLOSS. RESTORES THE COLOUR. PRESENTS T>ECJr. REMOVES DANDRUFF. NEFER FAILS. TESTIMONIALS. Mrs. LANGTRY writes : "My hair is really growing marvellously since using 'Uvo.'" Miss LETTY LIND writes : " I shall have much pleasure in recommending it to my friends." Testimonials from lady Ai;chibai,d Campbell, Mde. Mrlba, Mdlle. GuiLIE Ravogli, Miss Oi.GA NirriitHsoLE, Miss Mabel Love, Miss Lottie Collins, Miss Phyllis Bkoughton, etc. etc. Price 2b. and 3s. 6d. per Bottle. Sample Bottle, Is. Postage, 3d. extra. Sold everywhere, or of the Sole Proprietor and Manufacturer— W. CLARKSON. 45 & 44 Wellin<^-ton Street, Strand, London, W.C. WIG3, COSTUMES, Etc., ON SALE OR HIRE. Lillie Powder in Three Sliade.s, is. per Box. Postage, 3d. extra. Scenery, Limelight, etc., supplied. Round the World with ''A Gaiety Girl" POPULAR SONGS FROM THE SHOP GIRL. GAIETY THEATRE. "I WANT YER, MA HONEY." Fay Templeton's charming Coon Carol. Sung by Miss Ellaline Terriss. Refrai?t. I "want yer, ma honey, yes, I want yer mighty badly ; I'm a longin' for yer daily, 'Cos I love yer mighty madly ; So come back to please me — don't try to tease me, 'Cos I want yer, ma honey, yes, I want yer, want yer, want yer, 1 want yer, ma honey, yes, I do ! "THE LITTLE MAD'MOISELLE." By Leslie Stuart. Su/ig by Seymour Hicks. Rcfrahi. And when she says, " Je suis Fran9aise," just smile like this ! And then this pretty little Mad'moiselle begins to parlez and the tale to tell. And when she says, "Ah! twiggez vous?" say, " Oui, ma belle. Very chiccy, very tricky, vous trez thicky, Mad'moiselle ! " "LOUSIANA LOU." By Leslie Stuart. Su?!g by Miss Ellaline Terriss. Refrain. Lou, Lou, I lub you, I lub you, dat's true ; Don't cry, don't sigh, I'll see you in de mornin'. Dream, dream, dream ob me, and I'll dream ob you, My Lousiana, Lousiana, Lousiana Lou ! "AND HER GOLDEN HAIR WAS HANGING DOWN HER BACK." By Adrian Ross and Felix McGlennon. Sung by Seymour Hicks. Refrain — But. oh, Flo ! such a change you know. When she left the village she was shy ; But alas, and alack ! she's gone back With a naughty little twinkle in her eye ! POPULAR "GAIETY" DANCES. Lousiana Lou Waltz. By Carl Kikikrt. ^ Hf.k GoLor.N IIaik Hakn Dance. By Kakl Kai's. yzj- 7ic(, each. Hkk GoLDiiN Hair Waltz. By Hakky Wood. ) FRANCIS DAY & HUXTER, 195 OXFORD ST., LONDON, W. T. B. HARMS & CO., 18 liAST TWENTY -SECOND STREET, NEW YORK, U.S.A. Ami all Mnsicscllers. From a I'hoto by I/a>ta,] GEOKC.K KDWAKDES. [44J strand. Round the World with ^'A Gaiety Girl" By Granville Bantock and F. G. Aflalo Illustrated from Photographs ^ London John Macqueen Hastings House, Norfolk Street, W.C. 1896 Now Ready at all Libraries and Booksellers. ?w Vanity Fair says : ^r\ O "A book just published, and much talked about at present." ^ A. j )s The Court of England ^5)h under George IV. Founded on a Diary interspersed with Letters written by Queen Caroline and various other distinguished persons. Two vols, demy 8vo, 25/. The Times says : " They provide a fair amount of lively reading." The Daily Telegraph says: "There is all the usual Court and Society scandal, not ill-naturedly reproduced, and a description of travel in Switzerland and of life in Italy. Moreover, there are interspersed in the narrative letters from the unhappy Princess Caroline herself, in which her vivacity, her spite, and her terrible loneliness are all vividly depicted." Mr. eHARLES QREY, PLAYWRITERS' AGENT, Avenue Mansions, PICCADILLY CIRCUS, W. IN establishing the above Agency, Mr, Charles Grey proposes to act as an Intermediary between the Playwriter and the Theatrical Manager. Authors sending Plays to Mr. Charles Grey may rest assured that on payment of a small fee their Plays will be read and reported on by a Reader (or Readers), whose opinion could not fail to be highly regarded both by Authors themselves and the Managers of Theatres. If the opinion given upon the Play be such as to warrant the hope of its production at a theatre, Mr. Charles Grey will use his utmost influence and energy to get the Play accepted and produced. Mr, Charles Grey will also undertake for writers of plays the manage- ment of theii' business, such as the collecting of royalties, the proper keeping of accounts, etc. Trospectus on application. 1171^533 Mr. ARTHUR HART, DRAMATIC AND MUSICAL AGENT, 22 WELLINGTON STREET. STRAND, W.C. LONDON REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PRINCIPAL PROVINCIAL THEATRES. Registered Telegraphic Address, "COCKTAIL, LONDON." Telephone No. 2924. Every Description of Theatrical Business Negotiated. Manager— Mr. J. D. HART. AUGUSTE, 2? ™™ ST. By Special Appointment to H.R.H The Prince of Wales and Royal Family. COSTUMIER TO ALL THE PRINCIPAL THEATRES IN THE KINGDOM. LADIES' COSTUMES MADE TO ORDER. Great yariety of G cntlemen s Fancy Costumes and Court Suits on Hire, also Ladies^ and Gentlemen's Dominoes, LINGERIE. HOSE AND SHOE DEPARTMENT. Speciality for Skirt and Serpentine Dancing. Foreword "pY way of apology for the looseness of this short farrago, it seems fair to all parties to state that it was, in the first place, strung together in the hope of providing a little souvenir of our delightful trip. As books are bought nowadays almost as indiscriminately as they are made, it is hoped that the "general reader" will pardon the introduction of one or two little personal anecdotes and allusions. London, March i8g6. ft BEAUTIFUL COMPLEXION llMPROVINC ANQ BtAUTirYi* COMPLEXION SOFT AND FAIR HANDS AND ARMS ARE REALISED BV THE USE OF ROWLANDS' KALYDOR. AN EASTERN BOTANICAL PREPARATION which is warranted free from all mineral or metallic ingredients. It removes Redness, Roughness, or Irrita- tion cf the Skin, soothes Chaps, Chilblains, etc., and renders the SKIN SOFT. SMOOTH. & WHITE. During the heat and dust of Summer it REMOVES SUNBURN, TAN, FRECKLES, ETC., and is most cooling and refreshing to the face, hands, and arms. Sizes— 4S. 6d. ; half-sized bottles can now be had at 2s. 3d. ROWLANDS' ODONTO Is of inestimable value in preserving and beautifying the teeth, strengthening the gums, and giving a pleasant fragrance to the breath; it eradicates tartar from the teeth, prevents and arrests decay, and polishes and preserves the enamel, to which it imparts a pearl-like whiteness. ROWLANDS' MACASSAR OIL Preserves, Strengthens, and Beautifies the Hair, and is unsurpassed as a Brilliantine for the Beard, Whiskers, and Moustaches. Sold also in a Golden Colour for fair- haired children. 3s. 6d., 7s. ; los. 6d., Family Bottles, equal to four small. ASK FOR ROWLANDS' ARTICLES, Of 20 HATTON GARDEN, LONDON, and avoid cheap spurious imitations under the same or similar names. Contents The Atlantic PAGE Waterloo— Southampton — The Berlin — Bad Start — Stoppage in Mid Ocean — Concert — New York . . . • • • 1 1 New York and the Eastern States Sights of the City — The Lambs' Club- Great Heat— First Performance— Illness of Monkhouse — Sunday Excursions — Niagara — Impressions of New York City — Harlem — Heavy Snowfall — Boston — Its Streets, etc. — Washington — Wretched Theatre — The Menagerie— Grand Build- ings — Overlook Hill — Brooklyn — We start West 23 Pittsburg to 'Frisco Arrival at Pittsburg — More Snow — Duquesne Heights — St. Louis — Good Theatre — Chicago — Intense Cold — Sunday Per- CONTENTS formances— Milwaukee— A German City- Long Journey West— Pleasures of Night- Travelling— Summit of the Rockies- Arrival at 'Frisco . San Francisco Australia Melbourne: First Visit — All Work and no Play— The Theatrical Carnival— Impres- sions of Melbourne— We leave. Adelaide: Short Stay — Streets and Surroundings. Sydney: Beautiful Weather— Public Build- 8 PAGE 47 Fascination of this City— The Cable Cars— The Bay— Defences— Seal Rocks— Uni- versity — Cemetery— Slums — Chinatown — Sir Edwin Arnold's undue severity — Treatment of Chinese— Their Theatres- Joss-house — Shakespearian Plays —We leave 'Frisco— Reflections on America . 6i The Pacific Inappropriate Name— The Mariposa — Sixw^- wich Islands— Honolulu and its Sights Native Band— Crossing the Line— Samoa — Deck Sports— The Lost Matinee Day — Mrs. Stevenson — Auckland — Sydney Harbour . 87 CONTENTS PACK ings — Jails — University — Observatory — Suburbs — The Harbour. Second Visit to Melbourne — We leave in the Oriiba — Albany — Last of Australia — Colonial Society — Hospitality — Children — Educa- loi tion — Politics — Sport .... The Voyage Home Crossing the Line again — Colombo — Day Ashore — Mount Lavinia — Curios — Aden — Suez Canal — Port Said — Naples — Some return Overland— Gib.— The Bay — Ply- mouth — The Thames . . . .159 List of Illustrations Mr. George Edwardes Miss Blanche Massey Mr. J. A. E. Malone Miss Maud Hobson Mr. Louis Bradfield Miss Decima Moore Mr. Fred Kaye Miss Grace Palotta Mr. Leedham Bantock "A Gaiety Girl" Company Note.— The illustration on the cover of this book is reproduced with the kind permission of Messrs. Waterlow & Sons, Limited. 10 The Atlantic II ERARD ROYAL PIANOS w.™ RESONJrOR "";;/„ THE MUSICAL INVENTION OF THE JGE THE RESONATOR'S salient features are e/ largely-increased roundness and fulness of tone. Jt peculiarly beautiful sustaining and singing quality of tone, which renders its use particularly agreeable and useful to all Vocalists. Complete eradication of all harshness (metallic as well as wooden) and impurities in the production of sound. Its singularly recuperative powers when applied to usea "Pianos which have lost the beauty and brilliancy of their tone, either from age or unfair usage. TAD EREPFSKI wr'Ats : " I am delighted with your Patent Resonator because I find that it makes the tone of the piano richer, fuller, and it adds greatly to its singing quality." ^EN 'DAVIES writes: "I am surprised and delighted with the new Resonator; it is of the greatest value to singers, as it helps and sustains the voice in the most marvellous manner." Messrs. Erard have been honoured by the unanimous approval of the Tress as regards this Invention, and the unqualified approbation of e^ery client who has had the l^sonator attached to his Tianoforte. Messrs. BRARD are prepared to affix this Patent to any Instrument, whether constructed by themselves or any other maker. sohucc^cn: McssFs. S. & P. ERARD Manufacturers to the ^een and 1(oyal Family 1 8 GREAT MARLBOROUGH ST., LONDON, W The Atlantic Waterloo — Southampton — The Berlin — Bad Start — Stoppage in Mid Ocean — Concert — Arrival at New York. A T 3.45 P.M., on the ist of September 1894, we left the platform at Water- loo. Or rather, that was the precise hour for which our departure was advertised, though we were somewhat delayed by the dense crowd of friends who had assembled to see us off, not to mention the usual requirements of the L. & S.-W. R. Co. in the nature of a little margin of fifteen minutes or so. This was, however, a welcome respite for those about to part. It was 13 ROUND THE WORLD a lovely afternoon indeed, though, with so many friends left behind to think about, and so much of novelty before us, we had no appreciation for the beautiful tints of early autumn which lay on the Berkshire wolds, or the endless stretches of evergreen Hamp- shire pines through which we were flying. Perhaps, too, the eye was a little dimmed, whether by tears or by Mr. Edwardes' lavish hospitality, which followed us to the very docks, it boots not to say. At length South- ampton was reached ; selves and baggage were without more ado conveyed aboard the good ship Berlin ; and Mr. Edwardes and a few other friends had to take leave of us. The Berlin weighed anchor shortly before eight, and steamed majestically out of South- ampton water and into a dense fog, which kept her anchored in the fortunately calm Solent until near dawn. Dog-tired many of 14 THE ATLANTIC us were after the day's excitement, but the heat was so intense as to prevent any but the poorest attempt at sleep ; and when the donkey-engines brayed and the screw re- volved afresh at 4.30 next morning, many were glad to go on deck. The coast is soon lost sight of, only reappearing late the same afternoon, when a glimpse of the Lizard and low-lying Manacle Land, and a still later peep at the Scillies, are the last we are to see of the old country for a twelvemonth and more. The heat, still intense at midday, began to moderate somewhat in the afternoon, which was agreeable ; and the sea was making up its mind for a romp on the third day, which was not. Fortunately it abandoned that intention until some, at all events, had got their " sea-legs." Perhaps this is a convenient place to enumerate our company as at first con- 15 ROUND THE WORLD stituted. It consisted (under the manage- ment of Mr. J. A. E. Malone) of Miss Decima Moore, Miss Juliette Nesville, Miss Maud Hobson, Miss Blanche Massey, Mrs. Edmund Phelps, Miss Grace Palotta, Miss Florence Lloyd, Miss Cissie Fitzgerald, Miss Ethel Selwyn, Miss Sophie Elliott, Miss Marie Yorke, Miss Maggie Crossland, Miss May Lucas, and Miss Lucy Murray; Messrs. Harry Monkhouse, Fred Kaye, Louis Bradfield, Charles Ryley, Leedham Bantock, Cecil Hope, Fritz Rimma, E. G. Woodhouse, and Gran- ville Bantock as musical director. Mr. Arthur Hope subsequently joined us in New York. The ** sweep " occasioned the usual amuse- ment, which was still greater of an evening when the numbers were sold by auction. A sliMit hitch occurred that ni^ht in the machinery, in consequence of which we had to lie-to for several hours. The only ship i6 THE ATLANTIC with which we had hitherto fallen in was the Normannia, which had passed us close on the starboard, herself bound for Southampton ; but on the occasion of our enforced stoppage, we were passed and spoken by the Gernian ship Trave, bound for New York. We re- fused her proffered assistance, so she pro- ceeded on her course; so that Miss Nesville, who left Southampton at least a day later than ourselves, reached America before us. During the next day or two the Atlantic grew mischievous, with the result that more than one place was vacant at the breakfast- table. Smooth or rough, however, the ship's run averaged 325 knots, varying between 258 and 370. On the sixth day from port, one of the company was heard asking loudly for the bathroom, to which a benevolent steward kindly conducted him. 17 ROUND THE WORLD When we had been at sea a week, equi- librium was sufficiently restored for us to venture on giving a concert in aid of the Seamen's Widows Fund, and a great success it was pronounced. The programme, as much as we can remember of it, was as follows : — Overture Song Song Recitation Song Song Part I. . " A Gaiety Girl " . Mr. G, Bantock " Ritournelle" . . Miss Lloyd "Some do it this way" Mr. Bradfield Miss HOBSON (" When your pride has) ( had a tumble " > "There is none like to thee" Miss MoORE Miss Palotta Part II. ("The Dandy Coloured) ,, ^ Sotig . < ^ „ (■ Mr. Bradfield ^ I Coon" ) Song Miss Palotta A few words by Mr. Kaye So7ig Miss Moore Song Mr. Bradfield Next day, being Sunday, divine service i8 THE ATLANTIC was held in the morning. Wet Sundays are not specially reserved for those on land. This particular Sabbath was wretched : pour- ing rain, and a high sea the whole afternoon, and, to crown all, a dense fog in the evening. To be even becalmed in a fog such as we ran into before getting clear of the Wight is bad enough for most tastes ; but fog together with a strong head sea baffles description. As often happens, however, it had a bene- ficial effect on the troubled waters, which calmed down wonderfully during our remain- ing four and twenty hours in the open. Next afternoon we picked up the pilot, and the fog soon lifted, discovering to our eager gaze the low - lying shore of Long Island. "Eager gaze" seems the proper expression on the threshold of a new continent ; though, as a matter of fact, the recently perturbed waters had kept the 19 ROUND THE WORLD majority below, so that this first gHmpse of America was perhaps not duly appreciated. What did attract the attention of all before many hours had elapsed was a triple thunder- storm, such as few of us had ever before witnessed, which burst with fury over the land as we were running for New York harbour. The lightnings flashed through the darkness in a very beautiful manner, though whether we should have appreciated a spectacle of this description a thousand miles from the shore is another matter. The storm, however, soon abated, and the Berlin came to her moorings in Quarantine Bay, where she lay all night. It was here that we got our first glimpse of the distant lights on Brooklyn Bridge and the Liberty Statue. About ten next morning- the customs officers boarded us in a launch, and, before 20 Fyom a Pholo by T/iors,] J. A. K. MALONE. [Sail Francisro, THE ATLANTIC the Berlin was suffered to proceed to the wharf, we had to sign declaration papers. Why so much time and temper must needs be lost in this proceeding is not very evident, since all baggage is afterwards subjected to a most searching examination at the quay. All good things, however, even the im- portunities of customs officials, must come to an end, and at last we got ashore ; and a party proceeded straight to Ashland House (Fourth Avenue and Twenty-fourth Street), where they engaged rooms, on the American plan, at a weekly charge of fourteen dollars. Early the same afternoon we assembled by appointment at Daly's Theatre, where we were introduced to Mr. Daly himself; and next day our rehearsals of A Gaiety Girl began in earnest, and took up the best part of a week before the first performance. 21 New York and the Eastern States 23 New York and the Eastern States Lights of the City — The Lambs' Club — Great Heat — First Performance — Ilhiess of Monkhouse — Sunday Excursions — Niagara — Impressions of New York City — Harlem — Heavy Snowfall — Boston — Washington — Wretched Theatre — The Menagerie — Grand Buildings — Overlook Hills— Brooklyn— We start West. /^AUR Stay in New York city extended over a couple of months. The first few days we were busy with rehearsals, and not until the i8th did we give our first perform- ance. With less time for sightseeing than some could have wished, we yet contrived in the interval to visit Chinatown and 25 ROUND THE WORLD Harlem, and to see a few of the shows ; among which memory recalls a professional matinde at the Broadway Theatre, when De Wolff Hopper gave an excellent performance as Dr. Syntax ; a very poor Roof Garden concert at the Casino ; Kastor and Bial's variety show ; Hanlon's " Fantasma " at the People's Theatre; "1492" at the Garden Theatre ; Huber's Dime Museum, and several besides. In the intervals of work and suchlike instructive recreation, we were overwhelmed with the hospitality of the Lambs' Club, where we met De Wolff Hopper, Eugene Cowles, Marius, and others. Many of us were made members of this most hospit- able of Bohemian clubs ; and one evening, a "Gambol," we shall not soon forget, the piece dc resistance being " The Transgressor in the Bauble Shop," after which Bradfield 26 NEW YORK contributed "Some do it this way" and "The Litde Nipper." LAMBS' THEATRE. SUNDAY EVENING, NOV. 4, 1894. DE WOLF HOPPER, Collie. Grand Opening of the Regular Season with the following novel list of Irregularities. I. What ho, from the country, our Hay-Seed Shepherd, CLAY M. GREENE, Will deliver a short lecture on travel, entitled : "A DELIGHTFUL BIGAMY." 2. And by way of variety, and by permission of the Queen and the rest of the pack, LOUIS BRADFIELD, Of the "Gaiety Girl" Co. Aided and abetted by a brother conspirator, GRANVILLE BANTOCK. 27 ROUND THE WORLD 3. The Albion's friend, gentle and persuasive, WILTON LACKAYE, Will recite. 4. Here comes the Bostonian, so called because he hails from Chicago ; but whatever his native place, his home is in our hearts, and his name is EUGENE COWLES. 5. To be followed by Messrs. BROOKS & DENTON, The only two known mortals who can cheer and not inebriate us with a Banjo. 6. Here is a good place for CIIAUNCEY OLCOTT, The Irish tenor, the Irish artist, the Irish gentleman, but who, nevertheless, will sing in English. 7. The Olio will conclude with the King of Vaudevillains, who will extract things from his budget while you wait. CHARLES J. ROSS. TEN MINUTES FOR THOUGHT AND STIMULANT. 28 NEW YORK The Collie has the honour to announce that he will present for the first time on any stage SYDNEY ROSEN- FELU'S original compilation of fin-de-sihle literature, entitled : A TRANSGRESSOR -IN A- BAUBLE SHOP. With the following cast : Lord Clive . Jessie Keber Old Man Keber . The Rev. Mr. Meredith Stoach, under an alias . De Wolf Hopper John C. Buckstone Nelson Wheatcroft Grant Stewart . Hugo Toland At this point, the intellectual entertainment being over, and the audience intoxicated with pleasure, homeopathically indulges in counter-intoxication downstairs, and enables the present House Committee to make a record. They will be summoned for SUPPER AND INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS, and a few things of that sort that will carry the general joy into the wee hours. 29 ROUND THE WORLD During the first part of our stay in New York city it was intensely hot, the atmo- sphere, especially before the frequent storms, being as sultry as that of a Turkish bath. This was not without its effect on several of the company, who took it in turns to be laid up ; though the first serious change through illness did not occur until our week at the Harlem Opera House, when Monk- house fell ill, and Bradfield undertook the role of "Dr. Brierly." In the dressing-rooms, too, this heat made itself felt in a most disagreeable manner, for the grease paints refused to remain in situ, and nothing but frequent application met the difficulty. The first performance, on the i8th, was a great success, and the next day's papers were unanimous in praise of A Gaiety Girl. 30 NEW YORK The cast was as follows : — Captain Goldfield . "l Officers Major Barclay . of Bobbie Rivers . - the Harry Fitz Warren Life Ronny Farquhar . J Guards Sir Lewis Gray (Judge of the Divorce Court) Lance (Goldfield's Servant) , Auguste (Bathing Attendant) } Mr. Charles Ryley Mr. Fred Kaye Mr. W. Louis Bradfield . Mr. Arthur Hope Mr. Cecil Hope Mr. Leedham Bantock Mr. E. C. Woodhouse . Mr. Fritz Rlmma AND Dr. Montague Brierly . Rose Brierly (his Daughter) Lady Edytha Aldwyn \ godety ( Miss Gladys Stourton '- . ,. -! Ladi Hon. Daisy Ormsbury , Lady Gray (Wife of Sir Lewis) Alma Somerset "\ „. , I Girls Cissy Verner . , > of the Haidee Walton ,, ,. • „ "Gaiety" Ethel Hawthorn J Lady Virginia Forrest . Mina (Maid to Lady Virginia) I Mr. Harry Monkhouse Miss Decima Moore Miss Marie Yorke ^ Miss Sophie Elliott [ Miss Ethel Selwyn Mrs. Edmund Phelps Miss Blanche Massey Miss Florence Lloyd Miss CissiE Fitzgerald Miss Grace Palotta Miss Maud Hobson Miss Juliette Nesville The Pas Seul in Act i, by Miss CissiE Fitzgerald. In Act 2, a Carnival Dance by Mesdames Maggie Crossland, Lucy Murray, and May Lucas. Act I. Pleasure Grounds, in View of Windsor. Act 2. Nice, with View of Monte Carlo. 31 ROUND THE WORLD For the next eight weeks we kept hard at work, giving eight performances weekly, Wednesdays and Saturdays being matinie days. Save in Chicago, where we had to perform, Sunday was of course the favourite day for excursions, one of the prettiest here being by steamboat up the Hudson River as far as West Point, returning by the train along west shore. Another delightful Sunday outing was by ferry to New Jersey, thence by car to Hobo- ken, electric car to North Bergen and Hudson Heights, and back by train to the ferry at Weehauken. On our sixth Sunday in the city, two of the party — the only two, by the way, who "did" the Falls — were off to Niagara, via Albany, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester, and Batavia. 32 NEW YORK Buffalo was reached in the afternoon, and our enterprising travellers arrived just in time to see the Falls before darkness set in, leaving again the same evening, and arriving in New York before eleven next morning, which was quick work. Neither seems to have regretted this flying visit, which ran into more dollars than hours. We were shown every kindness during our stay in New York city, — as, indeed, where were we not ! — and afforded every facility for seeing over many interesting institutions, such as the Naval Dockyard at Brooklyn and the Neiv York cruiser ; the Fire Department, where an engine was harnessed for our benefit in a few seconds, and where, on another occasion, we witnessed a remarkably smart fire-drill ; the head of the Liberty Statue ; the offices of the New York Times, with their wonderful linotype 33 ROUND THE WORLD machines ; Edison's fascinating laboratory at Orange, where we made a more thorough acquaintance with the marvellous kinetoscope and phonograph, in the former of which we saw our three carnival dancers at work ; Black- well's Island, with its Hospital, Penitentiary, and Asylums, and the gangs of male and female convicts, soberly clad in black and white ; the Morgue, where the corpses were packed away in ice; and a number of other sights, the mere enumeration of which would fill a chapter. After a most enjoyable stay, we left New York, at the close of which engagement Miss Nesville left us and returned to England. It must be confessed that the memories of this city are not all roseate. There is a singular combination of magnificence and primitive patchwork. The chess-board laid, regularly numbered streets lack the 34 NEW YORK picturesque windings of old-world cities ; the fifteen-storeyed buildings convey a general impression of hopeless overcrowding. As for the paving, Broadway is more backward in this respect than was Cheapside ten years ago. A rainy day here is, in consequence of this, something to be dreaded. The elevated railway, though doubtless a great convenience, is at the same time a constant source of annoy- ance, and shuts out the sky in a most un- pleasant manner. Another thing that struck us, was the comparative dulness of New York, though something of this may be attributed to Dr. Parkhurst's crusade, which was then reveal- ing such terrible secrets. Gaiety, indeed, there was none, though things brightened to some extent during the elections, which resulted in the downthrow of Tammany Hall by the Republican party. There is a want 35 ROUND THE WORLD of security in these American cities which will hardly be credited at home. As an instance of this, it may be mentioned that during our stay here a cable car was "held up " in Broadway early one afternoon by an armed gang, and the passengers relieved of their valuables. It cannot be said that we were much im- portuned by Mr. Daly's hospitality during our stay in New York. Some of the re- gulations posted up in the dressing-rooms of his theatre afforded much amusement. Of course they applied to members of his own company only. No member, for instance, was to be seen parading Broadway during certain hours of the afternoon. No tobacco in any form or shape was to cross the thresh- old of the stage door. Fortunately, how- ever, our pockets were not searched. And perhaps the most amusing rule of all was to 36 From a Photo by Morrison,\ MISS BLANXHE MASSEV. \Chicai:o. NEW YORK the effect that no member of his company was to address Mr. Daly personally without being spoken to first. "Speak when you're spoken to," seems a pretty tall order for a democracy wherein all citizens are equal. The formidable list of fines and penalties was enough to strike terror into the heart of any but an Englishman. We next had a very successful week at the Harlem Opera House, a handsomely appointed theatre, though none too happy in its orchestra. Here, as already men- tioned, Monkhouse was taken ill, and had to be left behind when, at the end of the week, we went on to Boston. December 14th is the anniversary of George Washington's death, and the American people therefore make it a general holiday. Everybody goes out for the day, which, strange to say, is one of unusual 3 37 ROUND THE WORLD festivity and rejoicing. To us it seemed, if possible, more appalling than our own Easter Monday Bank Holiday. Our chief recollec- tion of this particular date, however, lies in the memory of the noise caused by various penny trumpets dinned into the ears by street urchins, and others of that character- istic species. Shortly before we left, Harlem was visited by a heavy snowstorm, and we found it had preceded us to Boston. We also found the Boston papers full of a scare that Monk- house was down with smallpox, and could not get settled without some rather troublous interviews with hotel managers and the press. A Gaiety Girl, once these difficulties were smoothed away, took on at Boston, and we had every reason to be satisfied with our houses during our entire fortnight there. 38 BOSTON There were two changes at this time. Our company was augmented by four ladies sent out by Mr. Edwardes — Miss Kearney, Miss Leighton, Miss Carlton, and Miss Bentley, though the last-named did not stay with us any time. Miss Yorke, who had left England with us, also returned from Boston. Ryley was the next victim to sickness, his place being taken by Cecil Hope. Special mention must be made of the band at the Boston theatre, which was one of the best we met with in America. It was here that we acquired a passion for sleighing, than which, if the snow lies suffi- ciently thick, there are few sensations more enjoyable. Among the places of interest we visited in the neighbourhood were Charlestown and the Bunker's Hill Monu- ment, Pleasant Point, Bay View, Mount Washington, Cambridge, and the buildino-s 39 ROUND THE WORLD of Harvard University, the Washington elm and statue, Randolph, Auburndale, Brighton, and other surrounding townships. Of Boston itself, its quaint and pretty streets and generally English appearance, much might be written. It has more of a homelike air than any of the other American cities embraced in our tour ; and the various monuments recall episodes in English history, which, if they were not all to the credit of the old country, yet endeared us to this city above all others. Though dreary in such wintry weather, it gave one the impression of being a most delightful place to live in, under other conditions — say in spring and summer. So much cannot be said of some other American cities. On the morning of December 17, we arrived in Washington, where wc were rejoined by Monkhouse, sufficiently himself 40 WASHINGTON again to resume at once the role of " Dr. Brierly." Albaugh's Opera House, far from being palatial, was designed on the time-honoured barn pattern. Nor was the impression on first entering improved by the absence of electric light, and the presence of an execrable orchestra. It was, moreover, our particular good fortune to have followed Hagenback's travelling menagerie of performing animals, to whom the theatre had been leased the week before. The stage door had been slightly altered to suit the requirements of the elephants, so that we found everything very roomy. Monkhouse discovered, to his joy, that his dressing-room had been the quarters of the comic bear ; nor were signs wanting in some of the other rooms of recent occupants of eccentric habits. 41 ROUND THE WORLD Nor shall we soon forget, in connection with this Washington theatre, the senatorial receptions in the stage box ; and the frequent interruptions occasioned by the arrival and departure of distinguished guests were a decided innovation, so far as our previous experiences went. There are some American customs which we have no wish to see introduced at home ! Washington is without a doubt one of America's handsomest cities, and we enjoyed glorious weather during our short stay of six days. Few who have once seen them could forget those handsome public buildings, com- prising the Capitol, the House of Representa- tives, and Supreme Court, the latter with a remarkable whispering gallery. Nor will many bird's-eye views beat that which is to be obtained from the summit of the Monument (500 feet high). Memory also suggests the 42 BROOKLYN mention of a most realistic panorama of the fight at Gettysburg, and also of an all-too- excellent supper given by De Wolff Hopper out at Overlook Hill. Of the latter function, however, not much can be recalled. A private omnibus conveyed the remains of a dozen festive men back to the hotel at five next morning! We reached Brooklyn on the Sunday afternoon, the day before Christmas Eve. Two performances we had to give on Christmas Day ; but we made up for hard work during this Brooklyn week by revelry and merriment after the day's work was done. Mr. Edwardes, for instance, cabled that we were to have a supper, and, with his usual generosity, made each member of the company a handsome present as a souvenir of the occasion. Mr. and Mrs. De Wolff Hopper were 43 ROUND THE WORLD among the guests at this supper ; and among the humorous speeches of the evening we cannot forget Kaye calHng for our national anthem of — O Georgie, Georgie Edwardes, You're a good 'un, heart and hand ; You're a credit to you're calling And to all your native land, Etc., etc., etc., to which the entire company vociferously responded. After the tables had been cleared and moved out of the way, dancing took place, varied by songs, duets, and recitations. It was an early hour of the morning when we sought our respective couches, but the memory of that enjoyable evening will long be with us. At Brooklyn, Miss Fitzgerald left us, to play in A Twentieth - Century Girl in New York, thereby breaking her contract with Mr. Edwardes, who was successful in 44 BROOKLYN obtaining an injunction against her. On our last night, Leedham Bantock was taken ill, and had to be left behind. Here Bradfield again came to the rescue, and played the "Judge" during the greater part of our stay- in Pittsburg. We left Brooklyn early Sunday morning, December 30, taking the ferry to Jersey City, where we caught the 9 o'clock train, via Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Altoona. We were journeying towards the setting sun now in good earnest. 45 Pittsburg to 'Frisco 47 Pittsburg to 'Frisco Arrival at Pittsburg — More Snow — Duquesne Heights — St. Louis — Good Theatre — Chicago — Intense Cold — Sunday Performances — Milwaukee — A German City— Long Journey West — Pleasures of Night-Travelling — Summit of the Rockies — Arrival at 'Frisco. /^^ONSTANT Stoppages for hot box made us fully three hours late, so that it was something after midnight when we arrived at Pittsburg. This was one of our most delightful experiences. There was neither porter nor cab within hail, so we had to " hump our own swags," as our Australian friends would say in their forcible dialect, and slide over the snow to any quarters that 49 ROUND THE WORLD came handy. In this wise we gained a few hours' experience of second-rate American hotels. The experience was not a happy one. Our first performance, New Year's Eve, at the Duquesne Opera House, was a great success, though the less said about the condition of that establishment behind the scenes the better. We gave two perform- ances on New Year's Day, after which we were rejoined by Leedham Bantock. Pittsburg, which possesses much of the rural beauty of Bilston, would present an interesting ensemble if one could but see it from anywhere. The Duquesne Heights would afford an admirable bird's-eye view but for the all - pervading smoke. At Pittsburg you learn what smoke really is, and the smoke of Tophct would be a veil of gossamer transparency to it. Occasionally, 50 PITTSBURG TO 'FRISCO when a kind wind lifts this bandage, you may get glimpses of the grand rivers that wind about the town, — the broad Ohio, the Monongahela, and Alleghany, — all of which were then ice-bound. Particularly striking was the scenery along the Monongahela as far as Cochrane. After a stay of one week, which many found ample, we left for St. Louis, which was reached Monday morning, January 7, 1895; and here again was an agreeable city. Pittsburg could scarcely come under that category. The "Olympic" was clean, and its orchestra, numbering sixteen, might have been much worse ; while with our audiences we had, as regards both numbers and appreci- ation, every reason to be satisfied. Those who stayed at the Southern Hotel spoke highly of its arrangements. We were most unfortunate in our weather there, and had to 51 ROUND THE WORLD console ourselves indoors with the famous Anheuser brew. Chicago, our next stopping - place, we reached Monday, January 14. The Opera House is a fine building, inside and out, and its band was unquestionably the best we came across in America. Like 'Frisco, this is a city of hotels. Our first venture was the Auditorium ; but we subsequently found that the Victoria Hotel, also facing Lake Michigan, suited us better in every way. Here we had to perform on Sundays as well ; but we did not mind this, as A Gaiety Girl soon became a general favourite, and during the next three weeks half Chicago came to see it. Chicago is far from being a pretty city : the lake, which might have beautified it, is hidden from the chief streets by a hideous railway. Indeed, shut in as the place is by water, it 52 u i^ PITTSBURG TO 'FRISCO gives less suggestion of expansion in the near future than perhaps any of the other American cities which we visited. In spite of terrible weather, we renewed the pastime of sleighing- here, and made some interesting trips in this way. The w^eather was the worst we experienced during our entire tour. The cold was so intense that the thermometer averaged fourteen degrees below zero, and most of us took to furs and wolf- skin coats. As an example of the excessive rigour of this winter, the lake was frozen over as far as the eye could reach, and a steamer was lost in the ice. Durinof a blizzard that raged for hours with terrific force, the snow found its way inside the window panes, one of which was carried from a shop front and round the corner, where it took off the leg of an unhappy pedestrian. For the truth of this, which 4 53 ROUND THE WORLD savours of an American yarn, Monkhouse will vouch. On Monday, February 4, we left for Milwaukee, where we had a busy week at the Davidson Opera House, at the close of which we parted from our first American chorus, which was disbanded and returned to New York. They would compare very unfavourably with what we were accustomed to in the old country, and equally so with what we afterwards had to work with in Australia, where the average chorus is really excellent. Here one member of the company, whose anonymity we wish to preserve, purchased a case of Martell's and Henessey's "Three Star" Brandies for the moderate sum of a dollar a bottle. (A bottle of whisky in America will always cost about $3.50). The dealer, having failed In his business, hoped to realise a little ready money on his stock, 54 PITTSBURG TO 'FRISCO which accounted for the extraordinary re- duction in the price of spirituous liquors. Malone and certain envious members of the company would have it, however, that the contents of these bottles were undrinkable, and even now will be heard to aver that the railway conductor on the 'Frisco line threatened to jump off the car while in motion, rather than the more painful alterna- tive of a teaspoonful. The phlegmatic, yet not teetotal, redskins are said to have hidden their faces in grief when the bottle was held up at the car window to their astonished gaze. With all these obstacles, however, the case and the greater number of the bottles — thanks to the reported questionable character of the spirits — arrived safely in 'Frisco, and were duly conveyed on board the Mariposa, for medicinal purposes during the voyage across the Pacific. An attempt 55 ROUND THE WORLD was made to smuggle a bottle on shore at Samoa, for bartering with the natives ; but the owner was informed of the penalty attaching to such contraband, in the shape of an enforced residence on the island for a few months, which, however many the attractions, had not been included in his programme. He therefore wisely refrained, the more so as he was assured on good authority that its only value among the lissom islanders was as an antidote for snake-bite. It was there- fore presented to the crew, and we learn that not a single living rat has been seen on the Mariposa since. Revenons a nos inoiUons. Milwaukee was the last place visited by us under Mr. Daly's management. It is an essentially German city, even the chief newspaper being published in that language. Its public buildings are far from imposing ; indeed only one block, a furniture 56 PITTSBURG TO 'FRISCO repository or something in that line, struck us as at all remarkable. As might be expected, beer is the staple drink and brewing the staple industry, and many were our pilgrimages to the shrine of Gambrinus. On the loth, we entered on the last staofe of our American travels, and for the next three days were speeding west, crossing the frozen Missouri near Omaha, and traversing Nebraska, all extremely monotonous in its mantle of snow. It was during this part of the journey that there occurred a somewhat trying incident, in which some of our members, judging at least by their own account, narrowly escaped drowning. One dark and stormy night the overhead water-tank overflowed into their sleeping-berths, which entailed a change of cars at Cheyenne. We soon reached the 57 ROUND THE WORLD summit of the Rockies, where there is a short halt not far from the monument which indicates the importance of the place. As this stood, however, in several feet of snow, we preferred admiring it from a convenient distance. At Laramie, the next stopping- place, we fell in with some Indians, from whom we purchased a number of spears and other curios. The prairies of Wyoming, which may at any other season be beautiful, were an eternal stretch of white, of which the eye soon tired. Utah we traversed by night, emerging next day into the glorious mountain scenery of Nevada, where the snow lay in some places ten feet deep, in consequence of which a plough had to be fixed on the locomotive ; and that night we passed through forty miles of snow sheds. No sooner had we crossed the frontier into California than the tem- 58 PITTSBURG TO 'FRISCO perature rose sensibly, while at the same time the landscape underwent a magic transformation, becoming far more English in character. The snow was gone, and the weary eyes rested gratefully on the green country and quaint, homelike villages. Oakland was reached at ten o'clock on the morning of February 14th, and here we took our leave of American railways. In some respects, nay, in many, these are far in advance of anything we have at home, but the sleeping accommodation is singularly faulty, more especially in the lack of a separate dressing compartment for ladies. At Oakland, which seems to be appro- priately named after the prevailing tree, we took the ferry, followed by a flock of gulls, across to San Fransisco, the most glorious city of all, our last home on American soil. 59 San Francisco 6i San Francisco Fascination of this City— The Cable Cars— The Bay — Defences — Seal Rocks — University — Cemetery — Slums — Chinatown— Sir Edwin Arnold's un- due severity — Treatment of Chinese — Their Theatres — ^Joss-house — Shakespearian Plays — We leave 'Frisco — Reflections on America. A REMARKABLE fascination the city of St. Francis had for most of us, though it would be hard to say offhand wherein lay its particular charm. At any- rate, not all the hospitality of Australian folks, added to the glories of an Australian winter, did much to efface the regret with which we left the Golden Gates. Our first parents, driven forth from the gates of Para- 63 ROUND THE WORLD disc, could not well have been more crest- fallen, nor certainly did their pockets contain much less. On the iSth we opened at the Baldwin Theatre, and drew good houses for the next three weeks. Here Miss Hobson fell ill, and Miss Lloyd played "Lady Virginia" during the greater part of our stay. It is not our intention to give any lengthy account of this city of hotels. The crack hotel, by the way, is the Palace ; but we found the Baldwin quite comfortable and comparatively moderate in its tariff. Riding on a cable car, as understood here, is a delightful way of getting about ; yet as the cabs are ridiculously expensive, these cars get crowded to a most uncomfortable extent. As in Melbourne, the pleasures of 64 SAN FRANCISCO this locomotion are much enhanced by the lofty hills on which the city has been built. A good view of the bay may be had from the heicrhts on the north side of the Golden Gates. This excellent anchorage affords complete shelter from the great Pacific rollers without ; but its defences against invaders of another description strike the visitor as very elementary, which, when we consider its present and future commercial importance, is remarkable. We also took an excursion around the bay in a steam launch, visiting Angel Island, and taking the cable car back from Presidio — a very pleasant outing. One of the sights of the place — one of the sights, indeed, of the world — are the Seal Rocks, where, within a couple of hundred yards of the cliffs, are the lazy sea lions, indulging in ponderous gambols, and shaking the spray from their sleek coats. 65 ROUND THE WORLD The American Government has, in its wisdom, taken them under its protection ; and they seem to know it too, for they betray little alarm at the sight of a passing vessel. The Golden Gate Park is another favourite resort, and really beautiful ; as, at anyrate, one of our party thought, after he had all but trodden on a venomous snake on one of its pathways. The 'Frisco Cemetery is also one of the most beautiful in a land not perhaps noted for the beauty of its graveyards. Of its thoroughfares, Market Street was un- doubtedly the busiest and most imposing, thronged at all times with a strange medley of humanity, even unto Chinese women and their toddling hopefuls, tricked out in bright- coloured frocks. Like every other city, 'Frisco is not without its slums, near which lay the theatre. Some few establishments 66 SAN FRANCISCO there may have been that would have at- tracted the attention of certain reformers of either sex who have a keen scent for such garbage — dwclHngs on the doors of which the simple legend "Walk in" took the place of the more respectable professional brass plate. On these, however, we can venture no opinion, for, priding ourselves on our British fortitude and grim respectability, we invariably hastened past those latticed windows, from behind which languishing eyes may have glanced beseech- ingly but in vain after our retreating forms. Still, he "who runs may read"! But the most powerful magnet of all, the centre of attraction for all visitors, was fascinating, ruinous Chinatown. Dawdling through its crazy streets, which somehow looked perpetually en fete, was our greatest delight, and, alas ! its seductive curio stores claimed our last cent. Strangely 67 ROUND THE WORLD carved walking-sticks, silk handkerchiefs and sashes of gayest hue, elaborate water-pipes, perfumed joss-sticks, massive ivory chess- men, jars of preserved ginger — these and other temptations were more than Western philosophy could resist. What wonder, then, that scarcely a day elapsed without our visiting these enchanting bazaars and bear- ing away some fresh trophy ! To Sir Edwin Arnold's fascinating work, Seas and Lands, we are grateful, for it re- lieved the monotony of many a long hour on the Pacific. But in his condemnation of Chinatown we cannot join him ; and it seems just possible that the brilliant writer's avowed admiration for everything Japanese may have biassed him in judging the Chow. We visited Chinatown at all hours of the day and night ; we haunted its bazaars, restaurants, theatres, and joss - houses — yet 68 l-roiii a ritolo by Aiiite Diipoiit,] [Xnu Vol/: MISS CRACK PAl.OTJA. SAN FRANCISCO the first we saw of its filthy condition was in his book. True, "John" has his own Ideas on the subject of cleanHness, as indeed on most others ; true, his ways are not our ways, and he and his kind may find a comfort not understood by us in getting stupefied with opium, and herding for the night Hke guinea- pigs, the greatest possible number in the smallest possible space. This is all very different from our notions of the proper ordering of things ; but were the author anyone less eminent than Sir Edwin Arnold, we should be inclined to criticise as nonsense the dictum that Chinatown is "an unmitioatcd nuisance to the Californian capital, and a perpetual danger to its health and peace." It would of course have been by far the simpler and safer course to agree with so 5 69 ROUND THE WORLD great an authority on these questions, but conscience cries aloud in vindication of Chinatown ; and, after all, de gustibiis, etc. ; to our minds its picturesqueness, like that of the French court of a bygone century, robbed the vice of half its unpleasantness. The quotation is inaccurate, but near enough for practical purposes. And we will go a step further. Not only do we not, like Sir Edwin Arnold, find subject for wonder in the forbearance exer- cised by Americans towards their pigtailed brethren, but we have, on the contrary, oftentimes been greatly disgusted at seeing the lazy " hoodlum," or the still more brutal " larrikin," of Australia hustle and kick these hard-working aliens as they dare not hustle and kick their dogs. Besides the bazaars, the Chinese quarter has more than one restaurant at which the 70 SAN FRANCISCO Western palate may be tickled with the fancy dishes of the Celestial cuisine. In their theatres you may see an interminable per- formance, in which no women take part ; and "foreign devils" are usually accorded seats on the platform. The "joss-house" is another sight, the sacred joss sitting amid a bodyguard of dolls, with a plate in front for offerings from such of the faithful as may desire to chin-chin his holiness. Compared with the San Francisco China- town, the Chinese quarters of Australian cities are nowhere. The races also proved a great attraction during our stay in 'Frisco. Mention has been made here and there of various theatrical mati7idcs which we were able to visit, and it seemed strange at this end of all things to see Frederick Warde in three Shakespearian plays in the course of 71 ROUND THE WORLD two days. At length our stay in this beauti- ful city came to an end, and we had to leave the Queen of the Pacific on the 8th of March, and the Cliff House faded from view the same afternoon. Our impressions of America are vivid and varied, though we cannot be expected to do them justice in such a short sketch as this. In fact, we find it difficult to present the reader with a general opinion, since each individual will, in all probability, see the same thing in a different light. Let it then be understood that we are offering but one opinion, and this would probably be modified by a further acquaintance with the country. Humanity is ever a subject of interest, and the American people are not wanting in this respect. We met many very charming Americans of both sexes, and cannot accuse them of any lack of good-fellowship and 72 SAN FRANCISCO hospitality. The ladies, however, seem to rule with an arbitrary power over the milder members of the opposite sex, and it will evidently be found that the New Woman was born under the " Stars and Stripes." She has certainly the lead in the way of fashion, and our own womenfolk apparently look up to her as to one with authority. The men are a genial, cordial set ; and if the fit of their clothes is not all that could be desired, the tailor and not the unfortunate wearer is at fault, the latter merely contributing a trifle of ;^8 for his sylish misfit. You can distinguish an Englishman on Broadway at once by the cut of his clothes. The Yankees, however, are a go-ahead race, and have little time for such a paltry consideration as dress. Indeed, it is highly probable that, but for certain arbitrary police regulations, they would hurry out to business 73 ROUND THE WORLD without clothes of any description, and devote the extra five minutes at the shrine of the Almighty Dollar. This is earned easily in America, but unfortunately is just as easily spent. A cab cannot be hired under a dollar, and the economic actor shudders at the idea of having to pay five shillings for a luxury that at home only costs him two. The boot- black charges ten cents for a polish. This is a necessity to which we are forced to accommo- date ourselves. You cannot with any degree of safety leave your boots outside your bed- room door, to be cleaned by the early morning, as is the custom in our English hotels, They will disappear, and the hotel proprietor dis- claims any responsibility in the matter. You must put on dirty boots in the morning, and trust to find a vacant chair at one of the street corners, from which vantage you may scan with a placid expression the passers- by, who 74 SAN FRANCISCO will affect not to notice you. Again, the unwary stranger will grieve much over the ex- pense that it will cost him dining a la ca7'te at a restaurant. If he is wise he will eat on the American plan, as it is called, and will there- by save his pocket at the expense of his digestion. On the other hand, he may rejoice in the prodigality of the hotel bars, which provide a free lunch on purchase of a five cent glass of lager beer. This is no doubt a clever enticement and incentive to drink. With five cents in his purse, the fortunate tramp need not starve. He buys a glass of lager, and, in consideration thereof, is per- mitted to satisfy his hunger as well. Hot sausages, German sausages, Boston beans, American hash, salads and cheese form the chief items of this sumptuous repast. Wood- house, alias Woody, alias Wood - O, is of opinion that this is a grand institution, that 75 ROUND THE WORLD would pay well to introduce into this country ; and we quite agree with him. We may remark that the Australian hotels have already borrowed the idea. Now that we are on the subject of hotels, a few words may be per- mitted us concerning these palatial buildings in America. The chief edifice of a Western city is usually found to be an hotel. It is the most imposing structure in the place, beside which the Government houses dwindle to nothing. As a rule, these hotels are exceed- ingly comfortable, and we venture the opinion that the Victoria Hotel at Chicago will stand second to none. The chief object of interest about the American hotel lies in its heating apparatus. It is steam-heat every where, and, to those of us who were unaccustomed to its vagaries, most uninviting. Even the railway cars indict a temporary baking upon their luckless inmates ; and the passenger escapes 7^ SAN FRANCISCO Into an atmosphere outside of — 14° F. with a sigh of rehef. The overhead railways of New York and Chicago compare favourably with our own underground in way of comfort, and are a decided ornamental improvement in the architectural displays of these cities. In place of the unwieldy omnibus, which is a perpetual eyesore to the traveller in London, the American furnishes us with the eleeant and commodious cable car. He has every reason to be proud of so excellent a system. The cars follow one another in rapid succession, and, as it would seem, at a risk of imminent collision. Our one objection lies in the over- crowding. It is easy enough to get on, and you are permitted to find room anywhere you can, even if it be on somebody's lap ; but how some people ever manage to get out again is a mystery, which we will leave 77 ROUND THE WORLD our readers to solve. The gripman is an important personage of grim respectability ; and if the cable does occasionally break, it is owing to a fault in the machinery. The conductor occupies quite a secondary position. He takes your five cents, and, if you desire it, will hand you a free transfer to any line, so that you may travel about all day for the one fare. Who would not avail himself of such liberality ! A word must be said here in favour of the American Express service. When travelling, you are not expected to take any luggage with you except what you may immediately require. Say you wish to undertake the three days' journey by rail from Chicaofo to 'Frisco, You hand over all your boxes to an attendant at the Express office in Chicago, telling him at what hotel you will stay in 'Frisco. He then hands you a metal ticket, with a number inscribed upon 78 SAN FRANCISCO it, and informs you, at the same time, that you will find your luggage awaiting you at the hotel on your arrival, or soon after. You are lucky if you receive it within a week. Politics present a topic of absorbing interest for all classes in America. We carried away with us some confused ideas of Democracy, Republicanism, Socialism, and Tammany Hall ; but do not intend to bewilder the reader by setting forth their essential differences. There seems to be a lot of talk and corruption in the official circles ; but as a rule the public are kept pretty well informed. While we were in New York the police were having a warm time of it with the Lexow Committee, and the published revelations of each day added somewhat to the discredit of the force. Dr. Parkhurst, the ecclesiastic reformer, created some excitement by the vigour of his action 79 ROUND THE WORLD in purifying the morals of the great Eastern city. He denounced from the platform and the pulpit, and his personal appearance soon became a popular figure for caricature on the boards of the music halls. Who has not heard of the wonders and mysteries of a Dime Museum ? And who, having once bought his experience, would ever enter one again ? This is a typical American show. We have seen something like It in an English travelling provincial fair. Imagine a gloomy-looking building, decked on the outside with dummy figures of gaudy appearance, and billed all over with flaring posters of the present attractions. Pay your ten cents and enter ; but, before- hand, take the precaution of buying a large packet of Kcatlngs' Powder, and saturate your handkerchief wllli the best eati de Cologne, We will not attempt a description 80 SAN FRANCISCO of the horrors which will meet your as- tonished gaze, but will briefly refer to one incident, which, although harrowing in its advertised details, proved harmless enough in the actual deed. A badly executed illus- tration, at the door of one of the principal Dime Museums in Chicago, depicted, with an unsparing use of vermilion, the anatomical dis- section of a live human being upon a marble slab. Two legs had already been sawn off, and the operator was in the act of decapitat- ing his unfortunate subject. It was intimated that the public would be admitted to this exhibition on payment of an extra five cents. You always have to pay extra to witness any of the advertised attractions. A morbid curiosity drew one member of our party, scientifically inclined, to be present on one of these gruesome occasions. He was doomed to disappointment, and, at a later 8i ROUND THE WORLD hour of the day, he indignantly informed us that it was the old pantomime trick of the clown mending the piecemeal body of the policeman, whom he had previously blown from the cannon's mouth. A human-faced chicken proved, on another visit, to be nothing more than the painful exhibition of a half-starved fowl with its beak sawn off. We will not prolong the description of such atrocities. The Americans are great theatre-goers, but above all they love their music halls. There they may gaze with an artistic eye at the presentment of Tableaux- Vivants which would quite shock our prurient-minded British matron by their vivid realism and close imitation of nature. They show great partiality for such sub- jects as " Venus and Tannhauser," " Sirens," "After the Bath," "Love and Innocence," " Eve," etc. etc. 82 SAN FRANCISCO The German element exercises a wide- spread influence in all musical affairs, though not always with happy effect; and the Eng- lish musician who tries his luck in the New World receives but scant encouragement from his Teutonic brethren. There seems to exist a total want of sympathy among all classes of executant musicians, and this necessarily spells misfortune for the luckless members of the weaker minority. Musical Unions are rife all over the country, and have already become a formidable autocratic power. The executive clique naturally enough favour the pretensions of their own countrymen, to the exclusion of ofttimes more deserving foreigners. This is particularly the case in New York, Brooklyn, Chicago, Milwaukee and 'Frisco ! The conductor of a local theatre is permitted but little authority over the band, which is selected for him by 83 ROUND THE WORLD the Union, and he is placed in the unenviable position of having to entreat rather than to command. We have already spoken of our American chorus. As may be imagined, in spite of our wish to see the colonies, we deeply regretted leaving America. Our stay had been a pleasant one, and the success of A Gaiety Girl in ten different cities had been unin- terrupted during twice as many weeks. We had met with nothing but kindness, so that our memories of it are bright indeed. As a place of residence, the average American city is admirable — for Americans. Europeans will, on the whole, prefer a tem- porary stay only. They will find many things far in advance of what they are used to at home, and a few decidedly behind- hand. One thing struck us, which must in all 84 z^'- ^■1 ■. ~- ''i-^' ./AV. ^ \ V- .-A From a Photo by Tabna,\ .MISS DIX IMA .MOOUK. {.Melioutite. SAN FRANCISCO truth be recorded here, and that was the comparative scarcity of the American beauty of whom we had heard so much. Many pretty women there certainly were. They occur in most cities. But the fashion- able women of Broadway would not bear comparison with those of Regent Street, or Collins Street, Melbourne. Their manners, moreover, are loud, and their dress decidedly ouM. Still, America is a grand country from any point of view. Living may be somewhat costly, but at anyrate you do live. 6 85 The Pacific 87 The Pacific Inappropriate Name — The Mariposa — Sandwich Islands — Honolulu and its Sights — Native Band — Crossing- the Line — Samoa — Deck Sports — The Last Matinee Day — Mrs. Stevenson — Auck- land — Sydney Harbour. \ 7[ r HO gave this ocean the name by which it is commonly known, we do not happen to remember. "All men are liars," as the hasty David once remarked ; and it may not improbably have suited this ancient mariner to tempt further filibustering royal- ties or companies, by depicting this part of the globe as favourably as possible. Far from land, it certainly behaves better than some other oceans ; but along the coasts of 89 ROUND THE WORLD America and Australasia, its mood is gener- ally the reverse of peaceful. On the day we steamed out of the Golden Gates it was emphatically so ; and the name of our ship, the Mariposa, added insult to injury, for repose of either body or mind was out of the question. And we had It more or less rough the whole way to the Sandwich Islands, at which we called exactly a week after leaving- 'Frisco. Honolulu, which lies on the island of Oahu, beneath the towering form of the whilom fiery Pouwalna, Is a beautiful town, its Chinese quarter picturesque, its European hotels and streets laid out on the most modern scale. We had to make the most of our few hours ashore ; so some went up to the extinct crater, others drove to Walkiki Bay, while yet a third party was organised to visit Pali, from the summit of which rock 90 THE PACIFIC unfortunate prisoners and other offenders were formerly hurled into the sea. This Tarpeian Rock of the South Sea Islands was pronounced extremely picturesque, though on the day we were there a squall played pranks with some of the party. At six in the evening we had to leave this delightful island ; and the native band, under the conductorship of Professor Berger, came down to the quay and treated us to an admirable selection from A Gaiety Girl, followed by " Auld Lang Syne" and the National Anthem. Where is civilisation going to stay its hand } Here we took on board several passengers who had taken a prominent part in the late rising, and were now doomed to exile in consequence of its failure. Thinking to better their condition by restoring the de- 91 ROUND THE WORLD posed queen, the conspirators met in a hut standing upon a high hill, stored their ammunition, and made everything ready for striking the final blow. Unfortunately, just before the climax, a whisky bottle also attended the meetings, and one dark night the republican police had easy work of it. Still, they proved a harmless lot enough. One noted desperado was usually nursing his youngest child, another played an ex- cellent hand at poker ; while a third, sur- named by us "the rebel chief," harangued the second - class passengers daily on the duties of capital, and acquired considerable prestige until we left Apia, where he was hauled aboard in a helpless condition, and the contents of his pockets fell into the sea. At Honolulu we left Professor Lennard, a thought - reader, whose entertainments hacj afforded some little diversion on the trip. 92 THE PACIFIC After this, the Pacific seemed to reaHse its responsibilities, and we enjoyed over a week of calm weather, the chief incidents of which were crossing the Equator on the 19th, and our visit to Samoa four days later. On the former occasion, the usual frolics were indulged in. Neptune came aboard in the person of Harry Monkhouse, who, being conducted to his throne, held forth as follows: — "We understand that our good friend Captain Hayward has on board many strangers to our kingdom, who, beyond feeding our fishes, have never paid tribute. We therefore com- mand that they shall pay toll, or go through the ceremony of introduction to our court. The Chief of Police, ' Rakish Ryley,' will collect the dues." The roll - call was then read ; and as it contained a number of allusions of a 93 ROUND THE WORLD very personal nature, it may perhaps be omitted. There was a good deal of amusement, especially when several of the men were shaved and ducked. It is worthy of re- mark that the gulls and boobies, which had followed us in such numbers from 'Frisco, disappeared entirely after we left Honolulu, nor did we again fall in with any between here and Auckland. It was somewhere near Honolulu, too, that we first saw the beautiful little flying-fish. On the 23rd, we landed at Apia, island of Upolu, Samoa, and had but a few hours ashore at this beautiful place. Some of the party, taking guides, made for the villages inland, where they purchased curios of the lissom, mild-eyed lotus-eaters, and sipped the milk of the cocoanut, and one of us even had the good fortune to 94 THE PACIFIC encounter a native girl named Fasia, who entreated him to marry her offhand. Mrs. Grundy should take a country house on Upolu : she would find plenty of occupation ! For Instance, Malone, on the occasion of his visit to the King's Palace, a homely wooden hut, saw a woman cleaning the makeshift of a window, and a little child playing near. In answer to Malone's in- quiries, she said that the child was one of KIne Malletoa's sons, and added that It was also hers. "Then," said Malone, who is remarkably innocent of the world's ways, *'you are the queen." But she explained that she was not that dignified personage ; whereat Malone gave that princeling a hand- ful of coppers, which were eagerly accepted, and went his way, reflecting sadly on the frailty of human nature. Apia Is a lovely place indeed, and who 95 ROUND THE WORLD can wonder at the late R. L. Stevenson selecting it for his home ! The tropical vegetation, the picturesque huts among the cocoanut palms at the edge of the sea, the handsome girls and dignified men, were a joy to behold. The only eyesore was the wreck of the German warship Olga. The sea continued calm for two days after Samoa had faded from sight ; and on the 25 th we had some excellent sports, in which the following came off winners, taking prizes that had been purchased at Apia : — LADIES' SPORTS. 1. Chalking Pig's Eye . Miss Crossland (strung beads) and Miss Leighton (fan). 2. Potato Race . . Miss Moore (catamaran) and Miss Kearney (tapa). 3. Tug of Vv^'ar . . . Miss Llovd (bangles). 4. Flat Race . . . . Miss Kearney (mat) and Mrs. HiBBERT (tapa). 5 Threading the Needle Miss Moore (tapa) and Mrs. HiDHERT (beads). 6. Egg and Spoon . . Miss Crossland (mat) and Miss Kearney (beads). 96 THE PACIFIC 7. Consolation Prizes . . Miss LuCAS (club), Miss Elliott (bangles), Miss Carlton (fan), and Mrs. Bradfield (fan). MEN'S SPORTS. 1. Potato Race .... Gibson (club) and Mills (arrow). 2. Chalking Pig's Eye . . Katanakis (native dress). 3. Three-legged Race . . Gibson and Craig (arrows). 4. Tug of War .... M ILLS (cigars). 5. Flat Race C Hope (catamaran) and Bradfield (fan). 6. Far-reaching .... Bradfield (club). 7. Cock-fighting .... Mills (bow and arrow). 8. Hop, Skip, and Jump . Craig (club). 9. Jockey Race .... Malone and Katanakis (arrows). 10. Cigarette Race . . . Malone (spear) and Miss Palotta (tapa). 11. Obstacle Race . . . Gibson (photo). We just got the sports over in time, for the sea got abominably rough again next day, by way of announcing that we were nearing New Zealand. The Wednesday was neither rough nor calm, wet nor fine. In fact, there was no 97 ROUND THE WORLD Wednesday. We had to lose one day at the i8oth parallel, and instinct suggested our making it a ^natinde day! In the same spirit, it is not improbable that the old Spanish navigators preferred to lose a Friday or two. Fasting was not much in their line. Well, we had no 27th of March, but we had a 28th that made up for lost time, for it was very rough and very wet. We should have mentioned that at Samoa we took on board, as passenger for Sydney, the mother of the late Robert Louis Steven- son, and very charming company she was too, gifted with a quiet humour that was irresistible. On the Friday (29th March) we touched at Auckland, and had lunch at the Grand Hotel with Mr. Musgrove. We here wit- nessed the performance of La Cigale at the Opera House, and re-embarked at midnight, 98 THE PACIFIC keepino^ the bold shores of North Island in sight all the next day. On the third of April, after several days of lovely weather, an unusual luxury in this part of the Pacific, and followed almost to the Heads by a number of albatrosses and Molly Hawks, we entered Port Jackson and admired the renowned harbour. We only stayed a few hours in Sydney on this occasion, lunching with Mr. Williamson at the "Australia," the largest hotel in the colonies, and catching the afternoon train to Melbourne. Ryley, who had regaled us while in America with a selection of yarns based on a former visit to Australia, came in for some criticism on this journey. We were to have seen old-man-kangaroos gazing unmoved at the passing train, and giant carpet snakes festooned about the telegraph posts : whereas our ideas of wayside scenery 99 ROUND THE WORLD along the track were soon limited to miles of ring-barked gums, and unpicturesque hamlets roofed with corrugated iron. The only novel sight, indeed, was an occasional flock of parrots disturbed by the train. The old Mariposa soon returned to 'Frisco, whither we would gladly have accompanied her. For we had scarcely as yet tasted of Australian hospitality. 100 From a I'hoto hy Iht Falk Sli«iii;\ MISS MALU HOBSON. \_\te/bourite. Australia I. Melbourne II. Adelaide III. Sydney lOI Australia Melbourne : First Visit to Melbourne — All Work and no Play — The Theatrical Carnival — Impres- sions of Melbourne — We leave. Adelaide : Short Stay — Streets and Surroundings. Sydney : Beautiful Weather — Public Buildings — ^Jails — University — Observatory — Suburbs — The Har- bour. Second Visit to Melbourne — Last Day Ashore — We leave in the Oriiba (Oct. 26) — Albany — Last of Australia — Colonial Society — Hospitality — Children — Education — Politics — Sport. I. Melbourne "D EHEARSALS with our new chorus at the Princess' Theatre, Melbourne, took up the greater part of the next ten days, and indeed we had no sooner given 103 ROUND THE WORLD our first performance of A Gaiety Girl than we commenced rehearsing In Town. This meant continuous hard work and little sight- seeing ; and except that some of us saw The New Boy at one of the theatres, and others, of more serious tastes, went to hear Borch- grevink lecture on Antarctic Research, our first visit to Melbourne embraced the two least enjoyable months of the whole trip. IN TOWN. By Adrian Ross and J. T. Tanner. Music by F. Osmond Carr. CAST Captain Arthur^ fMr. W. Louis \ (A Man about Town) ] Coddington J I Bradfield Duke of Muffshire .... Mr. Charles Ryley Lord Clanside . . (His Son) Miss Florence Lloyd 104 AUSTRALIA Rev. Samuen fMr. Leedham } . . (His Chaplain) . -{ Hopkins J I Bantock {.. Hoffman . < r Mr. Fritz Rimma Caravanserai" Hotcl)J (Hall Porter at the 'I I" Caravanserai " Hotel) J (Manager of the ^ Benoli . { t Mr. Arthur Hope Housekeeper .... Miss Ethel Carlton Shrimp . (Call-Boy at the "Ambiguity") Mr. Fred Kaye Bloggins . (A Solicitor's Clerk) Mr. E. G. Woodhouse The Duchess of Muffshire . Mrs. Edmund Phelps Lady Gwendoline") fMiss Blanche h (Her Daughter) \ Kincaddie J I Massey Marie Belleville . . . Miss Grace Palotta /'(Principal Dancer at the^ Miss Madge Flo Fanshawe \ \ l "Ambiguity") J ROSSELL Maud r(Principal Boy at the'l Miss Maud Montressor I "Ambiguity") J HOBSON Lottie •\ rMiss Laura Kearney Clara I . . . ' Miss Claire Leighton "Ambiguity" Girls Lillie Minnie Miss Sophie Elliott LMiss Ethel Sel\vyn and ("(Prima Donna at the") Miss Decima Kitty Hetherton ] Y \. "Ambiguity") J MoORE. Waiters, Chambermaids, Burlesque Actors and Actresses, etc. 105 ROUND THE WORLD Mr. Hooley THE SHOP GIRL. The Cast of "The Shop Girl" will comprise the full strength of MR. GEORGE EDWARDES' COMPANY, Includhig- Mr. Harry Monkhouse, Who will reappear in the character of "Mr. Hooley." ((Proprietor of the RoyaI| Mr. Harry i Stores) ) Monkhouse Charles) ,.,,,. ,^ , x (Mr. W. LOUIS ^ , , h . (A Medical Student) . ] ^ Appleby i ( Bradfield Bertie Boyd (One of the Boys) Mr. Leedham Bantock John Brown (A Millionaire) Mr. Charles Ryley Sir George Appleby (A Sohcitor) . Mr. CECIL HOPE Mr. Arthur Hope (Mr. E. G. (Coghlan Mr. E. G. Woodhouse Col. Singleton Count St.f Vaurien ) Mr. Tweets . Mr. Miggles . Lady Dodo) Singleton i (Retired) (Secretary to Mr. Brown) ((Financial Secretary to^ ( Lady Appleby) ((Shop-walker at the) I Royal Stores) ) (Charlie's Cousin) Miss Robinson Mr. Fred Kaye ( Miss Grace < Palotta Miss Madge ROSSELL f (Fitter at the Royal ^ I Stores) i Lady Appleby (Charlie's Mother) Mrs. EDMUND Phelps (An Apprentice at the) Miss Maud Royal Stores) > HOBSON Ada Smith . . -j Lady Appleby's Faith Hope Charity Daughters 'Miss Ethel Selwyn Tvliss Laura Kearney Miss Sophie Elliott 1 06 AUSTRALIA Maud Plantagenet'i /-Miss Blanche Massey Eva Tudor . ,. Miss Florence Lloyd J'- Syndicate < ^,. ^ ^ X,, Miss Ethel Carlton Theatre ,.• ^ iMiss Claire Leighton Bessie Brent ("The Shop Girl") Miss Decima MooRE ACT r THE ROYAL STORES. ACT 2. . FANCY BAZAAR AT KENSINGTON. Quaint Japanese Song and Dance, Miss Madge Rossell and Mr. Fred Kaye. Pierrot Dance, Mdlles. Maggie Crossland, Lucy Murray, May Lucas, and Madge Rossell. Indeed, It was not until our last week, when we were staging our third piece, T/ie Shop Girl, that some excitement was furnished on the day of the Theatrical Carnival, 29th May, which was held in the Exhibition Buildings. The crowd was enormous, and the liind in aid of which the Carnival had been organised benefited considerably; while the directors presented each and all who took part in it 10^ ROUND THE WORLD with a little gold medal, commemorative of the occasion. Bradiield gave a most clever and successful entertainment in a booth of his own ; while in another, Monkhouse and Kaye, assisted by Mrs. Phelps, Miss Leighton, Leedham Bantock, and Fritz Rimma, gave a travesty on Hamlet in the Richardson show booth {Shop Girl). The refreshment booths were in charge of Miss Hobson and Miss Palotta, assisted by Misses Selwyn, Rossell, Carlton, etc. ; while Miss Moore, with Misses Kearney and Elliott, had charge of the booth containing photographs and cut flowers. There was also a football match in costume, and a successful race table in charge of Miss Lloyd, with Miss Massey and Miss Leighton to assist. And so, on the 31st May, by special train after the performance, we left for Adelaide, 108 AUSTRALIA We had, as already said, been too hard worked at Melbourne to see very much of its surroundings. Fern Tree Gully and Healesville are about the only beauty spots we visited. The city itself was impressive enough ; still more so, when one recalls its meteoric rise and fall. The appointments of the Princess' Theatre, in front as behind, are deserving of the highest praise. There is, however, one serious drawback in the number of rats with which it is infested. Boots, grease - paints, powder, and puffs appeared equally acceptable to them, and the ravages they committed on our stage properties were considerable. The orchestra was indeed so excellent — second to none save that at Sydney — that we took a few of the members with us to Adelaide ; which did not, how- ever, do much to raise the hopeless medi- ocrity of the local band. The cable - car 109 ROUND THE WORLD system, the best in Australia, reminded us of San Francisco. Shorn of its suburbs, the Victorian capital would be a poor city indeed, though a few of its streets and buildings are grand. Of its hotels, much cannot be said ; though many of us were exceedingly comfortable at the Oriental and Grand Coffee Palace. One establishment in Melbourne every visitor must remember, and that is the " Arcade," kept by Cole, the colonial Whiteley. Now that we had no longer the beloved Chinese Ouarter to re- lieve us of spare cash, many were our visits to this universal provider's, who, among other trifles, stocks one million books. II. Adelaide We opened at the Theatre Royal, Adelaide, on the night of our arrival, and in ten days we gave all three pieces to crowded houses. no AUSTRALIA Adelaide strikes you at once as a particu- larly clean city, besides being, for its size, laid out to better advantage than any other in the colonies. But it is further from the sea than some folks at home seem to imagine, and the journey by rail is any- thing but a pleasant one. Its public build- ings show the usual lavish outlay, and the Museum is as good as any in the country. Unlike Melbourne, too, the surroundings, being hilly, are beautiful, and the excursion to Burnside, with its orange trees and bijou waterfall, was pleasant indeed. Our stay here was, however, so short that any adequate account of this peaceful little city is impossible. On Wednesday, the 12th June, we did a day's work at which the Eight Hours party would have stood aghast, for, after giving a matiu'Je and evening performance, we left by III ROUND THE WORLD midnight train for Sydney. There was a couple of hours' halt next day at Melbourne, after which we proceeded, via Albury, an uncomfortable journey in badly - appointed cars, and through the dreariest of landscapes. III. Sydney At Sydney we spent perhaps the most enjoyable time of the whole tour. This may be in part due to the beautiful weather we enjoyed there. As first experienced at Melbourne, the much - vaunted Australian winter had not impressed us favourably. The mornings were raw, and the evenings worse. But in Sydney, the weather was unexceptionable for three months. A few sultry days there may have been, and two, or at most three, on which wet weather kept us indoors ; but taken all round, the weather was phenomenal. 112 AUSTRALIA A word must be said en passant for the Empire Hotel, and its attentive hostess, Mrs. Baumann. The cuisine was excellent, and our comfort was studied in every way. An amusing incident may be related here which Kaye tells about an experience he had, from which he would warn all future visitors to Sydney. On the morning after our arrival he was lying snug in bed, not having quite made up his mind whether to get up for his breakfast or not, when a knock at the bedroom door called forth the usual response. A gentlemanly - dressed man walked in, and familiarly saluted Kaye by his Christian name, telling him that he had just been to see Charley Ryley, — who happened to be staying in the same hotel, — and that he had accepted an invitation to dinner on a day the following week, to which he begged that Kaye would do him the 113 ROUND THE WORLD honour of cominof. Thinking him an old acquaintance of Ryley, by the affectionate manner in which this gentleman spoke of " Charley," Kaye imagined nothing unusual, and promised to let him have his reply. The visitor, however, seemed in no hurry to go ; and after sundry glances about the room, and various remarks concerning the depression in business, he made his way to the dressing - table, on which Kaye had turned out the contents of his pocket (includ- ing money) the preceding night. Picking up a sovereign with a nonchalant air, he said carelessly, " I suppose you can let me have this until Monday." "Certainly," re- plied Kaye, not yet sufficiently awake to the world's wickedness. " May as well make it two," was the inviting rejoinder, as the stranger added another precious gold coin to his former loan, and gradually made his 114 AUSTRALIA way to the door, departing with the friendly words, "Hope to see you on Monday, and pay you back without fail." The story does not end here. Kaye began to smell a rat, and, jumping out of bed, dressed hurriedly, and made his way to Ryley's room, from whom he learned that he had no such friend as Kaye described. The landlord was next interrogated as to the man's identity, and, having received a full description of his personal appearance, said laconically, " Oh that's . How much money had you on your dressing-table?" Kaye bethought a moment, and then said, "About five pounds." "Then you are three pounds to the good," replied the landlord ; whereat Kaye dissembled, and departed glad at heart. He never saw that man again. As on the previous occasions, we opened at the Lyceum with A Gaiety Girl, June 115 ROUND THE WORLD 15th, and the piece ran for three weeks with unbroken success, when it was followed by In Town, July 6th. This was still better received. The Shop Girl ran from August 3rd, also for three weeks. On August 5th, we started rehearsing a fourth piece, Gentle- man Joe, then in the course of a long run at home, and which we played for a fortnight only, though it was a great favourite. The cast was distributed as follows Gentleman Joe (a Hansom Cabman) The Earl of Donnybrook Mr. Ralli-Carr Hughie Jaqueson . Mr. Pilkington Jones William (a Page Boy) Dawson (a Butler) . James (a Footman) Postman Policeman Photographer Photographer's Assistant Mrs. Ralli-Carr The Hon. Mabel Cavanagh Mr. W. Louis Bradfield Mr. Charles Ryley Mr. Cecil Hope Mr. Arthur Hope Mr. F'red Kaye Miss Florence Lloyd Mr. Leedham Bantock . Mr. Fritz Rimma Mr. A. Adelt . Mr. W. L. Gordon Mr. E. G. Woodhouse Mr. J. Hunter Miss Grace Palotta Miss Blanche Massey 116 l-'ioi>i a I'hoio I'j Henri L. Mj>el,\ {Nottingham. \V. I.OLIS HKAUriELD. AUSTRALIA Miss Lalage Potts . Miss Pilkington Jones . Miss Lucy Pilkington Jones Miss Amy Pilkington Jones Miss Ada Pilkington Jones A Cook .... Emma (a Maid Servant) Miss Maud Hobson Miss Laura Kearney Miss Madge Rossell Miss Sophie Elliott Miss Ethel Selwyn Miss Claire Leighton Miss Decima Moore On Wednesday, August 21st, there was a matinee benefit to Monkhouse, who was returning home a fortnight later. The programme inckided — Overture— '•'■ K Gaiety Girl" . The Lyceum Orchestra Comic Sketch . . . Messrs. Foreman and Fannan Selections from Second Act of THE SHOP GIRL. Duet (Japanese) Song — " Do not trust him" Pierrot Dance Mr. Kaye and Miss Rossell Miss Moore and Chorus Mr. Bradfield and Chorus j Mdlles. Rossell, Lucas, \ Crossland, and Murray Serio-Conic Song Song Miss Florrie Force . Miss Ada Colley 8 117 ROUND THE WORLD Selections from A GAIETY GIRL. Lady Virginia Mina (her Maid) . Alma Somerset (a "Gaiety" Girl) Rose Brierly Captain Goldfield , Sir Lewis Grey (a Judge) . Mr. Leedham Bantock Dr. Brierly .... Mr. HARRY MONKHOUSE Miss Maud Hobson Miss Grace Palotta Miss Blanche Massey Miss Decima Moore Mr. Charles Ryley Z>z^^/— "Dear Papa" Mr. Monkhouse and Miss MoORE Miss Hobson, Mr. Bantock, and Mr. Monkhouse Song — " Sunshine above " . . Mr. Charles Ryley ( "When your Pride has ) ,,. _ Son^— { , , ^ , , „ \ Miss Grace Palotta ^ had a Tumble " I Comic Sketch . . . The Sakers (Alfred and Alice) Song— "Foot Wandering One" Miss Florence Esdaile A Dramatic Incident in One Act, entitled WAITING. Characters by Miss Myra Kemble and Mr. Harry Monkhouse. Delory and Holland. 1 18 AUSTRALIA Scene from the Famous Opera, PEPITA. Bombardos Mr. Charles Ryley Pataques Mr. William Elton ^^«§-^" Embarrassment " . . Miss Isabel Webster A Drama in One Act, entitled THE GOLD DIGGERS. Nat the Roarer (a Digger) . . . Mr. SCOT Inglis Jake Guzzle (Boss of the "Shanty") . Mr. Coughlin Mr. C. Thomas Mr. Harry Monkhouse Mr. Harry Leston Miss Maud Hobson . Little Baby Lohr Mulberry Jim (a Poet) . Rich Jim (a Digger) Titus Brown (a Nigger) Nelly Garden (Jim's Wife) Freddy (their Child) . Song Mr. Harry Shine Selection from First Act of IN TOWN. . Miss Blanche Massev Duchess of Muffshire . . . Mrs. Edmund Phelps Gwendoline Kincaddie (her Daughter) Mr. Hopkins (a Tutor) . . Mr. Leedham Bantock 119 ROUND THE WORLD Lord Clanside .... Miss Florence Lloyd Hoffman (Hall Porter) . . . .Mr. Fritz Rimma Benoli (Hotel Proprietor) . . Mr. Arthur Hope Bloggins (a Solicitoi-'s Clerk) . Mr. E. D. WOODHOUSE Captain Coddington . . Mr. W. LOUIS Bradfield Duet—'-'- Dear Mamma" Mrs. PHELPS and Miss Massey r,-/.-" Taradiddle » . I '^""=- ^IT^f' '""'^°^''' I and Miss Lloyd. Honorary Musical Directors, Messrs. Granville Bantock and Geo. Hall. Honorary Stage and Business Managers, Messrs. GARNER and Emery. So much for our work in Sydney. The last fortnight was taken up with second editions of our other pieces ; and on the last night of all we gave a miscellaneous bill, of which more anon. Sensational as was the rise of Melbourne, and grand even her fall, she is now in the slough of despond, the proud Victorian capital, humbled before her rival. As a city of the chess - board order, Melbourne 1 20 AUSTRALIA is remarkable. The public buildings are magnificent ; indeed the Parliament House is out and away the finest in the colonies, and the only building worthy of sheltering that august body, the Federated Legislature, which up to the present exists only in the fertile womb of the near future, and holds its sittings in the equally fertile imagination of Sir Henry Parkes. Melbourne — "Smelbourne," as the insolent Bulletin has it — is in the opinion of some the queen of Australian cities ; but to our mind Sydney, the more English, more stable city, seemed beyond question destined to be the future capital of Australasia. Its business streets, named after King George of blessed memory and the great Pitt, would not shame any European capital ; but no thoroughfare is more characteristically Australian than Macquarie Street. 121 ROUND THE WORLD Here we have Whitehall and Harley Street in one, with a suggestion of Park Lane at midsummer. Along one side of the street run the beautiful Botanic Gardens, of which Sydney folk are so justly proud. If they didn't make their harbour, they can at least claim the gardens, where rocky slopes have been, at great expense, transformed into shady bowers of tropical fernery, winding walks, stately avenues, and ornamental lakes. From the street above, these gardens slope down to the shores of Farm Cove, where the smart squadron lies at anchor off Garden Island, the hospitality of which was extended to some of our party. Then, in Macquarie Street, besides the residences of all the leading medical men, we find most of the Government buildings — the Treasury, Department of Railways, Public Library, Hospital, Parliament House, 122 AUSTRALIA Mint, and Bankruptcy Court. Business at the last-named purgatory is generally brisk, and many Sydney tradesmen amuse themselves by quarterly excursions "up King Street." The Treasury is a fine building, dis- figured by the usual moiety of gingerbread ornamentation ; the Library is excellent, well ventilated and lighted, and with a collection of over 10,000 books on Australian topics alone. The Parliament-House is a tumbledown old barn, seen from the outside, though its interior is more pleasing, and the proceedings are occasionally amusing. The Mint is another octogenarian building ; but a visit is interesting, on account of the various golds one can see there — gold from Charters- Towers, from Mount Morgan, from the Palmer, and from one or two small New South Wales fields. Over twenty million ounces of oold have been coined here. 123 ROUND THE WORLD Besides these buildings, Macquarie Street must contain quite fifty boarding-houses, at some of which the fare was, however, some- what ascetic. It was at one of these that the terrible Dacre tragedy occurred. And before quitting this street, we must give it one parting word of praise. It is quite the least dusty in Sydney — by no means a trifle in a city where, for the most part, the dust gets into everything, even the sugar. The Corporation — all honour to them — have a weakness for sprinkling sand over the wood pavements whenever rain threatens. This is done in all kindness to save the horses' knees ; but the rain disappoints, — a little way it has in that land, — and the dust gets in the horses' eyes, and makes their drivers expostulate in language the reverse of good taste. Of Sydney's palatial buildings we will give no account, though they surpass in every 124 AUSTRALIA respect those of cities of ten times its years. Fine buildings are a passion with colonials; and each capital wants the biggest thing in public halls. The ratepayers jib at this flagrant jobbery, but they are inordinately proud of it all the same. The visitor likes it better still, for he can admire the sights without having to put his hand in his pocket. The Town Hall is quite the finest in the colonies, and contains the largest organ in the world. Through the courtesy of the Mayor we had an opportunity of hearing M. Wiegand exhibit the capabilities of this excellent instrument with complete command. Here we may add that our kind host, although not a patron of theatres, invited us to inspect his suite of rooms, and therein entertained us in the most hospitable manner. Of striking architecture, the Town Hall would compare 125 ROUND THE WORLD favourably with our Mansion House, and is far preferable to the Paris Hotel de Ville. The Lands-Office and Post-Office are also magnificent structures ; and from the summit of the tower of the latter building you may get a superb view over the harbour, Botany Bay, the Parramatta and Lane Cove Rivers, and the green country inland, away to the Blue Mountains in the background. But the abuses of the postal arrangements let us try and forget, even though we cannot forgive. Apart from the absurdity of having to pay on a letter for anywhere beyond the confines of the city only one halfpenny less than the cost of sending it to Iceland or Siberia, there are a number of red-tape nuis- ances that irritate the visitor, although the residents seem to like them. For instance, there is no parcels post to the States! Printed matter and manuscripts are charged at letter 126 AUSTRALIA rate, unless addressed to an editor or pub- lisher. So that the latter functionary, wishing to return them, has to pay heavily. And many parcels, on which postage was nominally paid to the door of the addressee, are left at the post office, a notification being stuck in the letter box that, if wanted, they can be fetched. These are comparatively dignified means of getting the maximum of pay for the minimum of work ; but the Department recently conceived the brilliant notion of reprinting sheets of obsolete stamps for sale to the collector. In doing which, it is only fair to say, it brought down on its head the ridicule of the press. To anyone interested in the conduct of prisons, a visit to the courteous governor of Darlinghurst, Mr. Herbert, may be recom- mended. We went over this exceedingly 127 ROUND THE WORLD well-appointed jail on several occasions, each of which confirmed our opinion that colonial prison life is a kind of picnic. In a certain section of both Press and Parliament there is, for reasons into which it is unnecessary to inquire too particularly, a deep-rooted sympathy with offenders of every grade ; and the slightest attempt at discipline, even with the most brutalised larrikin, calls forth leading articles in Truth, or other papers of that kidney, headed: OUR INHUMAN PRISON SYSTEM. The inmates are so well fed and cared for that they never make the slightest attempt at escape ; and when released, seldom fail, after a brief interval of unprofitable liberty, to renew the treatment. Among the prison's more distinguished inmates have been " Moonlight," " Thunder- bolt," and other gentlemen of the road, alias 128 AUSTRALIA bushrangers, known to fame ; and on the beam over the drop are inscribed the names of the desperadoes of both sexes who have paid the last penaky. There is nothing of the sensational about the colonial jails. Execu- tions are not made public by tolling bell or black flag flying in the breeze ; and the governor has not even the customary museum of relics with which to charm the morbid. The University, which can be reached by the cheap and convenient yet dirty steam- tram, has a hall equal for size to anything at Oxford, although it naturally lacks that touch of beauty which only age and associations can bestow. The students include women, and some very attractive undergraduates there are too. Mens eadem, sidere viutato is the appropriate motto of this Southern-Cross university ; while under the arms of the 129 ROUND THE WORLD Melbourne alma mater, younger by three years, is inscribed the more modest legend, Postera cresca^n laude. Some of the other buildings we visited also, but memory unfortunately fails to recall their attractions. To the Observatory, a great improvement on the older establish- ment out Parramatta way, we were most hospitably welcomed by Mr. H. C. Russell, the Government Astronomer, who brought us nearer to that disappointing constellation, the Southern Cross, and showed us some of his beautiful sky photographs. Those who cared about natural history found plenty to interest them in the mam- malian and fish collections in the Museum, a substantial building that faces the parched quadrangle styled by courtesy Hyde Park. And with stuffed specimens they must needs be satisfied, since Sydney has no 130 AUSTRALIA Aquarium, and its " Zoo " — well, it will be kinder not to describe it. Of Sydney's amusements, a word. They are varied, as Sydney folks are fond of pleasure. First and foremost came the picnic, — that comfortless al fresco repast, con- stantly interrupted by ants and black spiders, bush fires, and snake alarms, — for which Australians have such a passion. For this taste, — craze, rather, — climate is answerable. The harbour, too, was at the week end one vast playground, and Sydney's citizens pass most of their lives yachting over its vast expanse, or fishing its hundred inlets. Theatre-parties, too, are another institution, though there were none of those somewhat effusive receptions which interrupted us occasionally in America. Lecturing is sure to pay well in the colonies, if both the lecturer and his subject are good ; but it is a 131 ROUND THE WORLD fatal mistake to think that anything is good enough, for the audiences are, on occasion, exceedingly critical. Thus, Mr, Villiers, the war correspondent, drew very full houses during the time he stayed in Sydney ; though other lecturers out from home, not- ably a popular ecclesiastic and an interviewer of some reputation, failed ignominiously. Before glancing at the picturesqueness of its surroundings, we may mention the chief means of getting about the city itself. First of all there are the steam-trams, unsightly and noisy arrangements with all the vices of trains and none of their virtues, which run at low fares, without distinction of class, to all parts of the city, and to some outlying suburbs like Botany and Coogee. Omnibuses there are, too, with wonderful drivers who, unassisted by anything so modern as a conductor, control their horses, 132 From a Photo by Satony, [Nnv Yoji LliKDllAM IJAMOCK. AUSTRALIA collect fares, give change, hail passengers, and even regulate the opening and shutting of the door by a footstrap. Then there is a cable-tram, on the same principle as the Melbourne cars, working along an endless steel rope from a central power station. As a short section of this cost the Government just over ^^ 150,000, we should consider it rather a fancy under- taking, especially as the fares are exceed- ingly low. The hansom is also much in vogue, — the costly and bohemian hansom ; but never believe a word of travelled liars' nonsense about the shady morals of those Australians who ride in hansoms. There is nothing that would not equally apply to London or any other capital. A peep we must give, in conclusion, at a few of the beauty spots in the neighbour- hood. Few cities — none, at all events, in 9 133 ROUND THE WORLD Australia — are happier in their surround- ings. Well watered is this corner of New South Wales, and on some of the rivers, to say- nothing of the harbour and Narrabeen Lakes, there is some lovely scenery. The Lane - Cove River and Hawkesbury are specially beautiful, as also parts of the George's River at Como and Sans Souci. There are peeps in the National Park more exquisite than any glade of the New Forest or Richmond Park, of which so much is made in the old country. At the same time, there is a certain undeni- able monotony in the tree-ferns and palms that are the prevailing feature in tropical scenery. But typically Australian above all Sydney's other show - places, are the rugged rockeries near Bulli. Few of us visited the Blue Mountains and the famous 134 AUSTRALIA Jenolan Caves, the pUce de resistance of the colony ; but those who did, brought back won- derful reports of the marvels they had seen. To the Harbour we cannot attempt to do justice. " We got into Port Jackson early in the afternoon, and had the satisfaction of finding the finest harbour in the world, in which a thousand sail of the line may ride in the most perfect security." Thus wrote Captain Philip in his despatches more than a hundred years ago, and the "finest harbour in the world," notwithstanding the claims of Rio and one or two other candidates for the premiership, it has since remained. Sydney people are untiring in their praises of this wonderful piece of landlocked scenery, which, on his own confession, baffled even Trollope's pen. For the tired voyager, who has knocked about for weeks on the open sea, there is a 135 ROUND THE WORLD charm almost supernatural in the infinite peace suggested by this vast anchorage, shut in from the ocean and dazzling the eye with its rapid succession of tranquil bays and bluff headlands, some bald and deserted, others clad in every shade of green, and crowned with trim villas of every design. Islands there are to enhance the variety of this lovely lagoon — Garden Island, with its gunboats. Shark Island, Fort Denison (which has the homely sobriquet of Pinch- gut, in honour of a prisoner who was once starving there, until his wife heroically braved the sharks and swam across each night with provisions), and others. Many of the bays, which from the upper deck of a P. & O. look inconsiderable enough, would accommodate whole squadrons. Middle Harbour, the most beautiful arm of Port Jackson, would hide many of the world's 136 AUSTRALIA navies. Attractive as this harbour must have been a hundred years back, Sydney archi- tects and gardeners have made it infinitely more so ; and there is something reasonable, after all, in the national pride. Potts Point would look bare indeed, and Darling Point deserted, without the pretty dwellings that are mirrored in the still water below. Some of its bays are lovely — Neutral and Mossman's Bays particularly so. Of a Saturday afternoon, Manly was the favourite rendezvous, and half Sydney boards the cheap, swift steamers, and devours the Bul- letin and passion - fruit. And down there by the rolling Pacific, the young ones ride ponies, and paddle out of reach of the sharks, Watson's Bay, on the other side of the harbour, is very different, and the sleepy little hamlet is little visited save by the pilots who live there. There is no beach, 137 ROUND THE WORLD as the ocean breaks against the perpendicular cliffs, and resounds in the gap that witnessed the break-up of the Dunbar in 1857. The drive, however, from Sydney along the new South Head road, gives unrivalled views of the harbour ; and the Macquarie Lighthouse, which flashes its white beams fifty miles seaward, is well worth inspecting. Oystering among the rocks is a favourite pastime with the Watson's Bay folks — think of it, ye epicures : going forth with hammer and chisel, and feeding to repletion on rock oysters ! To the harbour we do not pretend to have done justice, having merely jotted down such memories as recur after a lapse of months. Other features of Sydney would doubtless occur to us if memory were but jogged sufficiently. For instance, there are the two Chinese quarters ; not a patch upon the 138 AUSTRALIA 'Frisco rookeries, yet sufficiently interesting, doubtless, to those who had not seen the others. The visitor delights in driving bargains, as he is pleased to consider his purchases, in bath-slippers, water-pipes, whist- markers, and other rubbish, while the wily Yellow One ties up the parcels with impassive countenance. The Arcades, too, found here as in Melbourne, are usually thronged in Sydney ; and on Saturday morning the dlite assemble there, and chatter and ogle, the gentler sex, with those dark eyes they know how to use so well. Some account might have been given, too, of Sydney's palatial banks and leviathan insurance buildings, two of the latter being somewhat the same size as our Royal Exchange. But Australian banks are a sore subject with some. 139 ROUND THE WORLD Nor must we forget that popular function of Sydney and her rival, the "send off," in which laree crowds of friends assemble on the quay, and speed the parting ship with cheers and bouquets. And the professional photographer is perched close by, and transfers to glass their tears and gestures of sorrow. There were also excursions up the Hawkes- bury River, the Rhine of Australia, where, on one occasion, we took part in a wallaby drive, in which the only ingredient wanting was the wallaby. Shooting over foxhounds did not prove a success, and only one small scrub- wallaby paid the penalty. Several times we camped up near Flat Rock, Middle Harbour, until the sameness of that enclosure palled on us. Parramatta and Botany were also favourite excursions. Lest we should be in danger of accumulat- ing any spare cash afar from the temptations 140 AUSTRALIA of Chinatown and Cole's Arcade, our good genius furnished a diversion in the shape of Tost & Rohu's curio shop, not far from the post office, and several sales of furs and rugs at Lawson's auction rooms in Pitt Street. A mania set in, moreover, for buying curious pets. Arthur Hope started a native bear, which died almost immediately in its devoted master's arms. Cecil Hope ran a diminutive and unprepossessing monkey; and others were the proud owners of diamond- snakes, baboons, opossums, and what not. Jamrach himself might have coveted such a collection. Our last night in Sydney was, as afore- mentioned, devoted to a special mixed pro- gramme, and the reception it met with was phenomenal. Indeed, the house had been crowded the last ten nights in response to 141 ROUND THE WORLD short revivals of hi Town, Gentleman Joe, and A Gaiety Girl. But on 19th September we played to the largest audience of all, the programme being as follows : — The Second Act of IN TOWN. CAST. Capt. Arthur Coddineton ^ ,, ,,. ^ ' Mr, \V. Louis Bradfield ington ^ )\vn) J (a Alan about Town) Duke of Muffshire .... Mr. Charles Ryley Lord Clanside (his Son) . . Miss Florence Lloyd Rev. Samuel Hopkins (his Chaplain) Mr. Leedham Bantock Hoffman (Hall Porter at the "^ ,. ^ ,, ^ . TT ,„v ( • • Mr. Fritz Rimma "Caravanserai Hotel") ) Benoli (ALinager of "Caravanserai ^ ,, . ' Mr. Arthur Hope } Hotel") . Shrimp (Call Boy at the "Ambiguity") Mr. Fred Kaye Bloggins (a Solicitor's Clerk) . Mr. E. G. Woodhouse Fritz (a Waiter) Mr. Gates Housekeeper Miss Ethel Carlton Tybalt Mr. ARTHUR The Duchess of Muffshire . . Mrs. Edmund Phelps Lady Gwendoline Kincaddie "I ,,. ^ „ ^ , , \ Miss Blanche Massey (her Daughter) . Marie Bellville .... Miss GRACE Palotta } 142 AUSTRALIA Flo Fanshawe (Principal Dancer ) ,,. ,,_ n^^. .. ^ * } Miss Madge Rossell at the "Ambiguity") . J Maud Montressor (Principal Boy \ ^.^^ ^^^^ HORSON at the "Ambiguity") . Lottie . ^ Clara Lillie , Minnie . J Miss Laura Kearney , . Miss Clare Leighton "Ambiguity" Girls < ,,• r, -r- ^ ^ ' Miss Sophie Elliott Miss Ethel Selwyn and r" Girls ] ■ Kitty Hetherton (Prima Donna ) ,.• t^ ,t ^ ^ > . iMiss Decima Moore at the "Ambiguity") . j Waiters, Chambermaids, Burlesque Actors and Actresses, etc. The P.is Seul by Miss Madge Rossell. The Pas de Trois by Mdlles. Maggie Crossland, Lucy Murray, and May Lucas. Selections from THE SHOP GIRL AND GENTLEMAN JOE. 1. "The Japanese Dance." i. "The Coon Dance." 2. " Di Di." 2. " In my 'Ansom." 143 ROUND THE WORLD The Second Act of A "GAIETY" GIRL. (( CAST. Charles Goldfield . Major Barclay Bobbie Rivers Harry Fitz Warren Ronny Farquhar , Sir Lewis Gray (Judge of the Divorce Court) Lance (Goldfield's Servant) Auguste (Bathing Attendant) Dr. Montague Brierly Rose Brierly (his Daughter) Lady Edytha Aldwyn Miss Gladys Stourton Hon. Daisy Ormsby . Lady Gray (Wife of Sir Lewis) Alma Somerset . ^ Girls Cissy Verncr . [ of Haidee Walton I the Ethel Hawthorn J "Gaiety" Lady Virginia Forrest Mina (Maid to Lady Virginia) . Society Ladies Mr. Charles Ryley , Mr. Fred Kaye . Mr. Cecil Hope Mr. E. G. WOODHOUSE Mr. Arthur Hope Mr. Leedham Bantock . Mr. C. W. Berkeley Mr. Fritz Rimma . Mr. W. L. Bradfield . Miss Decima Moore f Miss Laura Kearney Miss Sophie Elliott [ . Miss Ethel Selwyn Mrs. Edmund Phelps Miss Blanche Massey Miss Florence Lloyd Miss Clare Leighton . Miss Madge Rossell . Miss Maud Hobson . Miss Grace Palotta The Pas Seul by Miss Madge Rossell. The Carnival Dance by Mesdamcs Maggie Crossland, Lucy Murray, and May Lucas. 144 AUSTRALIA That same night we returned to Melbourne, where we played for five weeks at the Princess' Theatre, opening on 21st September with GefUleman Joe^ and continuing with The Shop Girl, A Gaiety Girl, and In Town ; and on our last night (25th October) repeated the same special programme, which was also given at Bradfield's Benefit on the same afternoon, a function rather poorly attended, as all Melbourne had turned out to do honour to Lord Brassey's landing. Indeed, what with the preparations for its new Governor's reception, and one or two important race meetings, notably the Caul- field Cup, the capital was rather gay during our second stay there. We were not particu- larly successful in our little ventures at Flemington, so we are unanimous in de- nouncing horse-racing as the curse of the colonies. 145 ROUND THE WORLD There were one or two unavoidable alterations in the cast of two of the pieces. In The Shop Girl, W. Elton took the place of Monkhouse, who, as previously recorded, had gone home ; and the French Count was played by Mr. Berkeley. \n A Gaiety Girl, Bradfield appeared in the part of Dr. Brierly. So, on the 26th of October, we embarked on the Orient Co.'s steamer Oruda, leaving behind Miss Moore, who was determined to witness the run for the Melbourne Cup ; Cecil Hope, who was bent on farming in South Africa, as the short cut to health and wealth ; and another member of the company, who had married a Sydney gentle- man. The night before, there had been quite an ovation at the stage door, and Kaye was carried through the streets on six stalwart 146 AUSTRALIA shoulders. And this afternoon we got a famous " send off," which scarcely consoled us, however, for the rough seas we at once encountered on doubling the Otway. But to the homeward progress one last chapter by itself. It seems in place to give first some little idea of our Australian cousins, what sort of communities they form, and wherein their daily life differs from our own. Everyone of course carries away different impressions from such a visit, but much that appears in books about these same colonials has struck us as far wide of the truth. Visitors to the colonies have, for instance, laid great stress on the absence of what they are pleased to call " society " in those Southern cities. In the first place, it is questionable whether this same society is an unmixed blessing to any community. Indeed, 147 ROUND THE WORLD it may be questioned whether it may not some- times be an unmixed something else. Whether this is so, however, or no, it is very evident to anyone staying in Sydney or Melbourne, that, substituting a plutocracy for an aristocracy, — a moneyed class hovering on the outskirts of theGovernment House party, — there is almost the same society, shorn maybe of its culture, but with its old vices and virtues. Never believe that in this democratic community all men are equal. Far from it. A leisured class will be on the scene ere many years have run their course, and there are already three or four levels. Of course the transi- tion is far more rapid than in older countries. The Radical working-man, who in his poverty lost no opportunity of badgering those in authority, blossoms in a single "boom" into a large contractor, and buys a mansion at Potts Point, in the drawing-room of which 148 From a Photo by Tahn.x,\ rRi:i) KAVE. [Mdboiiriit. AUSTRALIA his good lady forthwith hangs oil paint- ings, and framed prints from the Christmas Numbers. Some strange manners go hand in hand with fine clothes down Potts Point way, and perhaps we may be forgiven one litde anecdote illustrating this. A friend was walking one day down Macleay Street, and all but trod upon a litde oxidised watch, which he kept until an advertisement should in due course appear in the next morning's Herald. Sure enough, there was an offer of one pound reward, and the address, a large house close to the spot where he had picked it up. By way of saving the owner the expense of the reward, he took it back him- self ; and the chatelaine almost snatched it from him, with never a word of thanks but, " Wait a minute, and I'll get the pound ! " Blank surprise was the prevailing expression on this Mrs. T.'s face, as her visitor politely 10 149 ROUND THE WORLD declined the munificent guerdon of honesty, and let himself out. The sequel to which episode was, that it was related that same afternoon, at an At Home, *•' how a man brought the watch back this morning, and was quite rude when ma offered him the reward." We should apologise for introducing so trivial an episode, did it not point a pain- ful moral that need not be further dwelt upon. In hospitality the colonial is a very Arab. It is open house, without so much as asking your name, in the bush ; and even in the cities, on the least excuse, — a letter of introduc- tion from a half-forgotten acquaintance, — they give you of their best. Taking in the stranger, not by any means the "angel unawares" of St. Paul, often ends in their being hopelessly taken in themselves, as a 150 AUSTRALIA large number of rascally adventurers from Europe have by means of forged credentials won their way into colonial society, and even married their heiresses. From somewhat frequent lessons, however, they are learning caution. Another noticeable feature of life in the colonies is the child. Australian children are terribly in evidence. They seem to accompany their mother on her afternoon calls. They are taken to receptions and theatres, which they cannot possibly enjoy. Perhaps the explanation of this is to be sought in the retrenchment all round — of nurses as of civil servants. It is not very generally understood at home that Australia is, so far as its citizens are concerned, a poor country just now, though this will not always be so, and nurses, like 'bus conductors, are reckoned an un- 151 ROUND THE WORLD necessary luxury. Ergo, the mother must stay at home or take her olive-branches with her. Small blame to her for choosing the latter alternative. She takes them round on show, and is as proud of the spoilt, bumptious little brats as the Roman lady was of her two little prigs. We are often asked — one does get some curious questions on returning after a long voyage — about the standard of education in the colonies. And, dismissing so serious a topic in as few words as possible, we should be inclined to say that education is far more widely diffused than at home, though highly cultured men are perhaps few and far between. Books are little read, save colonial editions of sensational fiction. Trilby had a good sale. But, on the whole, the bars do a better trade than the bookstalls, journalism is wretchedly underpaid, and sheep's brains fetch more 152 AUSTRALIA than men's. The Sydney Free Library, of which mention has already been made, is often nearly empty. On politics let us be equally brief. We happened to be in Sydney during the July election, when Parkes, Dibbs, and other prominent men lost their seats, and popular excitement ran high. The crowds in King Street were so dense that it was exceedingly difficult to get to the theatre. The working-man's vote rules the country, and the "man to save us" is he who promises to tax the classes and exempt the masses. At that particular election, Mr. George Reid, a barrister of some ability, but of scarcely commanding presence, went to the country on the Free Trade question, and was returned with flying colours. His octogen- arian adversary, on the other hand, who had 153 ROUND THE WORLD been calling large Federation-meetings all the winter, lost his place, and has since been devoting himself to literary work. A little way retired premiers seem to affect ! The attitude of these autonomous colonies towards the mother country, if such terms can be used without suggestion of irony, is unequivocal. Socially, as politically, great changes are cominof over colonial life as the old order passes away ; and future biographers will soon have to treat of the Australian race, and not of so many exiled Englishmen and their children's children. Climate and the removal of many re- straints will compass much ; and although England will still be "home" to colonials of the fifth generation, they will have lost many of the family vices and a few of its virtues. It seems impossible to quit the subject of 154 AUSTRALIA colonial traits without referring to their sport. The traditions of the land of their origin, and the climate of the land of their birth, make colonials born sportsmen. The widespread enthusiasm for cricket and foot- ball is remarkable. At intercolonial contests you may see little girls applauding good, or condemning faulty, combination with singular judgment. At the last Sydney test football match, where we saw the 'Varsity defeat the " Pirates," with some capital play on either side, there must have been five thousand spectators in the enclosures. Even golf, which the young lady in Punch was so surprised to find in an out-of-the-way place like Scotland, has found its way to the Southern Hemisphere ; and there are several clubs at Sydney and Melbourne. It is noticeable, that in approach shots the 155 ROUND THE WORLD ball must be taken very cleanly, it being im- possible to cut out a divot on that coarse turf. Shooting is chiefly confined to the "back- blocks," as the remoter districts are called. Our wallaby drive has already been men- tioned. Round Sydney, it is chiefly a chance of a few gill birds or wonga-wonga pigeons by day, or an "opossum" or flying squirrel by night. Fishing is a favourite sport in and around Sydney Harbour, and on one occasion some of the company braved the rolling Pacific in a cockleshell of a tugboat, and got very ill and caught nothing. There are quieter fishing grounds within the harbour, but winter is the wrong season for them. Horse-racing is rather too popular, if any- thing, in the colonies. On one occasion in Melbourne, two of the company rode in an 156 AUSTRALIA amateur handicap, and a voice from the crowd was heard to exclaim, "Those Gaiety boys ride better than they act ! " Anyhow, most of us dropped money at Randwick and Flemington, and felt henceforth convinced that betting is the curse of the colonies. That it is the curse of the working-man out there is certain at anyrate. He plunges incorrigibly. Failure drives him to crime ; success prompts him to drink. At the same time, it must be admitted that at many a colonial racecourse things are far better ordered than at Epsom or Longchamps. The starting machine, the plainly numbered saddle-cloths, and the dis- posal of the course so that all present can see the race from start to finish — these are among the arrangements which are far in advance of our notions of comfort. 157 Homeward Bound 159 Homeward Bound Adelaide — Albany — Colombo — Aden — The Canal — Port Said— Naples— Gibraltar— The Bay— Ply- mouth — The River. "P OUGH treatment we got, as already stated, from the Pacific, and several fair ones — and a few of the other kind — were laid low for some hours ; while Miss Hobson, Miss Kearney, Bradfield, and Ryley escaped by going overland as far as Adelaide, where we arrived early in the morning of the 28th. And the Austral, bearing the new Governor, Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, dropped anchor in Largs Bay almost with 161 ROUND THE WORLD ourselves. While we were up in the city, a large shark was caught, but most of it, save a few teeth, had disappeared on the following day, when we returned ; and the Oniba got under way and started across the troubled waters of the great Australian Bight. We enjoyed splendid weather, however, and reached Albany late in the evening of 2nd November, leaving the same night, after we had taken in a small cargo of wool. Thus we had no opportunity of visiting this rising port, where so many fortune - seekers land every week for the goldfields, presently returning, far less sanguine, for the most part, than they landed. Still there are, doubtless, exceptions. As soon as we had to face ten days of sea and sky in grim earnest, an Amusement- Committee was duly formed, and some ex- 1O2 HOMEWARD BOUND cellcnt concerts, dances, and deck sports were got up. Even now one has vague memories of a fancy dress ball, in which a baby, a gold digger, Deadwood Dick, a Spanish girl, and some coons figured pro- minently. The day after the ties in the sports were concluded — the prizes, by the way, being mostly won by the ship's officers — we sighted Ceylon, and anchored in the picturesque harbour of Colombo just before sunset, passing the outward-bound Orizaba just outside the breakwater. We naturally made at once for the shore, which we reached in various craft, and several of us put up at that cool and comfort- able hotel, the Grand Oriental. Alas for its seductive arcades ! Alas for the persuasive rascals, with their spurious jewellery, ivory elephants, embroidered cloths, and lace ! 163 ROUND THE WORLD Penniless we returned to our quarters on board, some to dive once more into the cash- box and rush ashore for more rubbish. Yet what delightful memories of beautiful Lanka, for all its pirates ! The evening drive in 'rickshaws, with myriads of fireflies breaking the swift-falling darkness ; the drive at sunrise out to Mount Lavinia, and the delicious breakfast of unrivalled prawn curry provided there ; the picturesque, overcrowded bazaars ; the de- lightful Cinnamon Gardens, and the quaint old temples, with their images of Buddha in every conceivable posture, and the fantastic frescoed walls portraying the tortures of the damned — it seemed too much almost to crowd into one day ; but the inexorable Blue Peter was up, as we could see through the telescope in the drawing-room of the hotel, and we must needs tear ourselves 164 HOMEWARD BOUND away from all the life and din and bright- ness, and get aboard. Only just in time, too, for the screw was revolving again at noon. Just before leaving, we were ill-advised enough to purchase a number of love-birds and Ceylon birds like parrakeets, of gay plumage but doubtful voice. This was done in utter disregard of the kindly warnings of our friendly butcher, and perhaps also out of compassion for the sufferings of the saleable feathered ones ; and sure enough they had all gone — where we had no wish to follow them — within a few days. After a week of very hot weather we passed Aden, and entered the Red Sea the same night. Here the temperature fell con- siderably, and overcoats came forth after a lono; absence. Early on the morning of the 23rd we lay II 165 ROUND THE WORLD off old Suez, and were at once surrounded by dhows and boarded by more thieves selHng photographs, figs, Turkish delight, lace from Malta, and stuffed parrot-fish and shells from Jaffa. By breakfast -time the last of these enterprising ones had been coaxed or thrown over the side, and we were entering the wonderful canal, with the desert on one side and a caravan of dromedaries on the other. Twice before reaching the lakes we had to tie-up to allow other vessels to pass. Kaye tried his hand at navigation, but no serious accident resulted. This was rather to Kaye's credit. So he says. Port Said was reached before daybreak on the Sunday ; and during the three or four hours in which the ship's side was trans- formed into a scene out of Dante's Inferno, black demons shrieking and dancing in the weird light of charcoal fires and paraffin 1 66 HOMEWARD BOUND lamps, we ran ashore, and were hopelessly robbed for the third time. Donkeys were hired, and we rode in parties out to the Arab quarter. Woodhouse, otherwise Wood-O, needed all his skill in horsemanship to keep his saddle ; and while he fared badly, many of us, unable to ride at all, came off even worse. We do not mean this in the literal sense ; and to the honour of the company be it recorded that no fall is known to have occurred. The beggars that pestered us in the streets proved an unmitigated nuisance. One man with a little boy approached Kaye, and prevailed upon his sympathetic nature to part with what small change he had about him, by the following piteous appeal : — " Me poor man, sir. Me very poor man. Dis little child, he no fader, no moder. Him very poor litde child. Him my child." The 167 ROUND THE WORLD obvious contradiction of this man's statement did not become apparent until after another rogue had tried the same dodge. We need scarcely say that the efforts of No. 2 were unsuccessful. Those who wandered about without the services of a so-called guide were the lucky ones, and are to be congratulated on their escape from these ill-conditioned birds of prey. One unfortunate member of our company found, on arriving back at the boat, that he had paid the guide of his party twice over. The chief Items of purchase were Egyptian cigarettes ; and for a week afterwards the woe-begone American straight- cut was taboo in the smoke-room. The streets of Port Said are most interesting ; and we would fain have lingered longer, gazing at the novel sights, admiring on the one hand, but not infrequently disgusted beyond 168 HOMEWARD BOUND measure. Here, a tame pelican was to be seen strutting proudly in front of the police- station or guard - house, indifferent to the ravenous mongrels prowling about in search of some such wholesome delicacy ; at another place a boy was offering for sale two live salmon-coloured flamingoes, for the modest sum of half a crown the pair. One of the authors felt sorely tempted to make the purchase ; but being already the proud pos- sessor of an Australian parrot and an enter- taining East Indian ape, both of which he hoped to get home alive, he thought better of what might have proved a doubtful acquisition. In all probability these flamin- goes would have followed their feathered relations the Ceylon love - birds, whose premature decease we have already re- corded. Our cabins took some time to get straight. 169 ROUND THE WORLD Boxes of Turkish delight, and nougat ; pipes ; cigarettes, laces, shawls, and Moorish slippers littered the floor in thriftless profusion. The roll of the Mediterranean soon awoke us to the stern fact that we were leaving behind us the sunny land of Egypt, with all its gay sights and strange fascination. Would that the " Gaiety Girl " had chosen to exhibit her charms to the fellaheen of Cairo and Alex- andria ! She might still have been able to write on her banner the memorable words of the greatest of Egypt's ravishers : " Veni, vidi, viciy But it was not to be. The good ship Oruba was bearing us swiftly home- wards ; and at each new dawn everyone felt that, after all, we were glad to return home. The remainder of our journey is quite devoid of interest, and may be dismissed in a few words. 170 HOMEWARD BOUND In the Mediterranean we encountered cold weather and rough seas. On the second evening after leaving Port Said we coasted along the unpromising shores of Crete. Next day we passed the Orient; and on the next we lay for an hour under the shadow of Vesuvius, where several of the company, being wanted at home by Mr. Edwardes, left by tender. Short as was our stay, it enabled some Neapolitans with an eye to business to cheat us out of what litde Colombo, Suez, and Poit Said had left. On the last day of November we passed through the Straits of Gibraltar, after lying a very short time off the town itself; and the snow on the Sierra Nevada, the first snow we had seen for so many months, suggested a curious coincidence. The last snow that we had looked on had been 171 ROUND THE WORLD on that other Sierra Nevada in the Far West. Along the coast of Portugal the weather was much warmer. Off Finisterre we dipped to the Ormuz, and ran through the bay in calm weather. Several landed at Plymouth and finished the journey by rail, but the rest of us pre- ferred completing the round by sea, and went up Channel in cold, unpleasant winds. Beachy Head, Eastbourne, Hastings, Dunge- ness, and the Goodwins were passed on the 4th, when we lay for some hours in low water off Thames Head, and finally reached Tilbury early on the 5th. Thus ended our delightful trip of four hundred and thirty -one days Round the World with A Gaiety Girl. MORRISON AND CHID, PKINTRKS, EDINBURGH University of California SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 305 De Neve Drive - Parking Lot 17 • Box 951388 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90095-1388 Return this material to the library from which it was borrowed. PN UCSOIJTHfRN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY AA 000 408 288 9