f.lMPSES OF 

 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 ^^.Ay-^' ^
 
 GLIMPSES 
 
 FOUR CONTINENTS
 
 /^^^^,^^/^^^^^a^^^1^%:^^
 
 GLIMPSES OF FOUR 
 CONTINENTS: LETTERS 
 WRITTEN DURING A 
 TOUR IN AUSTRALIA, NEW 
 ZEALAND, & NORTH AMERICA, 
 IN 1893. 
 
 BY THE 
 
 DUCHESS OF BUCKINGHAM & CHANDds 
 
 W/T// PORTRAITS AND ILLUSTRATIONS 
 From THE AUTHOR'S SKETCHES, etc. 
 
 To a wise man all the world's a soil. 
 
 It is not Italy, nor France, nor Europe 
 
 That must bound me, if my fates call me forth.' 
 
 Ben Jonson. 
 
 LONDON 
 JOHN MURRAY 
 
 NEW YORK 
 DODD MEAD AND COMPANY 
 
 1894
 
 B21 
 
 5 
 
 TO THE MEMORY 
 
 OF 
 
 MY HUSBAND 
 
 RICHARD PLANTAGENET 
 
 DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM AND CHANDOS 
 
 11453i>4
 
 PREFACE 
 
 What possessed you two to think of going 
 to Australia? This question has been put 
 to me and my cabin-mate so often that I 
 almost feel as if we ought to apologise for 
 having gone there and enjoyed ourselves so 
 much. The idea of this journey had a very 
 simple beginning, viz., seeing my cousin's 
 wife making blue cotton pinafores for her 
 little girl to wear on board ship, and talking 
 of their voyage to New Zealand as others 
 would talk of a trip to Paris. "You see," 
 she said, " it does not seem so lonor as vou 
 suppose : first one stojis at Gibraltar, then 
 at Malta, Brindisi, Suez, Aden, and Ceylon ; 
 and the only long part is from Ceylon to 
 Albany in King George's Sound, and that
 
 viii Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 is only ten days. After reaching Australia, 
 one feels one has almost arrived at New 
 Zealand, although it is quite a little voyage 
 to get there from Melbourne." 
 
 A fortnight later I met my future 
 " cabin-mate " at a shooting-box in the 
 Highlands, and persuaded her relatives 
 that a sea voyage would be the best thing 
 in the world for her, and we wrote at once 
 for a three-berth cabin on the P. and O. 
 S. S. Arcadia, to sail on the 14th October. 
 I do not envy any one the week before 
 embarking, for the first time, on so long a 
 journey. The rushing about in London 
 from shop to shop (greatly impeded by the 
 wet weather and yellow fogs), the ordering 
 summer garments, and trying to realise 
 how hot it will be in the Red Sea, produce 
 a certain confusion of mind ; and it is 
 just a mercy that, under the circumstances, 
 one gets anything like a suitable outfit for
 
 Preface ix 
 
 the glorious winter of blue skies to which 
 one is hurrying. The difficulty of com- 
 ^ pressing one's luggage is very great, as of 
 course one has to take many wraps and a 
 few warm dresses ; besides, as we were going 
 to stay at various Government Houses 
 where there would probably be functions 
 of sorts, we had to lay in a certain quantity 
 of evening gowns, and also invest in 
 canvas-bags and cabin-boxes to fit under 
 our berths. People were most kind in 
 presenting us with a variety of things and 
 books they thought would be useful, and 
 against our better judgment we encumbered 
 ourselves with these "presents," only to 
 reo^ret it when too late. 
 
 Board ship is not the place to read 
 improving books, and as to a tea-basket, 
 one has hardly energy to drink the tea 
 that is poured out, much less make it. 
 If you go to a picnic in Australia, you
 
 X Due //ESS OF Buck/ngham's Letters 
 
 make billy tea in a tin can as the "Sun- 
 downers " do ; and although it may be 
 rather amusing to play your guitar on 
 board ship, and sing to it with a good 
 chorus in the Indian Ocean by starlight, 
 it is a different matter when you come to 
 cross the American continent, and there is 
 no room for it in the cars, porter after 
 porter having to be bribed to find a place 
 for it where it would not get smashed ; so 
 my advice is, "travel light." 
 
 Now that Hilda and I are fairly started 
 I will begin to quote from my Journal, 
 parts of which used to be sent home to go 
 the round of the family.
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Author {Frontispiece) 
 
 A Sundowner i 
 
 GlHRALTAR 32 
 
 Mountains near Aden 33 
 
 Hilda Wolfe Murray To face 47 
 
 A Buddhist Priest 52 
 
 Albatross 53 
 
 The Earl of Kintore To face 61 
 
 Sunset View of Melbourne from Government 
 
 House 67 
 
 The Earl of Hopetoun in Mufti . . . To face 77 
 Rocks on Mount Macedon, near "Camel's 
 
 Humph" 79 
 
 Gum-tree Bush. — \'iew from Mount Macedon . 80 
 
 The Earl OF Jersey To face Sg 
 
 The IIopetouns' Coach ...... 93 
 
 The Fitzrov Falls 94 
 
 Carlotta Arch, Jenolan Caves . . . To face 98 
 The Three Sisters— Blue Mountains . . ,, loi 
 Maori Carving in
 
 xii Duchess of Buckinghaa/s Letters 
 
 The Earl of Glasgow 
 
 Mitre Peak, Milford Sound 
 
 Breaksea Sound 
 
 Our Coach on the Buller Road 
 
 On the Banks of a Trout-stream 
 
 Valley," near Nelson 
 The Daughter of a Maori Chief 
 The Brain Pot, Whakarewarewa . 
 The Little Girl in the Ostrich Shed . 
 TuA, THE Village Maiden, making "Kava" 
 
 Monument Park 
 
 Pike's Peak, from the Garden of the Gods 
 Balance Rock — Garden of the Gods 
 
 Niagara 
 
 Sir Julian Pauncefote, G.C.B. 
 Indian Scout .... 
 
 The Hai'PY 
 
 PAGE 
 
 To face 125 
 
 134 
 141 
 142 
 
 166 
 167 
 
 To face 203 
 219 
 220 
 254 
 258 
 260 
 261 
 
 To face 280 
 • 283
 
 
 A SUNDOWNER. 
 
 LETTER No. i. 
 
 Steam Ship "Arcadia," 
 Indian Ocean, /^h November 1892. 
 
 We left London on the 14th October 
 at eleven o'clock from Liverpool Street 
 Station, A sister, a niece, an uncle, two 
 aunts, several cousins, and other friends 
 came to see us off, and, as most of the 
 other passengers were also liberally pro- 
 vided with belongings, the confusion was 
 wonderful. However, at last we got
 
 2 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 safely into the saloon carriage of the 
 right train to Tilbury Dock, where friends 
 and all were packed like herrings in a 
 barrel on a small tug to go out to the 
 Arcadia. 
 
 Such a big ship she looked as we 
 climbed up her side ! and the first thing 
 we noticed was the Lascars swarming 
 about in their blue blouses, red turbans 
 and sashes, and white trousers, with bare 
 brown arms and feet. They looked very 
 cold and miserable at the mouth of the 
 Thames, but since we got into warm 
 climates they are different beings. 
 
 My cook and housemaid asked leave to 
 come and see me off at the ship, but they 
 were so afraid of being left behind, that 
 after a short inspection of the cabin, 
 dining-saloon, and upper deck, they re- 
 turned to the tug long before it was at 
 all necessary.
 
 A Floating Palace 
 
 No one who has not seen an enorm- 
 ous floating palace Hke this can form 
 any idea how wonderful it is. Every- 
 thing proceeds with the regularity of 
 clockwork ; a bugle sounds for meals, and 
 if any one is ill he can always have food 
 brought to him in his cabin or on deck. 
 There is a whole army of stewards in 
 white trousers and blue jackets who wait 
 at table. They are paid £12 for the trip, 
 and of course get tips as well, as every 
 one gives something to their table steward. 
 Many youths are glad to engage them- 
 selves in this capacity as a means of 
 getting out to the colonies. 
 
 For the first two days of the voyage 
 it was very stormy, although the stewardess 
 would not acknowledge there was even 
 half a gale on. Strangely enough almost 
 every one was sick ; and as I had got 
 a slight chill on that horrid little tug, the
 
 4 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 doctor kept me in my berth. One begins 
 to wonder, under these circumstances, what 
 on earth induced one to cross the briny 
 ocean, but of course one doesn't start 
 fair on these occasions, for what with the 
 packing and many good-byes one is fairly 
 worn out. 
 
 The moment of the httle tug's going 
 back to shore carrying a sad-hearted crowd 
 of friends and relations (half of them in 
 tears) waving hats and handkerchiefs, and 
 kissing their hands again and again, cannot 
 fail to give the most determined and brave- 
 hearted travellers lumps in their throats. 
 We stood close together, and remarked 
 how horrid this sort of thing was, and 
 that we were glad we had not to go 
 through it often, and how much worse 
 it would be if this were a troopship 
 and we soldiers oroinor off to the wars. 
 When the last little white rag- had ceased
 
 Settling Down on Board 
 
 waving, and the anxious faces were lost 
 to sioht, we descended to our cabin, and 
 tried to impress on my maid that she 
 had only two hours of calm sea to 
 unpack and get things ship-shape. 
 
 At first it seemed perfectly hopeless to 
 stow our manifold goods and chattels away, 
 and my sketching things and paint-boxes 
 always block up the road. Eventu- 
 ally we settled down, had a pretty good 
 dinner, and sat on deck, as we steamed 
 down the river, till quite late. It was a 
 trial for two such tall people to get used 
 to undressinof in so small a room. Dress- 
 ing was not so bad, as one could remain in 
 her berth till the other was out of the way. 
 
 Three days later we began to enjoy 
 life ; and it was a most pleasurable sensa- 
 tion to recline, well wrapped up, on our deck 
 chairs, a bright sun overhead, and the ship 
 flying along through the blue waves.
 
 6 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 The cabins are very well ventilated, 
 so much so that you can hear pretty 
 distinctly everything that goes on next 
 door. There was a poor little baby 
 that constantly cried, and its cheerful young 
 nurse, who sang, " Ta-ra-ra-boom-daye," 
 " Mrs. Enry Awkins is a first-class 
 Name," and other, too well-known, tunes, 
 till we could have strangled her with 
 pleasure. I have heard of people on land 
 being very much annoyed by the noises 
 of their neighbours, and many pretty 
 village quarrels which have resulted from 
 the said noises ; but if people are incon- 
 siderate in that respect on board ship, 
 one has to grin and bear it. as there is no 
 escape. Then, perhaps, there is some one 
 with a bad cough, or a man who whistles 
 out of tune all the time he is dressing, 
 and then comes thundering down the pass- 
 age, and breaks his shins over your hot
 
 Life on the S.S. ''Arcadia'' 7 
 
 water can and swears dreadfully. When 
 he is gone a young lady peeps out and re- 
 marks in a cheerful voice, on finding the 
 offending can, " Oh, this is what caused 
 all the damnation," upon which muffled 
 guffaws are heard from a neighbouring 
 cabin. 
 
 There are a lot of children on board 
 who get rather troublesome and cross with 
 the heat, and run about playing at hide- 
 and-seek amongst the deck chairs. Every- 
 body almost has a deck chair, and when 
 one is sitting in it, that is the only place 
 one can call one's own. 
 
 The cabins are all painted white, and 
 have folding-up washing-stands, and rows 
 of hooks to hang things on, and we had 
 large cretonne bags made with lots of 
 pockets to stuff shoes, etc. in. Above 
 our heads is a sort of arrangement which 
 one sees in a dairy for cheeses ; this holds
 
 8 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 our hats and parasols. Under the berths 
 there is room for a cabin-box ; and once 
 a week, on baggage day, passengers are 
 allowed to get up boxes from the baggage- 
 room. 
 
 One night I was just going to bed 
 when a large black rat came into my 
 cabin, and began to hop about all over 
 my things : the rats come up from the 
 hold, but do not often attack ladies in 
 their cabins, I was dreadfully frightened 
 by this unwelcome visitor, but refrained 
 from screaming, as I fled down the passage 
 in my nightdress, and got into a neigh- 
 bour's room ; then I sent for a steward, 
 who found a hole in the floor, which he 
 stuffed up with a towel, and mended next 
 morning with a piece of tin. 
 
 My maid was still more unfortunate, as 
 her rat went up her petticoats, and nearly 
 gave her a fit. She said it was as large
 
 Rats g 
 
 as a rabbit! In the second class, one 
 woman found her baby being devoured in 
 its berth, and actually the horrid rat was 
 hanging on to its lip. 
 
 There was also a parachute lady who 
 was attacked by one, and her screams 
 were so loud that some of us thought the 
 ship was on fire ; considering in what a 
 dangerous way she made her living, one 
 would not have expected her to be so 
 much affected by such a trifie as a rat. 
 They say these animals come to the cabins 
 to look for water as, like other folk, they 
 suffer from thirst in the tropics. 
 
 After that I used to put my sketching- 
 board across the doorway, in hopes that, 
 when the rats found this slight obstacle, 
 they would turn into my neighbour's cabin 
 for a drink. A short poem soon went the 
 round of the ship, entitled, " The Rat and 
 the Duchess."
 
 lo Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 The first place we stopped at was 
 Gibraltar, and most delighted we were 
 to get on shore, and drive in a rickety 
 little trap through the fortifications and 
 up to the market, where we bought 
 some bunches of roses, heliotrope, and 
 verbena, and a large grass bag full of 
 grapes, figs, and apples, for about one 
 shilling and sixpence. On the other 
 side was the meat market, and then the 
 Moor market, where stately Arabs, in 
 long white garments, sold plucked fowls 
 and live turkeys — such beautiful birds, 
 copper coloured and white. I longed to 
 buy one, but Hilda suggested it would be 
 a troublesome pet in our small cabin ! 
 
 We saw some English soldiers belonging 
 to a Highland regiment, so smart in their 
 kilts and pith helmets ; and further on, where 
 the Spanish lines begin, were some Spanish 
 soldiers. We also met some huntsmen
 
 Arrival in Malta i i 
 
 exercising a pack of hounds. The officers 
 hunt a good deal. 
 
 After two hours we returned to the 
 Arcadia. 
 
 On Friday, 21st October, we reached 
 Malta, where we were met and taken on 
 shore by a young cousin (Hon. Edward 
 Murray) in the Cameron Highlanders, who 
 arrived in a small green boat like a gondola. 
 We managed to make the most of our day 
 on shore, and saw a great deal in a short 
 time, in spite of a hot wind blowing the 
 whole time, making everybody sticky and 
 uncomfortable. We began by walking up 
 a great many stone stairs leading from the 
 harbour, and got desperately hot, as on 
 board ship one becomes so out of con- 
 dition for walking. 
 
 At last we were in the principal street 
 of the town, full of shops, where we in- 
 vested in a few necessaries, and then pro-
 
 1 2 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 ceeded to turn in at the iron gates of the 
 old palace of the Knights of St. John of 
 Jerusalem, now used as the residence of 
 the English Governor. We visited the 
 armoury there, full of all sorts of curious 
 helmets and coats of mail, swords, pikes, 
 flint guns, and one huge suit of armour 
 that belonged in former days to a giant 
 who was more than seven feet high. His 
 helmet was so heavy that we could hardly 
 lift it, and we could not imagine any 
 mortal supporting such a weight of metal. 
 Afterwards we saw the Council chamber, 
 all hung with valuable tapestry, and the 
 reception-room, which reminded me of the 
 state drawing-room at Stowe, the walls 
 were covered with the same crimson 
 brocade and heaps of old pictures. 
 
 After this we went across the square to 
 the guard-room, where the young officers 
 have to spend so much time in turns.
 
 Drive to Citta Vecchia i 3 
 
 liable to be called out at any moment of 
 the day or night, so when they are on 
 guard there they have to be very much 
 on the alert. The white-washed walls are 
 all decorated with their drawings and 
 sketches, chiefly caricatures. My youngest 
 brother was at one time stationed there, 
 and contributed to the frescoes, so of 
 course I looked at the place with great 
 interest. 
 
 We now proceeded to hire a carriage 
 and pair of white Arab horses, with long 
 manes and tails, and after some bargaining, 
 the driver agreed to take us for a fair 
 sum to Citta Vecchia, where my cousin's 
 camp was. It is about six or seven 
 miles distant, past many detached houses 
 and through little fields, from which the 
 stones have gradually been cleared and 
 built into walls, so that from a distance 
 you cannot see the grass or vines in these
 
 14 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 little vineyards, and the country looks 
 like a stony desert. The camp was at 
 the top of a hill, and the mess-room, where 
 we lunched, in a small villa, with a lovely 
 view right across country to the blue sea. 
 The food was black with flies, but we were 
 very hungry, and the officers had done 
 their best for us, so we did full justice to 
 the repast. 
 
 After a short rest we walked to the 
 Cathedral. Of course we were followed 
 by a crowd of beggars, but we adopted 
 the plan of hiring one boy to keep all 
 the others off, and this succeeded admir- 
 ably. The high altar was a wonderful 
 sight, all inlaid with blue lapis lazuli, and 
 covered with most beautiful tall candle- 
 sticks and much plate in solid silver. My 
 cousin then took us to see his tent, pitched 
 under some trees, and his beloved bull- 
 dog called Jack, a most formidable-looking
 
 The Cathedral of St. John i 5 
 
 animal, who soon made friends with us. 
 In the middle of the tent was a little iron 
 bedstead, with mosquito curtains coming 
 down all round to keep off " the buzzing 
 night-flies, who hush you to your slumber." 
 
 Our return journey was made in a small 
 tram railway, very like the one from 
 Ouainton Road to Wotton. It seemed 
 quite like an old friend to see the little 
 engine panting and snorting, but, oh ! it 
 was hot in that tram car, and we got a 
 good jolting ; however, it only took half- 
 an-hour getting back. 
 
 We were to have gone to see the polo 
 ponies, but were too exhausted to walk 
 about, and were thankful to reach the com- 
 parative coolness of the Cathedral Church 
 of St. John, where vespers were going on. 
 The scene was most picturesque and very 
 solemn. 
 
 All the women in Malta wear black, and
 
 1 6 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 a sort of black silk hood and veil. This 
 costume was adopted by order of the Pope 
 when, in 1 798, the town surrendered to 
 Bonaparte, and received a French garri- 
 son. It was afterwards blockaded by a 
 British squadron, was forced to surrender 
 through famine in 1 800, and by the Treaty 
 of Paris in 18 14, was confirmed to Great 
 Britain, It seems rather hard that the 
 ladies should be doomed to perpetual 
 mourning for a calamity which no longer 
 exists. 
 
 By this time it was five o'clock, and 
 we were glad to accept a kind invita- 
 tion from the flag lieutenant and his 
 charming wife, who had been our fellow- 
 passengers, to rest and dine at their house, 
 from which there was a beautiful bird's- 
 eye view of the harbour. We sat on the 
 balcony in a complete draught, trying to 
 get cool, and drinking excellent tea, and
 
 Re turn to the Ship 1 7 
 
 watchinor a Dutch vessel come in and beLrin 
 coaling. It was nice to get into a large 
 airy bedroom, have a good wash, and be 
 able to stretch about without fear of up- 
 setting some one or something. We sent 
 to the ship for our evening dresses, and 
 had a very pleasant ending to our long 
 day ashore. Our young hostess wished she 
 had had more time to unpack ; but, need- 
 less to say, we noticed no deficiencies, her 
 Maltese servants havincr done their utmost 
 to make the rooms look smart and pretty 
 before her arrival. Alas ! our return to 
 the ship was not so enjoyable, a smell of 
 coal dust everywhere, all the port-holes 
 shut ; and very soon the decks were a 
 sheet of water, all the black men washing 
 them tlown as fast as they could. At 12 
 P.M. we were rudely awakened from our 
 first sleep by the noise of the anchor chains 
 being wound up, and the shouting of the
 
 1 8 Duchess of Buckingham' s Letters 
 
 Lascars. Our next port was Brindisi, 
 which we reached on Sunday, 23rd. Ser- 
 vice in the saloon at eleven o'clock. 
 
 There was not so much to see as at 
 Malta, but every one was again enchanted 
 to go on shore. We landed at 3 p.m. and 
 walked about the steep stony streets, and 
 up to a curious Roman pillar, which used 
 to be the end of the Appian Way. This 
 town was the ancient Brundusium, and 
 was the place whence the Roman generals 
 almost invariably sailed in their wars with 
 Greece, Macedonia, and Asia. In conse- 
 quence of its situation, it has been the 
 scene of many historical events. Virgil 
 died there. Horace in one of his satires has 
 immortalised it. Agrippina landed on its 
 shore with the ashes of Germanicus. On 
 the fall of the Roman Empire it shared in 
 the general calamities which befell Roman 
 cities.
 
 Brindisi 1 9 
 
 We looked into several ancient churches, 
 in one of which were a number of life- 
 sized figures of saints ; one of them in a 
 long red cloak, on a gray horse, that 
 looked like a rocking - horse, and St. 
 Theresa in a nun's habit, in a glass 
 case. One could hardly imagine people 
 feeling very reverent when praying before 
 them. Mustering our best Italian we 
 hired a funny little carriage, and drove out 
 of the town past the old fortress -prison 
 guarded by Italian soldiers in their light- 
 blue uniforms. 
 
 The mass of masonry, lit up by the 
 afternoon sun, looked most picturesque, 
 all reflected in the water, as we drove 
 further round the bay ; but we could not 
 help thinking how many sad and weary 
 prisoners had been incarcerated within its 
 walls, not for a few weeks or days, but for 
 years and years, in the horrible dungeons.
 
 20 Duchess of BuckinCjHam's Letters 
 
 Hilda produced her kodak and did 
 several small photos of this interesting 
 fortress. 
 
 We continued our drive till we reached 
 a bright salmon-coloured villa, belonging 
 to the Turkish Consulate, surrounded by 
 a pretty terraced garden with steps down 
 to the water, and flower-beds. On the 
 other side was a vineyard, where the vine 
 leaves were all turning brown and red, 
 with the grapes hanging in tempting 
 clusters. The gardener proceeded to in- 
 vite us to rest ourselves on two garden 
 seats, while he fetched a large china 
 dessert - basket piled with the delicious 
 fruit ; also a bottle of sweet wine made 
 from the grapes of the vineyard, chattering 
 to us all the time in Italian. There was 
 a splendid old pine-tree under which we 
 sat, and the relief of getting away from 
 the noisy harbour and all the crowds of
 
 Blind Musicians 2 1 
 
 people on board was very great. Some 
 blind musicians came in a boat and played 
 several airs on their mandolines. One 
 called " Spingola Francese" Hilda used 
 to sing to her guitar. It is really only a 
 little song of a street seller asking if you 
 will buy his French pins. Not very 
 romantic when you come to dissect it. 
 
 They also sang " Santa Lucia," and 
 the bull-fiorht march out of " Carmen." The 
 gardener and the pine - tree had their 
 photos taken. At first he would not turn 
 towards us except in crab-like fashion, 
 and we thought he did not approve of our 
 proceedings ; but it turned out that he 
 had been badly stung on the eye, and was 
 afraid he would not come out handsome 
 enough. We had a good laugh over this. 
 
 On our way back to the ship we passed 
 the market-place, where there was a 
 crowd of swarthy people selling fruit of
 
 2 2 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 all kinds, and making a great deal of 
 noise. Lots of our Lascars mingled with 
 the crowd, buying mangoes, melons, and 
 figs. 
 
 Almost every one now wears white 
 dresses and shady hats, and we rejoice in 
 brilliant sunshine all day long. We had 
 a concert on board the other night, and 
 everybody who could sing, including the 
 captain, had to perform. We sit out on 
 deck in thin dresses till eleven o'clock at 
 night, and some of the men sleep on 
 deck. 
 
 Yesterday there was an eclipse of the 
 moon, very interesting to watch. In 
 England something always happens to 
 prevent one seeing it, either a fog or 
 much rain. 
 
 We have had several tropical showers 
 the last day or two ; they do not last 
 long, but make the deck and awnings.
 
 Arrival at Port Said 23 
 
 under which our rows of deck chairs are 
 placed, all wet and dripping. Then there 
 is a stampede, everybody dragging their 
 chairs under cover ; and the black fellows 
 come round with mops and pails, and 
 swish the water all along the scuppers. 
 
 2'^th October. — We reached Port Said 
 at four o'clock. All the Lascars were 
 massed forward, and with a brilliant sunset 
 reflected on them made a gorgeous picture. 
 There was much delay about landing 
 caused by the search for a man, who 
 was "wanted" by the police, among the 
 second-class passengers. We were told 
 that he was a most agreeable person, and 
 used to keep his shipmates in roars of 
 laughter. He was travelling with a young 
 wife and baby, and excited no suspicion 
 that he was a forger, or something of that 
 sort. 
 
 At last we got on shore, too late for a
 
 24 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 donkey-ride in the desert, on which Hilda 
 had set her heart. It would have been 
 most unsafe to go even a few yards down 
 any of the side streets. The population 
 consists chiefly of scoundrels of all countries. 
 The shops were brilliantly lighted, and 
 as we passed along, escorted by some 
 of our fellow-travellers, touts rushed out 
 on us with red fezes on their heads, and 
 in voluble pigeon English invited us to 
 enter, each declaring that we would not 
 find anything so good, so beautiful, or so 
 cheap, as at his store. " You come in, 
 missey ; you look round ; plenty you want 
 — very cheap, sar. You not oblige buy ; 
 you step in." The embroidered jackets 
 and caps found many purchasers, and we 
 invested in various fans and some sweet- 
 meats, lumps of Turkish delight, and 
 chocolate drops. We procured, too, some 
 pineapple ices in a cafe, which tasted per-
 
 Coaling at Port Said 25 
 
 fectly excellent after the heat and struggle 
 of landing in open boats from the ship. 
 rowed by cursing crews of savage-looking 
 Arabs, jostling each other's boats and 
 using awful language, if we could have 
 understood it. The street was a wide 
 road of dirty, black sand with no side- 
 walk, and one sank into unsuspected 
 holes in walking up from the landing-place. 
 
 Before we left the Arcadia the coal 
 barges had reached her side, and were 
 swarming with what looked, in the flaring 
 glare of swinging coal fires, like an army 
 of industrious black devils, all rushing up 
 and down the gangways with burdens of 
 coal on their heads, and chanting a sort of 
 dirge at the top of their voices. It was a 
 very curious scene, all by moonlight, sur- 
 rounded by other vessels covered with 
 lights and red, blue, and green lamps. 
 
 27//^ October. — We woke up to find our-
 
 26 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 selves in the Suez Canal, desert sands on 
 each side, and very wild-looking Arabs 
 roaming along the shore in loose cotton 
 garments, rather like a surplice, which 
 they speedily tucked up or took off alto- 
 gether if any one responded to their wild 
 cries by throwing a small coin into the 
 water for them to dive for. 
 
 Some Arab traders hooked their boat 
 on to us, and climbed with the agility of 
 cats on board with green oranges to sell. 
 They were dressed in a variety of coloured 
 garments like a long coat to the heels, 
 and white baggy trousers and turbans, 
 and when they were not swinging them- 
 selves on deck by a rope looked very 
 crrave and dio-nified. We saw our first 
 camel in the distance, and felt we had 
 really got to Eastern countries. Several 
 ships passed us in the Canal, one with a 
 lot of Chinamen on board, but an Enq-lish
 
 A Swarm of Traders 27 
 
 captain and officers. Another was a Ger- 
 man boat, but she looked very dirty ; in fact 
 they all did, as they were only traders. 
 
 \st November. — We reached Aden at 
 about nine o'clock a.m. Then an extra- 
 ordinary scene began. The vessel was 
 surrounded by a screaming crowd of Arab 
 youths, who came off from the shore in all 
 sorts of small craft, some in clumsy boats 
 painted red and green, others in little 
 canoes scooped out of a tree, which they 
 kept constantly baling by splashing the 
 water out with their hands and feet. 
 
 The decks beo^an to swarm with traders 
 selling long, twisted, polished horns and 
 many -coloured baskets in the form of 
 gourds, and pieces of silk and cotton, 
 scarves and handkerchiefs, and ostrich 
 feathers and boas — askino^ far more than 
 they meant to take, and cheating everybody 
 in every possible way, measuring the yards
 
 2 8 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 of stuff wrong, and acting in a truly 
 Eastern fashion. Some of them were 
 Jews, with black ringlets on each side of 
 their faces (the rest of their heads being 
 shaved), and long black robes over coloured 
 ones ; others were Armenians, in pink and 
 canary-coloured garments ; others negroes 
 quite black, all their gaudy costumes and 
 orange-coloured and ebony faces glisten- 
 ing in the sun. It was a perfect pande- 
 monium all day long ; the Arab boys never 
 seemed to tire of shouting, " Hab a dive, 
 sar," meaning we were to throw them six- 
 pences, which they dived for very cleverly. 
 We were rowed ashore in an Arab boat 
 by the wildest set of figures you can 
 imagine ; one of them with a coal black 
 face and bright yellow hair, like orange 
 tow, sticking up in tufts all over his head. 
 
 I began to sketch him from my end of 
 the boat, upon which he made some grim-
 
 Landing AT Aden 29 
 
 aces of high disapproval, and producing a 
 large, gaudy, crimson silk handkerchief 
 he proceeded to envelop his head in it, 
 holding the ends in his teeth while he 
 continued rowing. As the sun was pour- 
 ing down, and the reflection from the 
 waves very dazzling, we felt quite sorry 
 that he should think it necessary to wrap 
 himself up. I believe he must have been 
 a Mussalman, as it is against their religion 
 to have any image made of man, who is 
 the image of God. A mischievous little 
 Arab, who was steersman, chattered the 
 whole half-hour it took to row ashore, 
 chiefly on his extreme desire that " Missee 
 should give him a backsheesh." 
 
 On landing we were beset by a troop 
 of drivers offering their carriages for hire. 
 We selected two for our party, and were 
 soon galloping along the road to the tanks, 
 about five miles from the port, through a
 
 30 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 gateway and road cut in the rocks. We 
 passed several caravan camels with different 
 burdens ; one was a moving mass of dry 
 sticks, like an animated underwood ; some 
 were muzzled, as they were addicted to 
 biting passers-by. 
 
 We passed the Arab cemetery, a desert 
 of rock and stone slabs, with no wall 
 round it ; then entered the old Arab town, 
 where we saw a delightful little light 
 brown Arab baby with a string of blue 
 beads round its waist, and long gold ear- 
 rings ; women in gaudy garments, some 
 part of which was wound round their 
 heads. The whole population seem to 
 live in a sort of open room on the shady 
 side of their houses, sitting or lying on 
 rude chairs or benches. Little boys, with a 
 waistcloth for sole garment, followed the 
 carriaofes and crowded round us when we 
 alighted, begging, and saying they were
 
 " The Tanks," Aden 3 i 
 
 orphans — " No fadar, sar," " No moodder. 
 missey " — to excite our compassion. I 
 must say, if they were orphans they were 
 very well fed ones. 
 
 The walk through the garden to the 
 tanks was exceedingly hot, in fact the 
 rocks formed a sort of sun-trap, and re- 
 flected light and heat from every corner 
 of their surface. We were thankful tor 
 our double shady hats and double-lined 
 parasols. A guide accompanied us in a 
 white dress and purple turban. These 
 tanks are like a small quarry in the rocks, 
 date from very ancient times, and are said 
 to have been made by King Solomon and 
 utilised by the Romans. There was a 
 view of the town and the sea beyond, 
 which I sketched while the others went on 
 to the second tank. 
 
 The ship has been rolling all morning, 
 and the heat is fearful. We expect to get
 
 32 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 to Colombo to-day about four o'clock and 
 sleep on shore, Sir William and Lady 
 Clark having invited us to be their guests 
 at the hotel — a great treat, if we are not 
 eaten up by mosquitoes. 
 
 On Saturday, 5th November, we had a 
 fancy dress dance on board. The Lascars 
 decorated the deck with a variety of flags 
 and bunting, and all the ladies concocted 
 dresses for themselves. I appeared as 
 Katharine of Aragon ; and Hilda, as a 
 vivandiere, had a stuces fon wearing 
 the cap and jacket she bought at Port 
 Said, and carrying a small glass barrel, 
 painted blue and white by the carpenter. 
 
 GIBRALTAR.
 
 MOUNTAINS NEAR ADEN. 
 
 LETTER No. 2. 
 
 S.S. " Arcadia," 
 Southern Ocean, 14//1 November 1892. 
 
 In my last letter I believe we had eot as 
 far as Aden. You have no idea how- 
 hazy one becomes at sea as to time and 
 dates. For one thing one's watch is per- 
 petually wrong, as they change the clocks 
 every day to get them right by Australian 
 time when we reach that far-off countrw 
 
 The next excitement of the voyage was 
 arriving at Colombo on 6th November.
 
 34 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 After being pent up in a ship like a flock 
 of sheep, everybody feels in a most restless 
 state. As soon as we get in sight of land, 
 all crowd on the bows of the vessel, and 
 spyglasses are produced and passed from 
 one to another in order that we may feast 
 our eyes on houses and green trees. We 
 also watched the surf breaking on the shore 
 in showers of spray. Beyond was a fringe 
 of tall palm-trees, and before we reached 
 the liofhthouse and harbour we could see 
 the dim outline of the mountain range. 
 
 The weather had been showery, and w^e 
 were afraid of a ducking, as the sky was 
 lowering. The sun went down, and before 
 we were allowed to land it was quite dark. 
 I cannot describe the scene of confusion. 
 Many of the passengers were going off 
 to the SutleJ, which started the following 
 day for Hong Kong. Some of them had 
 babies and very small children, who cried
 
 Disembarking at Colombo 35 
 
 from fright and fatigue. Piles of luggage 
 had been hauled up from the hold by the 
 Lascars. 
 
 The ship was surrounded by steam-tugs 
 and row-boats filled with shrieking Arabs. 
 Everybody wished to go on shore at once, 
 and the gangway was blocked by a strug- 
 gling crowd, who got wedged together 
 with their large bags and baskets which 
 they carried in their hands. 
 
 When our turn did come to climb down 
 the slippery steps over the ship's side, 
 we felt as if we should hardly arrive 
 alive out of the hubbub. Long black 
 arms stretched out from the darkness and 
 hauled us on board, and stuffed us into 
 the stilling little cabin of the steam-tug, 
 illuminated by a flickering lantern. 
 
 One unfortunate passenger, in trying to 
 help a charming old lady and hold his bag 
 at the same time, missed his footing and
 
 36 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 went right down into the black water, bag 
 and all. He had just sense to let go the 
 bag, and fortunately came up at the same 
 spot, and was pulled out with no further 
 damage than a sprained shoulder ; but he 
 looked rather ill and shaken for some days 
 after his ducking. His young wife, for- 
 tunately, did not hear of the accident till 
 she met him safe, but dripping, at the 
 hotel. Everybody got separated in the 
 crush. 
 
 We had not gone far from the ship 
 when our tug was very nearly swamped, 
 as we collided with a coal barge. All 
 were bumped out of their seats, and the 
 shrieks and yells from the Arabs and 
 Singalese oarsmen were terrific. In their 
 hurry to back off the barge, they got our 
 tug in the way of a big vessel, and those 
 ho were on the deck thouQ^ht our last 
 
 w 
 
 & 
 
 hour was come, and that we should have
 
 Landing under Difficulties 37 
 
 to plunge into the black waters, at the risk 
 of being hit on the head by one of the 
 numerous long oars plying in all direc- 
 tions. One girl fainted, and if her mother 
 had not caught her, would have fallen into 
 the sea. Another got hauled up in a 
 rope attached to the machinery, and was 
 nearly strangled ; her shrieks added to the 
 general row. Mercifully we just escaped by 
 the skin of our teeth, as the saying is, but 
 it was a narrow shave ; we did not under- 
 stand how narrow till we got on shore. 
 
 A few steps from the landing we reached 
 the hotel, nearly run over several times by 
 erratic fly-drivers, all cracking their whips 
 and screaming at the top of their voices 
 We felt dazed after an experience of this 
 kind, and all collapsed quite exhausted into 
 some cane chairs that were in the veranda 
 of the hotel, for although pitch dark, it was 
 extremely hot.
 
 38 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 Beyond the veranda was a huge din- 
 ing-room, with a poHshed floor and scarlet 
 and white punkahs waving overhead. I 
 could only just stand upright under them. 
 Hurrying about in all directions were the 
 native servants, such clever, handy waiters, 
 dressed in white coats and trousers, with 
 scarlet sashes. They had most intelli- 
 gent faces, very dark brown, and jet 
 black hair done up in a little knob be- 
 hind, and surmounted by a smart smok- 
 ing-cap in coloured embroidery ; some 
 of the men wore beautiful tortoise-shell 
 combs. 
 
 We thought the dinner excellent, and 
 admired the beautiful flowers on the table, 
 such as one only sees in conservatories 
 at home. 
 
 After dinner we walked in the bazaar, 
 where the native shopkeepers did their 
 best to tempt every one with their wares.
 
 The Bazaar 39 
 
 Some were jewellers', full of precious 
 stones, sapphires, amethysts, Indian gar- 
 nets and moon-stones, and silver orna- 
 ments, spoons, and bowls, and wonderful 
 embossed trays, silver on copper, of all 
 shapes and sizes. There were also toy 
 bullock-carts for children, and ivory ele- 
 phants and Indian shawls, and silks of all 
 descriptions. The shopkeepers dressed in 
 a variety of costumes, according as they 
 were Mohammedans, Buddhists, or Hin- 
 dus. The Hindus in many cases had a 
 round mark the size of a sixpence on their 
 foreheads, made with white ashes — a 
 sign that they had been sealed by the 
 priest at their temple, when they went to 
 perform their devotions. 
 
 We slept in bare rooms, so cool and 
 delicious after the hot cabins : mosquito 
 net curtains all round the beds, and the 
 windows opening wide on to a balcony
 
 40 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 covered in with fine matting to keep 
 out the insects. The native servants kept 
 up a constant chattering till well on into 
 the night. We looked into a garden 
 where, as soon as it was light, various 
 dusky figures began to move about among 
 the strange trees and plants. I saw a 
 figure, that I took for a woman, combing 
 its long black hair over its face, but when 
 it whisked it up in a knot behind, I 
 saw it was one of the bearded waiters : 
 his long white skirt completed the illu- 
 sion. 
 
 We could hardly eat our breakfast for 
 longing to begin sight-seeing. An Indian 
 conjurer was performing in the veranda, 
 and I recognised all the tricks, that I had 
 so often heard described by the Duke and 
 my step-daughter as having been seen by 
 them in India. He carried a cobra ser- 
 pent in a basket, and eventually twisted
 
 A Conjurer 41 
 
 it round his neck. A crowd of Singalese 
 gathered round, watching with pleased, 
 amused faces a performance they must 
 have seen scores and scores of times, 
 just as the httle street boys, and big boys 
 too, watch a performance of Punch at 
 home. 
 
 My London housemaid told me that 
 her little boy would follow a Punch man 
 for miles, and had once or twice got 
 lost and been brought home by the police. 
 He was only four years old, and amused 
 them very much at the police station by 
 dancing and singing on the table ; but 
 when they wanted to put him to sleep 
 there, wrapped up in the tablecloth, he 
 said. No, he could not sleep in a table- 
 cloth, but wanted to go and find his own 
 little mother. 
 
 After the conjurer had taken his de- 
 parture, we proceeded for a long drive to
 
 42 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 a place called Mount Lavinia. Our way- 
 lay through the native town, which was 
 very interesting, such wonderfully pictur- 
 esque groups of black, brown, and yellow 
 people of all sizes, ages, and occupations. 
 Again we saw dear, fat, sleek, brown 
 babies, just able to toddle, with their 
 strin2:s of beads round their waists, and 
 beautiful little children, with lovely dark 
 eyes, sitting in groups at every cottage 
 door, just as they do at home. 
 
 The first place we stopped at was a 
 Buddhist temple — our guide belonged to 
 that religion, took great pride in showing us 
 all the curious paintings ; and there were 
 all the priests, with shaven heads and 
 bright saffron -coloured robes and bare 
 arms and feet. A huge image of Buddha, 
 whom they speak of as " Our Lord," in a 
 recumbent posture, had wonderful green 
 eyes, which they said were made of emer-
 
 A Buddhist Temple 43 
 
 aids. There were two other images of him 
 standing and sitting. All the walls were 
 covered with pictures of his history — how 
 he had a mysterious call to separate himself 
 from the rest of mankind, and left his wife 
 and child ; and how gold-coloured robes 
 were given him, and he founded the priest- 
 hood. There were also fearful pictures 
 of the different hells that people will go 
 to who break the commandments, which 
 seem to be something the same as ours — 
 thou shalt not steal ; honour to parents, 
 etc. On the ceiling were painted the 
 signs of the zodiac and the seven 
 planets. 
 
 One pagoda- sort of temple in the 
 grounds was said to be too holy for us to 
 see. The images of Buddha were very 
 gaudily painted, and enclosed by glass 
 doors, rather like a big cupboard — I sup- 
 pose in ceise we unbelievers should be
 
 44 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 tempted to steal his eyes, or anything 
 else. We were given some of the flowers 
 that had been offered that morning. 
 
 Hilda took a photograph of the oldest 
 priest, and also one of the keeper of the 
 temple and his children, who were delighted. 
 The keeper showed us their sacred book. 
 It was all written out in Singalese char- 
 acters on strips of palm leaf about three 
 feet long, and bound together with silver 
 and crimson cords ; the leaves smelt very 
 sweet. 
 
 We were followed from the temple 
 back to our carriage by a crowd of 
 children, all wantino- to sell flowers or 
 a strip of palm leaf writing. Our guide 
 next took us to see a native house. It 
 was a thatched cottage, very dark to 
 keep out the sun, most clean and neat ; 
 modern conveniences, such as a paraflin 
 lamp and a blue and white Manchester
 
 A Native House 45 
 
 tablecover, looked rather out of place ; 
 also rather common chairs, with turkey- 
 red seats. They showed us all their 
 cooking pots, of strange shapes, and 
 behind the house a fire an the ground 
 with just a few bricks to keep it together, 
 and a sort of frying-pan on it. They do 
 not eat meat, as it is unlawful for them to 
 take life, but subsist chiefly on rice and 
 breadfruit. They seem to thrive on the 
 diet, and their brown skins are well filled 
 out, and shine in the sun. One girl spoke 
 a word or two of English ; she had large 
 gold ear-rings and a striped garment wound 
 gracefully round her. 
 
 One of the youngsters swarmed up 
 a palm-tree in front of the cottage and 
 brought down a couple of cocoa-nuts. 
 A knife was produced, one end sliced 
 off, and the milk of the cocoa-nut lilted 
 into a glass for us to drink. Il you
 
 4.6 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 put a little sugar into a tumbler of water 
 and then steep a bit of apple in it, 
 you will know what it is like, — rather 
 nasty, I thought, but no doubt if one had 
 passed several days in a tropical sun, in an 
 open boat, previous to being wrecked on 
 a desert island, one would then think such 
 a beverage quite delicious. 
 
 After thanking the Singalese women, 
 and presenting them with a rupee, we 
 continued our drive ; and after going alto- 
 gether for about six miles, we reached 
 Mount Lavinia. 
 
 An hotel is built on an eminence looking 
 over the sea, and lots of surf boats, called 
 catamarans, were fishing and constantly 
 coming ashore. It was most amusing to 
 watch them dash through the breakers. 
 We walked to the beach, where rows of 
 them were high and dry. Swarms of 
 little woolly - headed and straight - haired
 
 Mount La VIM/ A 47 
 
 urchins were clamouring to be allowed to 
 climb a palm-tree, so we threw a small 
 coin amongst them, and the scrimmage 
 was tremendous. 
 
 Hilda took a kodak of it, and one 
 of our fellow -passengers attempting to 
 defend himself with his umbrella, and 
 nearly lifted off his feet by the surging 
 mass of little brown bodies. We saw 
 some English soldiers quartered there who 
 said they belonged to the Warwickshire 
 Regiment. They wore topees to keep 
 off the sun, and a sort of brown canvas 
 clothes, very unlike the smart red coats at 
 home. The conjurer had preceded us, 
 and was again at his tricks before an 
 admiring audience. 
 
 We returned to Colombo for lunch 
 and found two other conjurers, very 
 smart young fellows, with much larger 
 and fatter serpents, performing in the
 
 48 Duchess of Buckingham' s Letters 
 
 veranda. There was, however, no time 
 to admire them, as we were bent on 
 having a turn in rickshaws before it 
 was time to leave for the ship. Rick- 
 shaws are Httle hooded carriages, with 
 long shafts, to hold one person only, 
 drawn by a man who runs in the shafts 
 quite as fast as a pony. Three of us 
 raced through the streets in fits of laughter 
 at the novelty of our drive. 
 
 About four o'clock we returned to our 
 ship in the harbour-masters boat, rowed 
 by Arabs in white garments and red 
 turbans. This time we arrived with- 
 out accident. The decks were crowded 
 with traders worrying one out of one's 
 life to buy their precious stones and 
 bits of stuffs and silks. We were glad 
 when the bell rang and they all went 
 ashore. 
 
 The journey since leaving Ceylon has
 
 Heavy Seas 49 
 
 been rather trying, as we have had rough 
 weather and heavy seas. Many people 
 were unable to leave their cabins, and 
 very sick from the tossing and pitching. 
 Even if we do feel ill in the mornino^, we 
 always dress and come on deck, as our 
 cabin is so far forward that one gets 
 knocked about ; and at night the noise 
 of the creaking of the masts and the 
 swishing of the water is deafening. One 
 huge wave broke into the bathroom and 
 flooded our passage. 
 
 The worst of rough weather is that 
 the carpenter comes round and screws 
 down all the port-holes, and one feels 
 like a rat in a trap, and nearly suffocated 
 for want of air. However, it is wonderful 
 we manage to sleep so soundly. In the 
 morning one feels stift and sore, as if one 
 had been beaten all over. It is now much 
 cooler, and we begin to pack our cotton
 
 50 Duchess of Buckingham' s Letters 
 
 dresses and get out woollen ones on bag- 
 gage day. 
 
 Letters will be posted to-morrow at 
 King George's Sound, and we ought 
 to write Christmas letters full of good 
 wishes ; but it is difficult to realise that 
 you are all in the middle of winter at 
 home. 
 
 You have no idea how curious it is to 
 be in what they call a heavy sea, with 
 perhaps a brilliant sun overhead, and the 
 waves the colour of turquoise and sapphires. 
 You see small mountains stretching as far 
 as eye can reach, and you gradually get to 
 the top of one, and down into a valley ; 
 then up again with a great deal of creak- 
 ing and straining of timber and ropes — 
 people all looking very drunk on deck, 
 and trying to walk straight, but sent 
 flying into each other's arms when they 
 least expect it; profuse apologies; "Oh!
 
 The Pleasures of Lunching on Deck 5 i 
 
 don't mention it." " W'liere are you try- 
 ing to go to ? " says some gentleman, 
 seeing a lady struggling with her deck 
 chair, and trying to drag it to a more 
 sheltered position — "allow me"; he seizes 
 on it, lurches up against a small table, 
 where some one is working ; off flies the 
 workbox, reels of cotton into the scuppers ; 
 an unruly child comes past with its nurse 
 after it, catches in a rope, and down it 
 goes : such a yell. Or perhaps you are 
 having your lunch on deck, and a gust of 
 wind sends your glass of wine into your 
 plate, and blows the fried potatoes all 
 over the deck. In the second-class dining- 
 room yesterday one poor lady got the 
 whole cruet-stand into her lap by a 
 sudden lurch of the ship. Sometimes a 
 good deal of crockery is broken in this 
 way. I saw them getting out the fiddles 
 this morning ; these are squares of wood
 
 52 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 to keep the bottles and things on the 
 table, and look like little sheep-pens. I 
 will send another letter from Melbourne. 
 
 P.S. — A happy Christmas and a good 
 New Year. 
 
 /**«• 
 
 A BUDDHIST PRIEST.
 
 ALBATROSS. 
 
 LETTER No. 3. 
 
 S.S. "Arcadia," 
 Great Australian Bight, 
 
 Saturday, i()th Nov. 1892. 
 
 Since leaving Colombo we have had some 
 very rough weather, and it is a long voyage 
 without a break. One begins to feel that 
 one can hardly endure to remain on board 
 ship another hour, or another minute. 
 One begins to think of lions at the Zoo. 
 and poor wild larks in small cages, and to 
 have pity for all prisoners, whether animals, 
 birds, or men. 
 
 The little people are the only ones 
 who never seem to tire of the vovaQ^e,
 
 54 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 as running about the decks all day long 
 is quite enough exercise for their small 
 legs. My little cousin, Mary, was inde- 
 fatigable as an organiser of games ; and 
 sometimes she would collect her play- 
 fellows round my chair, and we would tell 
 each other stories, or play at dreams, each 
 one relating in turn his supposed experi- 
 ences in the land of Nod, while the others 
 had to guess what scene in Bible or secular 
 history he was trying to set forth. The 
 children did it perfectly gravely, but I 
 used to have some trouble to conceal my 
 laughter. 
 
 Sometimes one came across an amus- 
 ing scene on deck; for instance — one 
 stout old gentleman fell asleep in his deck 
 chair, and in the one next to him a large 
 wax doll had been put to bed by its little 
 mistress : gradually the sun came round, 
 and they both began to melt, and did look
 
 St. George's Sound 55 
 
 so absurd, side by side, with glistening 
 countenances and very red cheeks. 
 
 At last we reached the harbour of King 
 George's Sound. Early in the morning 
 on the 1 7th we wake up in a calm bay, 
 surrounded by low hills covered with scrub, 
 and see the small town of Albany glittering 
 in the sunshine. Alas! we hear some very 
 sad news ; the engineer who attends to the 
 refrigerating chamber, had fallen down into 
 it the night before and broken his neck. 
 The poor fellow was just going down to 
 get himself a glass of iced water before 
 going to bed, and the vessel gave a greater 
 roll than usual. He did not fall above 
 ten feet, but landed on the back of his 
 head against an iron ladder. He was only 
 about thirty, and left a young wife. This 
 sad occurrence cast a gloom over what 
 would have been a very pleasant day. 
 We all went ashore in a steam-tug, which
 
 5 6 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 took twenty minutes to reach the landing- 
 place, and then we wandered down the 
 only street of the town, and beyond into 
 the country, where we saw a beautiful 
 view of blue mountain ranges, thirty miles 
 off, and gathered a quantity of wild flowers ; 
 lots of geraniums, and tall Arum lilies 
 growing like weeds. We could spare only 
 two hours, which passed like lightning, 
 and then we had all to crowd on the little 
 tug again. 
 
 When we had disembarked or rather 
 re-embarked, a sad procession carried 
 the coffin of the engineer, covered with 
 a Union Jack and a cross of the white 
 lilies. All heads were uncovered, and the 
 coffin placed on board the tug to be taken 
 ashore for burial. It may be some little 
 comfort for the poor wife to know that her 
 husband was not buried at sea. 
 
 The climate at Albany is extremely
 
 Albany 57 
 
 good for invalids, as it does not vary much 
 all the year round, and the soil is so dry. 
 It would be a very dull place to live in at 
 present, and a good hotel is much wanted. 
 The country round is very barren, and 
 grows nothing but scrub. We saw one or 
 two old natives in the town ; every one 
 calls them Johnnie, and they were clothed 
 in coarse working clothes and slouch hats, 
 and very, very ugly, reminding one of scare- 
 crow figures of old rag-pickers in London. 
 But I afterwards bought some photos of 
 fine-lookinir fellows in native undress from 
 Queensland, 
 
 We had a little entertainment on board, 
 consisting of an exhibition of Mrs. Jarley's 
 Waxworks, They were most successful, 
 which was mainly due to the handsome 
 young lady who transformed herself into 
 the voluble Mrs. Jarley, with a powdered 
 wig and many wrinkles. Afterwards we
 
 5 8 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 had singing and a supper party by special 
 permission of the captain, who was un- 
 fortunately laid up with a bad cold, but ill 
 or well, would have to turn out on the 
 bridge when we made the Narrows. We 
 all got rather reckless, and ended with a 
 mad polka, which I played for till the 
 stewards turned off the electric light. A 
 short pillow fight ensued on the com- 
 panion ; luckily I just escaped to bed 
 before the first officer in a rage appeared 
 on the scene to quell the rioters. 
 
 The near prospect of reaching land had 
 been too much for us. 
 
 We left Albany in a gale of wind, but, 
 fortunately, it was in our favour. I never 
 saw anything so grand as the waves. 
 There was a bright sun most of the 
 time, and the whole sea a mass of foam. 
 The distant view looked like jagged 
 mountain ranges. Standing on the bows.
 
 Crossing the Great Bight 59 
 
 holding one's hat on with one hand, 
 and clutching the rails tight with the 
 other, one could look over and see the 
 vessel bound right out of the water, and 
 then crash down through a big billow. 
 The waves came in constant succession, 
 like wild horses, their white manes flying 
 in the breeze ; and the colours the water 
 took were most beautiful, like all sorts of 
 precious stones. Occasionally a small 
 rainbow appeared for a moment and sank 
 into the sea. Many albatrosses hovered 
 round the track which we made in the 
 waters, and which looked like a long blue 
 serpent of a river in the wake of the ship 
 — bright turquoise colour. 
 
 A fellow -passenger told me he had 
 had to go in the teeth of a similar gale 
 in the opposite direction, when his ship 
 took five days from Adelaide to King 
 George's Sound, the decks being under
 
 6o Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 water all the time, and the passengers 
 obliged to remain down below. To-day 
 the sea has somewhat quieted down, 
 and nobody seems to mind its vagaries 
 much, as they have all got their sea-legs, 
 although falls are frequent. My maid 
 had a bad one yesterday, and had to go 
 to bed, and get a lotion from the doctor, 
 as she was much bruised ; but it was very 
 lucky, from the way she fell, that she did 
 not go overboard. 
 
 Monday, 2lst November. 
 
 Early yesterday morning we reached Port 
 Adelaide. Everybody was up and dressed, 
 and had breakfasted long before it was 
 time to go on shore ; but you require to 
 be boxed up on board ship to understand 
 the real pleasure of dry land ! Lord 
 Kintore. who is Governor there, sent an 
 aide-de-camp in a steam-launch to fetch us
 
 THE KARI, OF KINTuRE. Tcjacc p. (:l.
 
 Arrival at Port Adelaide 6i 
 
 to the jetty, which is about a quarter of a 
 mile long, a hot walk in a broiling sun, to 
 the hotel, where we waited nearly an hour 
 till the mail train (which did not hurry 
 itself, and was engaged in digesting piles 
 and piles of luggage) was ready to take us 
 up to Adelaide. We employed the time in 
 resting in a cool room, and refreshing our- 
 selves with a drink of milk, and nice bread 
 that wasn't sour. 
 
 We took half an hour to get up to 
 the town, the train going calmly through 
 the streets, ringing a bell to make people 
 get out of the way. There we were 
 met by the Governor, who proposed to 
 drive us thirteen miles up into the hills, 
 where Lady Kintore and his daughters 
 had just moved for summer quarters. 
 
 The road was excellent, and we had good 
 horses, and managed the distance in an 
 hour and a quarter. This was pretty swift
 
 62 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 going, as Marble Hill, the summer resid- 
 ence of the Governor, is 2000 feet above 
 the sea. We passed many orchards ; every 
 kind of fruit-tree seems to flourish ; the 
 hay harvest is just beginning, and the 
 corn begun to be cut. A very good 
 crop this year. The hay is not grass as 
 with us, but rough corn. The gardens in 
 front of the little houses were simply a 
 blaze of colour, and all the porches and 
 outhouses covered with flowering creepers. 
 Quantities of wild roses grew along the 
 road, and tall Scotch thistles and bracken. 
 After passing along a very straight street 
 out of the town, where several congrega- 
 tions were just coming out of their various 
 churches, we began to get into the hilly 
 country. Little gulleys ran up on each 
 side of the road, all cultivated by market 
 gardeners, most of them Chinamen ; quan- 
 tities of cherry-trees and strawberries, and
 
 Marble Hill 63 
 
 a profusion of tlowers. The gulleys have 
 only good soil at the bottom ; the sides 
 being chiefly covered with gum-trees; 
 but by degrees the people make clear- 
 ings, and in several of these we noticed 
 terraced vineyards covered with vines, 
 trained on little poles. Ash-trees, planes, 
 and elm grow well ; but, on account of the 
 dangerous bush fires, the great idea is to 
 make clearings and not to plant trees, 
 especially in the neighbourhood of houses. 
 Last year they had a very bad fire 
 near Marble Hill, and every man on the 
 place. Lord Kintore at their head, worked 
 energetically to beat it down. They do 
 this by burnins;' a frino^e of trees and scrub 
 to meet the fire, but it is desperately 
 hard work, and sometimes they are nearly 
 suffocated by the heat and smoke. Lad\- 
 Kintore employed herself by carrying cool 
 drinks to the men, who were all much
 
 64 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 exhausted. We went for a long walk, and 
 they showed us the tracks of the fire and 
 a long series of blackened trunks where it 
 stopped. The view from their villa resid- 
 ence was quite beautiful : range on range 
 of low hills, with gulleys between, were 
 spread out like a map, and in the far 
 distance we caught a glimpse of the ocean. 
 It was extremely cold up there : the 
 weather had been stifling the previous 
 week, ending in a terrific thunderstorm, 
 which made the air deliciously fresh. We 
 gathered bunches of honeysuckle, and a 
 variety of wild flowers, quite different from 
 those at King George's Sound. 
 
 • The day passed only too quickly, and 
 after an early dinner at 7 p.m., we drove 
 back under a glorious canopy of stars, 
 to catch the last train for Port Adelaide. 
 The Governor's private saloon carriage, 
 lined with green silk, was put on for us.
 
 More Elbow-room at Dinner 65 
 
 We heard, on arriving at the jetty, that 
 the sea had been very rouofh, and some of 
 the passengers got drenched with the spray 
 going back to the ship, and some were 
 sick. Fortunately it had somewhat quieted 
 down, and we made our httle journey in 
 safety. Sunday is very strictly kept in 
 the Colonies, and the carQfo could not be 
 unshipped till after twelve o'clock ; so just 
 as we all retired to rest, a tremendous 
 thumping and bumping began overhead, 
 but we were so tired after such a long clay 
 that we managed to drop asleep. 
 
 The ship did not sail till six in the 
 mornincj. 
 
 A great many passengers have left, so 
 we shall have a little more elbow-room at 
 dinner. We hope to reach Melbourne 
 about two o'clock to-morrow, as we are 
 going along at a good pace, luider a 
 brilliant sun and a somewhat rolling blue
 
 66 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 sea. We have passed a good deal of bare 
 coast scenery, and some rocky islands, and 
 several wild ducks have flown across the 
 bows, evidently making for Kangaroo 
 Island, which we can see in the distance. 
 Lady Kintore had an aviary, with some 
 curious Australian birds called laughing 
 jackasses. They have long yellow beaks, 
 and from time to time they all break into 
 fits of discordant laughter, which has a 
 very weird sound. 
 
 P.S. — Arrived safe at Port Philip 
 (Melbourne) on the 22nd November.
 
 SUNSET VIEW OF MELBOUKNE FROM GOVERNMENT HOUSE. 
 
 LETTER No. 4. 
 
 Government House, 
 Melbourne, i^t/i December 1892. 
 
 In my last letter I think we had got as 
 far as Adelaide. Now I must tell you a 
 little about Melbourne. We were met at 
 the pier by two of Lord Hopetoun's 
 A.D.C.'s, Lord Northesk and Captain 
 Willoughby ; and right glad we were to 
 leave the ship for good, after saying good- 
 bye to Captain Andrews and some of 
 the officers and passengers. Ot course 
 there was a great scramble as soon as 
 the gangway was put across — people
 
 68 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 struggling on board to see their friends, 
 and those on board equally anxious to 
 ofet on shore. 
 
 We left the maids, with the assistance of 
 a commission agent, to get the luggage 
 through the Custom-House. This agent 
 ran up a pretty bill for his services, and 
 wished to charge us ^5 for getting our 
 boxes up to Government House ; so I 
 warn all future travellers not to trust to 
 these people, but to see after their luggage 
 themselves, unless they are so w^ealthy that 
 a few pounds more or less at every 
 port don't signify ! In London it only 
 cost 7s. 6d. to hire a van to take my 
 plate chest to the bank in the city, a 
 much further distance, and much heavier 
 boxes. 
 
 Government House, where we had a 
 warm welcome, is built rather above the 
 town, and is very like Osborne. I believe
 
 Botanical Gardens, Melbourne 6g 
 
 it was copied from a picture of the Queen's 
 home in the Isle of WiQ^ht. The views 
 over Melbourne from the house and 
 grounds are very pretty, especially at 
 sunset. I have done an oil-painting from 
 my window to give people at home some 
 idea of it all. 
 
 The Botanical Gardens join on to 
 those of Government House, and are 
 most beautifully kept. It seems almost 
 impossible to give you an idea of how 
 lovely the flowers and plants and shrubs 
 are here. Geraniums that we take such 
 care of in pots in England grow 
 here almost wild in great bushes and 
 hedges. All kinds of palms and tree 
 ferns also flourish, and some of the tall 
 pine-trees are festooned with crimson 
 roses and yellow banksia foses ; the 
 rhododendrons were also in full bloom. 
 and made masses of colour, the air scented
 
 yo Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 with the perfume of all sorts of delicious 
 plants, and the flower of lime-trees and 
 many flowering shrubs. Beyond the gar- 
 dens one looks over a lake towards the 
 countless roofs of houses and spires of tall 
 churches and cathedrals, and the puffing 
 smoke from many busy factories and 
 railway trains, hurrying to and fro with 
 goods and passengers. When one con- 
 siders that forty years ago this vast town 
 was only a little village of wooden houses, 
 the transformation scene is truly won- 
 derful. 
 
 Lady Hopetoun drove me all about, 
 and up to the quarter where all the 
 prettiest villas are, surrounded by lovely 
 gardens. She drives her ponies four-in- 
 hand — such a smart little turn out. 
 
 I was ,also taken to see the Public 
 Library and picture galleries, and it was 
 like meeting with old friends to see Peter
 
 What do you think of Australia ? 7 i 
 
 Graham's Stinset Glow, and other works 
 by Davis and Frank Dicksee. 
 
 The first thing AustraHans ask you is. 
 " Well, what do you think of Australia ? " 
 and they are delighted if one honestly 
 admires their country, and especially their 
 own particular colony, although at home 
 we are too much in the habit of lump- 
 ing them all up together, which is quite 
 wrong. I have several letters from old 
 colonists who came from Buckincjham- 
 shire, or had some connection with the 
 Duke's family, giving me a kindly wel- 
 come. 
 
 Most of the gaieties were over when 
 we reached Melbourne, with the exception 
 of a few garden parties. We went on 
 29th November to one given by the 
 Bishop of Melbourne and Mrs. Goe, 
 There was a fine old gum-tree in the 
 garden, and as we had not been in an
 
 J 2 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 Australian forest full of them, we admired 
 it very much. 
 
 There are fifty different varieties of 
 gums, but people complain very much of 
 the monotony of having only one kind 
 of tree, and no doubt, if one were banished 
 from home for years, one would long for 
 more variety in the vegetation. 
 
 A garden party took place at Govern- 
 ment House on the ist December, and we 
 were introduced to a variety of charming 
 people, and much lawn tennis was the 
 order of the day. 
 
 Sir Robert and Lady Hamilton, two 
 sons, and a young daughter, arrived that 
 morning from Tasmania on their way to 
 England. 
 
 On the 5th we paid a visit to the Zoolo- 
 Q^ical Gardens. At the entrance there were 
 some lovely flower beds, and under shady 
 trees a row of gorgeous macaws, cockatoos,
 
 The Melbourne Zoo "j i 
 
 and parrots perched on poles attracted our 
 attention — they were all in such beautiful 
 plumage, and so were the eagles and vul- 
 tures, shrikes, and other birds. It was 
 just feeding-time, and the keeper came 
 round with a pail of raw meat for them ; 
 and afterwards a large truck was brought 
 along with lumps of meat for the lions and 
 tigers, which were also in beautiful condi- 
 tion. Of course it is a very much better 
 climate for them than England. We were 
 shown an ape with a blue and scarlet nose, 
 which is so rare that we were told it was 
 worth ^400. It comes from Africa, and is 
 very savage in its captivity. Then we went 
 to see the kangaroos, enclosed in a small 
 grass paddock, and, to our great delight, 
 there were several female kancjaroos with 
 their little ones tucked into their pouches. 
 They did look so funny with their littk- thin 
 paws sticking out, and occasionally a small
 
 74 Duchess of Buckixgham's Letters 
 
 head appeared and playfully nibbled at its 
 
 mother's fur, and then retired again into 
 its cosy nest. It was a very hot day, and 
 we could not linger as long as we should 
 have liked watching the various beasts. 
 Some very handsome Esquimaux dogs 
 seemed to feel the heat a good deal, and 
 so did the brown bears. 
 
 There are little white native bears in the 
 woods here, which are occasionally shot ; 
 also a good many snakes. Five of the 
 latter were killed the other day when we 
 went out rabbit - shooting. One has to 
 wear long boots as a protection from their 
 poisonous bites. Very few people die of 
 snake-bites, as even children know how 
 to kill them by a blow with a stick over 
 the middle of the back, which paralyses 
 them ; but it is unsafe to touch a snake's 
 head even if it is cut in two, as it can still 
 bite.
 
 SXAA'ES 
 
 / :> 
 
 I saw one crawl over a lady's foot ; she 
 had incautiously come out to the paddock 
 in house shoes. The snake was trying 
 to get to its hole in an old stump, and 
 one of the shooters ran up and blew it to 
 pieces. 
 
 Lady Hopetoun used to flatter herself 
 that the snakes did not conic into the ga7'- 
 den at Government House, up at Mount 
 Macedon ; and little Lord Hope was 
 allowed to play about by himself, till one 
 unlucky day when Abraham, the Greek 
 servant, came in triumph with a poisonous 
 adder in a bottle of spirits that had 
 just been captured in the strawberry 
 bed ! After that young Hopie was not 
 allowed to go to the orchard without 
 attendance. 
 
 The woods are full of all sorts of beauti- 
 ful little birds. The Australian robin has 
 a wonderfully bright breast, quite orange
 
 ^6 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 colour ; it is not the least like an English 
 robin. There are some brown birds about 
 the size of a thrush, with long yellow legs 
 and beaks, commonly called " minas." All 
 the notes of the birds sound strange to one 
 at first, till one begins to distinguish them. 
 The laughing jackass is unmistakable. 
 Several tame ones are kept at Government 
 House ; they have brownish -gray plumage, 
 and long, sharp beaks, and can be taught 
 to whistle tunes very prettily. The wild 
 parrots have very gay plumage. They do 
 a great deal of damage in the fruit gardens, 
 although they look so pretty about a 
 house, perched on the trees and chattering 
 away to each other. 
 
 On Tuesday, 6th December, we moved 
 up to Mount Macedon, a charming cottage, 
 which is the Governor's summer quarters. 
 It is about two hours by rail from Mel- 
 bourne, and is perched half-way up the
 
 THE EARL OF HOPETOUN. 
 
 To face p. 77.
 
 Mount Mace don 77 
 
 mountain, a good pull for horses from 
 the railway. The Governor, who had 
 preceded us, met us at the station with 
 his four-in-hand brake, and looked ex- 
 tremely happy in his larrikin hat and bush 
 clothes, whip in hand. No more frock 
 coats or uniform for some time to come. 
 The air is very fresh and delicious, and 
 reminds me of Brill Hill, when one drov'e 
 up there from Wotton on a hot summer's 
 day. It gets rather cold at night, but there 
 are no mosquitoes, and no dust, and no 
 visitors, and we can be out all day long in 
 the forests. We go for long rides, and see 
 beautiful views of the surrounding country. 
 The highest hill is called the Camels 
 Hump ; we rode nearly to the top of it 
 the other day. Sometimes you see a 
 whole side of a hill covered with skeleton 
 trees, as the colonists, to make a clearing, 
 rinof the trees, that is, cut a rino' ricfht
 
 78 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 through the bark, thus kilhng them ; and 
 sometimes forest fires have occurred, and 
 some of these giant skeletons are all 
 charred, and present rather a sad and 
 pitiful spectacle. 
 
 All the tram-cars in Melbourne go by 
 electricity ; It makes the streets rather 
 dangerous for carriages and horses. The 
 cabs are buggies with leather hoods, very 
 comfortable in hot weather, and the han- 
 som cabs are all closed round in front with 
 windows and a door, like a small brougham 
 on two wheels. 
 
 Buggies are used all over the country ; 
 their wheels are wide apart, and they 
 are very lightly made, and go bound- 
 ing over obstacles In the bush roads that 
 would certainly cause any other sort of 
 conveyance to come to grief. I must 
 finish up this letter, as, although I seem 
 to have told you almost nothing, it has
 
 Going to Sydney 
 
 79 
 
 taken some time to write, owing to many 
 interruptions. We are going to Sydney 
 on the 4th January, so my next letter must 
 be from there. 
 
 
 ' ' -^^^^0^^^: ^r^ 
 
 
 „^ytrV 
 
 KOCKS ON MOUNT MACEDON NEAR "cAMEL's HUMPH.
 
 GL-.M-TKEE BUSH.— VIEW FROM MOUNT MACEDON. 
 
 LETTER No. 5. 
 
 Hill View, Moss Vale, 
 
 New South Wales, 
 
 21 si January 1893. 
 
 It is so difficult to remember where I 
 stopped in writing my last letter. I think 
 you have had descriptions of the scenery 
 about Mount Macedon, and the homes of 
 the squatters we went to visit. 
 
 We went twice to Melbourne to attend 
 race meetings. The Flemington meeting 
 took place on Monday, 2nd January — a 
 glorious day. 
 
 We drove from Government House in
 
 The Flemington Meetimg 8 i 
 
 a carriage with four horses and postillions, 
 having left Mount Macedon at eight in the 
 morning. All the stewards, etc., were 
 presented to me on the steps, and we were 
 conducted to the Governor's priv£ite box 
 on the Grand Stand, where we had a 
 splendid view of the various events. Be- 
 sides the flat races, there was a steeple- 
 chase, which included a stone wall and 
 some stiff fences. 
 
 Not a single accident occurred, to our 
 great relief, as, on a former occasion, on the 
 26th December, at Caulfield races, several 
 jockeys came to grief, and one was so much 
 hurt in consequence of his horse and that 
 of his neighbour rolling over him that his 
 life was despaired of Lady Hopetoun 
 went to see him and his poor mother, who 
 was in great distress. It quite cast a 
 gloom over the rest of the day, but. 
 fortunately, he eventually recovered. The
 
 82 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 clerk of the Flemington course took me 
 all over it, and showed off all the excellent 
 arrangements for the convenience of the 
 public, which I think might be copied with 
 great advantage at home. 
 
 The Australians dearly love a holiday, 
 and no wonder, when they are pretty sure 
 of a day of cloudless sunshine to enjoy it in. 
 We also went to see the reporter's room, 
 and the committee room, and dining-rooms 
 for various purposes. The Government 
 House party were all invited to lunch by 
 the stewards, and a very excellent one was 
 provided, especially as we have not been 
 long enough in the Colonies to despise 
 cold turkey ! I even heard one fastidious 
 lady remark that she would rather do 
 without lunch than eat it. One can hardly 
 understand this when one first arrives from 
 England, where these excellent birds are 
 a Christmas luxury.
 
 R UPERTS WOOD 8 3 
 
 Hilda and I spared a couple of days 
 from our delightful retreat at Mount 
 Macedon to pay a visit to Sir William 
 and Lady Clarke at their charming country 
 place, Rupertswood. W^e felt the differ- 
 ence of temperature at once on going 
 down from the mountain — especially as, 
 one clay, there was a hot wind blowing ; 
 but we went out riding all the same, as 
 nothing is so hot as sitting still and 
 thinking about it. We were anxious to 
 see as miich as possible of their part of the 
 country. I noticed a good crop of thistles 
 by the side of the roads, and was told that, 
 although there is a tax on thistles in \'ic- 
 toria, Sir William found it better to pay it, 
 as in case of a drought (which the thistles 
 always survive) the sheep would have 
 something to keep them going. We 
 boated in the creek near the house, and 
 played tennis when the sun began to be
 
 84 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 less fiery, and watched polo practice in the 
 paddock. 
 
 On the 22nd we returned to Mount 
 Macedon, the Hopetouns had meanwhile 
 been paying another visit at Point Cook 
 for duck shooting : we were all delighted 
 to meet again and relate our experiences. 
 
 Our nearest neighbours, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Ryan, at Macedon, had the most beautiful 
 garden we had yet seen, and one of their 
 daughters, Mrs. Ellice Rowan, is one of the 
 best flower painters in the world. She 
 was kind enough to show me her collection 
 of wonderful paintings from wild flowers 
 and flowering shrubs, and told me about 
 her adventurous journeys in search of 
 specimens, she having visited wild parts of 
 Queensland and the Islands where no lady 
 had ever been. She makes friends with 
 the natives, and gets them to procure her 
 rare plants ; but she says, their one idea
 
 Mrs. Ro WAN's Paintings of Flo wers 8 5 
 
 of helping her is to pull off handfuls of 
 blossoms, so she can rarely paint from 
 what they bring her, and has generally to 
 get them to escort her to the place. She 
 also paints landscapes marvellously. 
 
 The National Art Galleries in ?^Iel- 
 bourne and Sydney possess several speci- 
 mens of her flower paintings. I can 
 describe them as nothing less than gor- 
 geous, and botanically correct as well. In 
 time, I suppose, names will be found for 
 the flora of Australia ; at present, the wise 
 men can only study them, and put them in 
 Latin classes. This poor lady had just 
 lost her husband, and her sad pale face 
 and golden hair, framed in widows' weeds, 
 haunted me for long afterwards. One of 
 her sisters is the wife of Admiral Lord 
 Charles Scott, at whose farewell banquet 
 at Government House, Melbourne, we had 
 so recently assisted. We spent Christmas
 
 86 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 clay very happily in the midst of sunshine 
 and roses ; heaps of white flowers and 
 long ferns in the church for decoration. 
 
 On Ttiesday, yd Jamim-y, we started 
 at five in the evening for Hill View, 
 the country place of the Governor of 
 New South Wales (Lord Jersey). It 
 was a very hot afternoon, and the train 
 very crowded with holiday folk ; but, for- 
 tunately, the directors of the railway had 
 reserved a compartment for us. At about 
 1 1 P.M. we reached a junction called 
 Albury, where we changed carriages, and 
 were met by the stationmaster, who pre- 
 sented us w^ith a letter from the directors 
 of the New South Wales Railways, con- 
 taining passes over their line. It is so 
 funny to be treated as a distinguished 
 foreigner in an English speaking country ; 
 in fact, we cannot realise sometimes that 
 we are not at home ; everybody is so very
 
 A Warm Welcome to Hill View 87 
 
 kind, and all do their best to make our 
 stay as pleasant as possible. 
 
 At Albury we got into a charming 
 sleeping car, where we could undress and 
 turn in with clean sheets and pillows, and 
 sleep soundly all night. I never saw such 
 a huge glorious moon as there was that 
 night, and such a lovely sunrise, which 
 woke us up at an early hour. We were 
 very glad of some cups of hot tea brought 
 by the conductor to our carriage. The 
 lovely sunrise did not last, and we reached 
 ■Moss Vale Station in a drizzle of rain, and 
 were met by one of the Governor's A.D.C.'s 
 and a covered buggy, in which we drove 
 to Hill View. The house is a sort of ramb- 
 ling bungalow, with deep verandas all 
 round, and stands high. It has been added 
 to in various directions. Lord and Lady 
 Jersey gave us a warm welcome, and so 
 did their young daughters and sons. The
 
 8S Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 country between this and Melbourne is all 
 much the same — forests of gum-trees and 
 occasional clearings, where many "rung" 
 trees toss their skeleton branches over good 
 grass for flocks of sheep. At some of the 
 stations are the beginnings of towns with 
 wide streets, merely laid out, at present 
 green with grass, but no doubt soon to 
 be peopled. Trees have also in many 
 cases been planted on each side of these 
 new streets, and will be ready to shade 
 the population by the time it appears. 
 
 On Friday, 6t/i. January, Lady Jersey 
 had a small tea party, and we were 
 introduced to some of the ladies who 
 live near, and come up to this country 
 for the summer. You must remember that 
 we are in the middle of summer, and that 
 a north wind means heat and a south wind 
 cold, and that everything is topsy turvy, 
 even the moon doesn't look quite the same
 
 THE EARL OF JERSEY. 
 
 To face p.
 
 Midsummer January 89 
 
 as at home. Jackasses sit in the trees and 
 laugh loudly at their own jokes (they are 
 really birds, and prey upon smaller ones, 
 which they spear with their sharp beaks). 
 
 On Saturday, jtk, I attended a cricket 
 match with Lady Jersey ; his Excellency 
 and staff were playing in it. The attend- 
 ance of spectators was not large, as the 
 ladies care more for lawn tennis. 
 
 On Sunday we all walked to church in 
 a broiling sun, about a mile off, and a good 
 many more people were presented to me 
 after service. One lady told Lady Jersey 
 that she was so glad to have seen a real 
 live duchess. This made me laugh, as I 
 don't feel the least duchessy, and now they 
 all call me the " real live one." They tell 
 me I am the first duchess who has ever 
 come to the Colonies. 
 
 On Monday, S/A, we all started lor 
 Sydney at nine o'clock, lunched at Govern-
 
 90 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 ment House, and sketched in the garden, 
 which slopes down to the harbour. It is a 
 lovely view ; the house is a castellated one, 
 and was built in 1 830. The reception rooms 
 are now not nearly large enough, as the 
 guests to be entertained are far more numer- 
 ous, and it entails having a greater number 
 of banquets and balls. In the principal 
 drawing-room many full-length portraits of 
 George III. and Queen Charlotte in their 
 youth, very like those on the staircase at 
 Wotton. There is a pleasing portrait of the 
 Queen, and a very poor one of the Princess 
 of Wales in the drawing-room, also various 
 portraits and busts of different governors. 
 
 The climate at Sydney is very ener- 
 vating ; and people feel the heat there 
 much in the summer, and all who can, 
 fly to the mountains. We were only a 
 few hours in the town, did some necessary 
 shopping, and started again at 5 p.m.
 
 The Blue Mou.xtaixs 91 
 
 for the Blue Mountains — a trip we had 
 arranged to take with the Jerseys and 
 their family. Our first stage was the 
 hotel at r^Iount Victoria, and a beautiful 
 journey it was, the railway gradually 
 ascendincr till we reached a ridcre of 
 mountains, and on each side were fine 
 views over forests into the valleys. We 
 passed the Nepean river with its wooded 
 banks, before entering; the first mountain 
 gorge, where we thought we should have 
 been almost suffocated in a tunnel, the 
 heat of the steam was so tremendous. 
 We all rushed to the windows on emerging 
 to see if the train was on fire. It was a 
 tiring day, and we were delighted when 
 we reached our destination. The garden 
 of the hotel was all streaminij' with fia^fs of 
 all colours in honour of the Governor. 
 Next niorning a photographer arrived, 
 and asked to take a group on the steps ;
 
 92 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 after which we all mounted into various 
 coaches, with four horses each, and drove 
 thirty -seven miles through fine bush 
 scenery, over mountains to the Jenolan 
 Caves, stopping first to see some sheep- 
 shearing in a shed at the house of a 
 selector ; and again, in the middle of the 
 day, at a Rest-house, where we lunched 
 on turkeys as usual, and puddings and 
 stewed fruit, the mistress of the house 
 having a hard time of it cooking and 
 waiting on such a large party. It was 
 very difficult to get everybody seated 
 in the small room, and in the parlour 
 some of the party had to sit on the 
 floor. It was a relief, however, to get out 
 of the glare into a dark, if not a cool room. 
 The Wilsons were most hospitable, and 
 did their best to make us comfortable. 
 They said it was very difficult to get pro- 
 visions in such an out of the way part, and
 
 " Shearing 
 
 93 
 
 that we must excuse the roughness of the 
 repast. It really was beautifully cooked, 
 and most excellent for hungry travellers. 
 The sheep we saw sheared were the most 
 sensible animals I have ever met, for they 
 seemed to know perfectly what was going 
 to be done, and sat quite still like a dog 
 begging, while their wool was removed 
 very rapidly with the shears. One other 
 halt we made at the garden gate of a 
 squatter named Young, whose family pre- 
 sented the Governor and Lady Jersey 
 with various floral trophies. 
 
 
 wmm^^^m 
 
 lllE HOI'ETOUNS'S COACH. 
 
 (From a Photo^aph by her Ladyship.)
 
 THE FITZROV FALLS. 
 
 LETTER No. 6 
 
 IIiLL View, Moss Vale, 
 
 New South Wales, 
 
 22,rd January 1893. 
 
 Now I must tell you about our arrival at the 
 Jenolan Caves after the long thirty-seven 
 mile drive in a blazing sun. It got cooler 
 towards evening, and, as the shadows 
 began to lengthen, and the valleys of the 
 Blue Mountains got bluer and bluer, we 
 at length rounded the last steep corner, 
 and halted on the verge of a precipice
 
 The Jenolan Caves 95 
 
 protected by a stout fence, where a few 
 other coaches and buggies were drawn up. 
 It seemed difficult to reahse that we were 
 to disembark here, as there was no sign 
 of human habitation, a natural rampart of 
 rocks appearing to bar our further pro- 
 gress. However, in a few minutes we 
 were marching by a footpath down a 
 gorge, and entering the huge black mouth 
 of a cavern. On the giant rocks over- 
 hanging the streams were perched about 
 ninety visitors, who welcomed the Governor 
 and his party with hearty cheers, and the 
 music of " God save the Queen " from a 
 brass band, the cheers echoing loudly from 
 the surroundinof rocks, which towered above 
 us till they formed a comj)lcte wall across 
 the gorge. Half-way up there was a 
 beautiful natural archway through which 
 the setting sun streamed brilliantly, and 
 we realised for the first time what cheerino-
 
 g6 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 to the echo meant. We entered the 
 cavern, which soon began to widen, and 
 after walking along the bed of the stream, 
 over rough stones, and crossing it twice 
 on small planks, we eventually emerged 
 into sunshine again, and found ourselves 
 in a narrow valley and close to the Cave 
 House. It was kept by a Mr. Wilson and 
 his wife, who came to welcome us, and 
 informed the Governor that they took it 
 as a happy omen that we should have 
 fixed on their silver wedding - day to 
 arrive at the caves. This man is also 
 guide, and a perfect enthusiast. He 
 began his career before the road we 
 travelled by was made, the only other 
 being for pack horses and riders, who 
 usually slept in the caves in the blankets 
 they brought with them. 
 
 A very substantial repast of sucking pig 
 and roast mutton awaited us, after a pre-
 
 More Caves 97 
 
 liminary cup of tea and a rest in the 
 veranda. After dinner we all started for 
 the largest cave, called the " Devil's Coach- 
 House," which was most beautifully illumin- 
 ated in our honour with different coloured 
 fires, till every part of the marvellous forma- 
 tion of the roof stood out, its beauties fully 
 revealed. This cave is 300 feet high, 
 and nothing we saw afterwards could 
 come up to the beauty of this nocturnal 
 illumination. It was rather difficult to 
 clamber about and keep your footing in 
 the semi-darkness. 
 
 Next morning ( Wednesday, Jaimary 
 11) we breakfasted at nine o'clock, and 
 started for some of the other caves, 
 armed with candles, and explored the 
 Lucinda, the Architect's Studio, the Mys- 
 tery, Katie's Bower, Lady Carrington's 
 Heaven and Hell — a sort of vestibule lead- 
 ing to some of the smaller ones, in which 
 II
 
 98 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 there was a stalactite exactly like a statue 
 of a mother and child, called the Madonna. 
 We were also shown a statuette of St. 
 Patrick in one of the smaller caves. In 
 some of the passages there were wonderful 
 formations like blankets or shawls, with a 
 border draping from the roof ; others 
 formed pillars. Our guide had a lan- 
 tern with magnesium light, which he 
 constantly cast into dark corners, and 
 through gaping chasms, bringing all sorts 
 of wonderful transparent formations to 
 light. 
 
 In the afternoon most of the party 
 started again for the Jersey Cave and 
 underground river, to which you descend 
 on a wire rope ladder. In spite of the 
 fascinations of this expedition, I decided 
 to remain above ground, and spent the 
 afternoon doing a sketch of the Carlotta 
 Arch, as I wished to have some remem-
 
 
 CAULOTIA Alall, JliNOLAN CAVKS. 
 
 To face J>. 9S.
 
 A Silent Forest ^ 99 
 
 brance to take away with me of this 
 delightful and mysterious place. 
 
 On T/mrsday, \2tJ1, we left the Cave 
 House, after promising to send our photos 
 to the Wilsons. Walking in a long pro- 
 cession to the starting-place, laden with 
 bags and bundles of every description, 
 we commenced our return journey, doing 
 fifty miles that day to Katoomba, making 
 a halt at the Rest House for lunch, and 
 again for tea at Mount Victoria. We 
 noticed some birds, called gung-gungs, 
 rather like gray pigeons, but, as a rule, 
 the great forests we drove through were 
 very silent and devoid of bird life ; and 
 from the coach, of course, we did not hear 
 the hum of numerous insects and the chirp 
 of grasshoppers. 
 
 In olden days the Kelly gang and 
 other bushrangers played the police many 
 a trick by their superior knowledge of
 
 loo Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 the Jenolan Caves and their various wind- 
 ings, and we heard stories of their being 
 tracked to the mouth of one or other of 
 them, and the poHce sitting down quietly 
 to wait for them, while all the time they 
 had made off quite safely and happily 
 across the mountains by some other outlet. 
 At Katoomba Hilda and I descended 
 at the Carrington Hotel, while the 
 Governor and his family drove to Lillian - 
 fields, to stay with the Chief-Justice Sir 
 Frederick Darley. After roughing it at 
 smaller inns, this hotel seemed wonder- 
 fully comfortable and even magnificent ; 
 we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. 
 The view from our veranda was very 
 extensive ; on all sides ranges and ranges 
 of mountains, as far as the eye could 
 reach. Of course the garden w^as full of 
 roses, gladioli, pansies, etc., and the 
 dinner table covered with flowers. All
 
 r
 
 The Wentworth Falls ioi 
 
 the people staying there were very anxious 
 to see us, watching for us on the steps 
 every time we went out. 
 
 Hilda and I were thoroughly done up 
 after this fifty mile drive in the great 
 heat, and rather depressed at parting 
 from our fellow-travellers, and setting up 
 for ourselves at the hotel ; so I proposed 
 we should indulge in the extravagance of 
 a pint of Heidsicch Tres-sec, which was 
 highly successful in restoring our exhausted 
 frames. 
 
 On Friday, \2,i/i, the Darleys asked us 
 to join their party, and took us to see the 
 Wentworth Falls, where, in spite of the 
 heat and tlies (which are perfect torments 
 to artists), I made a hasty sketch of one of 
 the red and yellow sandstone cliffs, and 
 later in the day managed to get another 
 done of some famous red rocks called the 
 Three Sisters. The difficultv was to find
 
 102 Duchess OF Buckingham's Letters 
 
 a suitable spot, and after a severe struggle 
 I contrived to establish myself on the 
 edge of a precipice, on some very dry and 
 slippery rocks, where there was only the 
 ghost of a footpath ; I had to assure Sir 
 Frederick Darley that I would do my 
 level best not to roll after the easel, or 
 try to catch it if it were suddenly blown 
 down the ravine. 
 
 On Sahirday, \/^tIi, we made a grand pic- 
 nic expedition with the whole united party 
 to a place called Govett's Leap. Oh, such 
 a beautiful, wonderful place ! An amphi- 
 theatre of cliffs, occasionally intersected 
 with dashing waterfalls. The trees at the 
 foot of these cliffs looked like little cab- 
 bages, and were so close and thick, and 
 covered with creepers, that we could only 
 see their tops. The skeleton of a man 
 was found somewhere down there in the 
 thick bush ; he must have strayed from
 
 Picnic at Gove tt's Leap 103 
 
 his friends, and got lost and bewildered in 
 the endless scrub and forest. 
 
 We made a little fire very carefully, so 
 as not to set fire to the trees, in the bush, 
 and cooked some potatoes ; and after a 
 careful examination of the ground to see 
 there were no snakes, we all sat down and 
 had an excellent repast, several neighbours 
 having joined the party, and brought con- 
 tributions to the picnic. Two of them 
 told me they had a Singalese cook, who 
 had rushed after them at the last moment 
 with a card-box containing cheese straws, 
 as she was most anxious Lady Jersey 
 should partake of her artistic savoury ; and 
 they promised to tell the black girl how 
 much we appreciated her skill. 
 
 Before returning home, after scrambling 
 down to the falls, and leaning over the 
 precipice, and throwing stones to see it 
 we could hear them fall, they said we
 
 104 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 must have some " billy tea," which is 
 what everybody makes out here. A billy 
 is a tin can which is filled with water and 
 put on the fire. The tea is thrown into 
 it as soon as the water begins to boil. 
 The driver meanwhile recited some of his 
 own poetry all about Govett's Leap, and 
 also a funny piece called the " Laughing 
 Jackass," in praise of those birds I told you 
 about. He called them the "squatters' 
 clocks," and said they were so convenient 
 as they did not require winding up ; every 
 verse ended with a chorus of " Hee, hee, 
 hee ! " 
 
 On the way home we were caught in 
 a tremendous thunderstorm, and got well 
 soaked — hailstones like peas (the papers 
 next morning said pigeons' eggs ! ) and 
 sheets of rain. It rains like a water- 
 spout here when it once begins. Some of 
 the ladies were so frightened that they
 
 / 
 
 Stories of Bushranging-Times 105 
 
 took refuge in a house, but most of us 
 drove on and braved the elements. For- 
 tunately we had taken some warm coats, 
 as this climate is not to be trusted, and the 
 changes come on so suddenly. 
 
 We heard many stories of bushranging 
 times. An uncle of young Darley (who 
 drove me in his pony cart) had an exciting 
 experience. He returned from some ex- 
 pedition, driving his buggy, with a friend 
 following on horseback, to find his station 
 stuck up. They both thought something 
 was wrong when they saw all the station 
 hands sitting in a row on the rail ; how- 
 ever, he drove up to the door of his 
 house, and sure enough he was met on 
 the step by a bushranger armed with 
 a revolver in each hand, who veiled to 
 him to " Bail ujj, that is, throw up your 
 arms and surrender. Of course, in face 
 of two revolvers, he had no other course
 
 io6 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 but to say, "All right," and he got down 
 from the buggy and proceeded to un- 
 fasten the leader, his favourite mare, and 
 send her flying into the bush with a cut of 
 his whip, determined she should not fall a 
 prey to the bushranger, who was all the 
 time explaining that he had slain a man in 
 a scuffle with the police, and must have a 
 fast horse to help him to escape across the 
 boundary. The squatter slowly proceeded 
 to the stables, where his unwelcome guest 
 wished to choose a saddle, trying all the 
 time to get an opportunity of slinking 
 behind the man and pouncing on him, but 
 he was too sharp, and quickly ordered the 
 squatter to march in front of him. 
 
 On returning to the house the bushranger 
 asked, "Have you any arms in the buggy?" 
 "Yes, two revolvers/' "Get them out," 
 said the man. "Get them out for yourself, 
 they are just under the seat," answered the
 
 The Tables are Turned 107 
 
 squatter in a tone of authority, and on the 
 impulse of the moment his enemy stretched 
 over to look under the seat. This was 
 the opportunity he had been longing for, 
 and being a big, powerful man, he threw 
 himself with his whole weight on the 
 bushranger, and of course the station hands 
 all came to his assistance, and his friend 
 also who had been lurking behind in hopes 
 of being able to help. In the scuffle the 
 revolver went off, tearing the squatter's 
 thumb. 
 
 The man was bound hand and foot, 
 and some one galloped off for the police, 
 who arrived very speedily. He was soon 
 after hung, and he said it was all his own 
 folly, as he might have known it was no 
 good trying to " stick up " Sylvester 
 Brown's station. 
 
 Strange to say, we saw this enormous 
 squatter on the Arcadia ; he embarked
 
 io8 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 at Adelaide, and is the brother of the 
 man who writes under the name of Rolf 
 Boldrewood and is the author of Robbery 
 Under Anns, and other splendid stories. 
 
 One other tale I must tell you about 
 him. He has explored in some of the 
 wildest parts of Queensland, and discovered 
 a strong, handsome tribe of blacks, with 
 whose chief he made friends ; and the 
 natives respected his immense size and 
 strength, as hitherto they had never seen 
 a man to equal their own chief. He 
 noticed that there seemed very few children 
 in the tribe, and after he had been with 
 them some time and gained their con- 
 fidence, they told him that the fact was 
 they ate any superfluous children they did 
 not want to grow up ! 
 
 Lady Darley told us of an adventure 
 she quite well remembered which befell her 
 and two of her brothers when they were
 
 Unwelcome Visitors 109 
 
 from four to six years old. 7 hey lived 
 with their parents on Boldrewood Station, 
 in Victoria, and one day their elders left 
 them in charge of the servants, who, how- 
 ever, went off themselves to some merry- 
 making. This unfortunate moment was 
 the time chosen by a tribe of blacks to 
 make a descent on the station. The 
 children were very frightened, but the 
 eldest boy's first idea was to seize a gun 
 to defend them all. This was most danger- 
 ous, as they tried to drag it to some 
 hiding-place, but failing in their efforts, 
 they abandoned the idea, and boldly faced 
 the black chief and his party, who made 
 them understand that they had come for 
 food, and that clothincr would also be 
 acceptable. The children managed to 
 satisfy their demands, as they knew where 
 the meat and Hour were kept, and trotted 
 bac' wards and forwards till they could
 
 1 10 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 find no more, and then proceeded to bestow 
 some of their own clothes on the un- 
 welcome visitors, who eventually professed 
 themselves satisfied, and took their de- 
 parture. 
 
 Lady Darley says she well remembers 
 what a state her mother was in when she 
 returned and found what had happened, 
 as the children had run a great risk of 
 beinof killed or carried off. I must now 
 wind up this lengthy letter, and reserve 
 our proceedings in Sydney for another 
 mail.
 
 MAORI CARVING. 
 
 LETTER No. 7. 
 
 Government Yacht " Hinemoa," 
 MiLKORD Sound, South Island, 
 
 New Zealand, io//t February 1S93. 
 
 On Monday, i6fk January, we reluctantly 
 bade adieu to the Blue Mountains, and 
 started for Sydney in the Governor's 
 luxu ious saloon carriacre.
 
 1 1 2 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 At Katoomba railway station a crowd 
 of school children, marshalled by their 
 teachers, were waiting to see us. Lady 
 Jersey and I went to talk to them. I 
 told them they were very lucky children 
 to live in such a beautiful climate, and 
 asked how they would like all the snow 
 and frost that was going on in England. 
 Such rows of bright, sunburnt faces ! I 
 do think people have more habitually 
 cheerful expressions out here, as they are 
 not always contending with the elements, 
 and keeping their eyes half-shut to pre- 
 vent themselves being blinded by wind and 
 snow and rain. They all cheered lustily 
 as we steamed off. 
 
 That evening the whole party went to 
 the circus, and saw some wonderful acrobats 
 and riding. One girl rode through flaming 
 hoops, lying on a bare-backed white horse, 
 all her dark hair flowing over its side.
 
 The Circus i i 3 
 
 Another did juggling tricks of throwing 
 up knives and catching them, standing on 
 horseback all the time ; she also afterwards 
 walked on a wire hung about fifteen feet 
 from the ground. She had some white 
 doves on her shoulder ; they were very 
 tame, and fluttered round her head, not a 
 bit dismayed by the flaring gas jets. 
 She was a pretty, fair girl, and looked as 
 if she would be happier at home with 
 needles and thread than doinsf all these 
 wonderful things. Some little girls also 
 danced on the wires. There was one 
 strong man, who carried two or three 
 other athletes as if he enjoyed it. They 
 had an exhibition of fighting men with 
 shields and spears, and also contests with 
 daggers. The shields made a great deal 
 of clattering, and it all looked very 
 dangerous. Afterwards some Japanese 
 conjurers performed, and one little boy 
 
 /
 
 1 1 4 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 did some contortionist feats which were 
 much more curious than pretty. The most 
 amusing thing was when the clown's pig 
 came into the circus and performed a walk 
 over, jumping a succession of hurdles amidst 
 the applause of the audience ; the pig and 
 the clown made a capital couple. 
 
 Wednesday, i^tk January. — After this 
 frivolity we had a day at the Museum, 
 where we were met and shown over it 
 by Dr. Ramsay, who has special charge of 
 the stuffed birds and eggs, and is an 
 excellent ornithologist. Dr. Cox, Crown 
 Trustee and Conchologist, showed us all 
 the shells and curious native arms and 
 masks. There were some huge food 
 bowls which a whole tribe eat out of ; 
 occasionally portions of human beings were 
 served up in them. Some of the war 
 canoes were very beautifully adorned with 
 cowrie shells, and the paddles carved.
 
 The Museum — Sydney i i 5 
 
 The masks used for the "devil dances" 
 were very hideous and extremely heavy, 
 adorned with bunches of cockatoo feathers 
 at the top, and cut out of solid wood, 
 painted red, blue, white, and brown, and 
 fixed on a short pole or stick. 
 
 We were given a couple of king birds- 
 of- paradise, their plumage orange and 
 gold-coloured, and two long feathers in 
 the tail with green eyes at the end. 
 These birds are very rare. I also got 
 a small box with some brilliant green 
 beetles, and Hilda had a boomerang, 
 which is a piece of fiat wood like a curved 
 paper knife ; the Australian blacks throw 
 it an immense distance with deadly effect. 
 They also gave me a pair of armlets made 
 of bone ; they are sometimes worn hanging 
 from a chain round the neck ; and next 
 day Dr. Cox sent me a stuffed platypus. 
 This is a most extraordinary animal, a sort
 
 1 1 6 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 of cross between a duck and a beaver ; it 
 has a duck's bill and webbed feet, and its 
 skin is more like a mole or an otter with a 
 white breast, so soft and furry. He also 
 sent us a stick insect. It is exactly like 
 a little branch of a tree, and hangs by its 
 claws quite motionless for hours ; if one 
 touches it, two little green wings, which 
 look just like leaves, begin to sprout. 
 We were so afraid it would escape, so we 
 put it in a waste paper basket topsy turvy, 
 and decided to give it some chloroform, 
 but, strange to say, this had no effect ; it 
 only went to sleep for a little while ; so 
 we tried it with a drop of laudanum, and 
 that had no effect ; but when we offered 
 it a drop of water it responded at once, and 
 I saw its mouth open, and a funny little 
 red tongue lapped up the drops. How- 
 ever the drugs must have disagreed with 
 it, for it died next day, and, unfortunately,
 
 Organ Recital in the Town Hall i 17 
 
 was swept up by the housemaid, who, no 
 doubt, thought it was only a stupid Httle 
 piece of dead wood and not a wonderful 
 stick insect at all. 
 
 At three o'clock we went to hear the 
 oro;an recital in the Town Hall. This 
 orofan is the largest in the world, and 
 was skilfully played by Mons. Auguste 
 Wiegand, the city organist. He gave us 
 a concerto in B flat by Handel, and a song 
 by Blumenthal, preludum and fugue in G 
 major by Bach, toccata in A flat (St. Cecilia 
 Collection) by Adolph Hesse, Le Ruisseau 
 by Gounod, a march by Cherubini, etc., 
 etc. It really was most refreshing to hear 
 some good music again ; and if we had 
 had time we would have descended from 
 our state gallery, where we sat with the 
 Mayor of Sydney and his wife, and asked 
 the organist to play some of our favourite 
 pieces.
 
 1 1 8 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 The Town Hall is in most beautiful 
 proportion, and the great white organ 
 makes a splendid finish to it at one end. 
 We returned to Moss Vale at five o'clock. 
 
 On Thtirsday, lot/i, we all started in 
 buggies for the picnic races at Bong 
 Bong, about seven miles from Hill View. 
 After driving to within a mile of the 
 race-course, we left the high road and 
 proceeded along a bush track through 
 paddocks, bowling along over the grass, 
 with an occasional bump into a rut or 
 over a stump. 
 
 The racing was most amusing, and 
 everybody picnicked in booths and tents 
 erected under the green trees at the back 
 of the stand, which consisted of an open 
 shed, where many pretty ladies In -Smart 
 hats and summer dresses were congre- 
 gated, taking the deepest interest in each 
 event, as all the horses belonged to their
 
 The Bong Bong Races i i 9 
 
 various brothers, fathers, and cousins, and 
 were generally ridden by the owners. 
 
 It was a gay scene and quite unlike any- 
 thing we had ever seen before. The prizes 
 were chiefly jewelry, which were after- 
 wards given to the ladies by the winners. 
 The excitement rose to fever pitch when 
 one race ended in a dead heat between 
 two horses, called Nightlight and Jester. 
 The weather was perfect, and the meeting 
 lasted two days ; but having had such a 
 hard week we were glad of a rest next 
 day, so did not accompany Lord Jersey and 
 his daughters. 
 
 We had several hospitable invitations 
 to visit different stations in the Colony, 
 but, alas ! there was not time to accept 
 them. 
 
 Sydney is by far the most beautifully 
 situated town we have seen, and the sites 
 for country houses and villas round the
 
 120 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 harbour are most lovely. Unfortunately 
 the sea was rough, so our only sight of 
 the Heads was from the shore. Lady 
 Jersey took us a beautiful drive to some 
 heights above the town, whence we had 
 a distant view of Botany Bay, and the 
 harbour was spread out like a map. We 
 contented ourselves with a short cruise up 
 the Paramatta River in the Government 
 steam-launch. 
 
 On Tuesday, 24//^, we started on our 
 ■return journey to Melbourne from Hill 
 View. We were sorry to end our visit to 
 New South Wales, although, considering 
 the short time we were there, I think we 
 managed to see as much as possible. 
 
 We left by the evening train, arrived 
 about twelve o'clock next morning, and 
 were heartily welcomed home at Govern- 
 ment House by the Hopetouns, who were 
 in the midst of packing up for their New
 
 Fare well to A ustralia i 2 1 
 
 Zealand trip. We had a most cheerful 
 evening, and various songs from the 
 A. D.C.'s after dinner. 
 
 On Thursday, 26tk, we saw the Hope- 
 touns on board the IVarrimoo, shivering 
 over the thoughts of the rough passage 
 they were in for, as the sea always is rough 
 between these coasts, because you get the 
 whole force of the Southern Ocean when 
 off New Zealand. 
 
 We intended to embark for the Bluff 
 on Friday, but on returning to Govern- 
 ment House with Captain Forbes and Mr. 
 Wallington, who were left behind to assist 
 in carrying on the government, we heard 
 that the steamship company had changed 
 our ship and the day of starting, so, instead 
 of getting off in the RotohaDia on Friday, 
 we were shunted on to the Tc A nan, a 
 smaller and slower boat, which only left 
 Melbourne on Saturdav.
 
 122 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 At one o'clock we were on board, and 
 although we were supposed to make a 
 very good passage, and had a capital state 
 cabin, with lots of room and gilt carved 
 wood cherubs' heads at all the corners, 
 still we were not happy. 
 
 The little ship plunged about in the 
 choppy sea ; it was bitterly cold on deck, and 
 besides, the decks were encumbered with 
 carcases of dead sheep and a fruit cargo 
 packed in wooden boxes, that towered like 
 a wall and prevented any walking about. 
 Our state cabin was situated exactly over 
 the screw, and, being a deck one, the 
 noisy conversation of the other passengers 
 was very audible. Oh, dear me ! what 
 would not one have given to get that horrid 
 screw to stop for half-an-hour ? it felt at 
 last as if a orimlet was beine screwed into 
 one's backbone ; and our berths were as 
 hard as doors, and we were as stiff as
 
 Thankful to reach the Bluff i 23 
 
 pokers, and too ill even to make jokes. 
 Thankful were we to reach Bluff Harbour, 
 and come to anchor at six in the morning 
 on Thursday, 2nd February, having- had 
 five days on the briny ocean — almost as 
 long as it takes to go to America from 
 Liverpool. 
 
 Owing to our change of boat, and being 
 in consequence a day late, we missed the 
 trip to Stewart Island with Lord and Lady 
 Glasgow, who judged rightly that after our 
 long voyage we would be the better of 
 some hours' rest at the hotel before start- 
 ing afresh. 
 
 We walked up the wide street of the 
 little town, and came to a provision shop, 
 where strange shells, spears, models of 
 canoes, and other curiosities were on view. 
 I bought a huge turtle shell, and Hilda 
 got a small one ; they are to come home 
 in a meat ship next month.
 
 1 24 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 Curiously enough, the landlord of the 
 hotel was deeply interested in our arrival, 
 as he came from Peeblesshire, and had been 
 in service in Sir Adam Hay's family. I 
 climbed the hill behind the town, and re- 
 joiced in the delicious flower-scented air 
 and briq-ht sunshine. 
 
 A young butcher boy passed on a 
 capital horse, so I asked him if there 
 were any ponies with a lady's saddle for 
 hire. He said his master's daughter had 
 one ; it was the only one in the place, 
 but he was sure he would be delighted 
 to lend it to me. I proceeded to inter- 
 view the dauQfhter of the butcher, but, 
 alas ! the saddle had just had all the 
 stuffing taken out, and was hanging 
 on the garden fence in a most dilapi- 
 dated condition ; so, with many civil 
 speeches, I reluctantly gave up the idea 
 of reaching the top of the hill, and only
 
 THE KAKL OF GLASGOW. 
 
 To/uup. 125.
 
 On Board the S. S. " Hinemoa " 125 
 
 went as far as my own legs would carry 
 me. 
 
 It is perfectly extraordinary how friendly 
 every one is in the Colonies, and how 
 they go out of their way to oblige you 
 if they pq^sibly can. About five o'clock 
 the Glasgows returned, and we went on 
 board the Hine^noa, and were introduced 
 to everybody. The party, besides Lord 
 and Lady Glasgow, consists of two 
 daughters, one son, a cousin, the mili- 
 tary secretary, Colonel Pat. Boyle, Captain 
 
 Clayton, A.D.C., and Mr. G , the 
 
 tutor; and in addition to Hilda and me 
 as visitors, there were Lady Kintore and 
 two daughters. 
 
 After dinner we weighed anchor, and 
 had a calm passage to Otago Retreat, 
 Preservation Inlet. We were stop[)ed 
 by a sand-bar at the mouth of the Inlet, 
 but got in another way, and now began
 
 126 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 our voyage through the "Western Sounds" 
 of New Zealand. They are so wonderful 
 and beautiful that it seems quite impossible 
 to give you any idea of them on paper. 
 We saw traces of the mining population 
 along the shore, as gold has lately been 
 found here. Landed some stores for the 
 lighthouse people, steamed out to sea 
 again, and just before lunch we anchored 
 at Dusky Sound, and proceeded to Captain 
 Cook's anchorage in Pickersgill Harbour, 
 where I sketched the mountains in a 
 frantic hurry for an hour, while some of 
 the party landed to take photographs and 
 get bitten by the sandflies which infest 
 these parts of the shore. The worst of 
 these flies is that they follow you on board, 
 and continue their feast regardless of 
 execrations and the numbers of the slain. 
 However, we may be thankful there are 
 no mosquitoes.
 
 Dusky Sound 127 
 
 That night we anchored in Wet Jacket 
 Arm, off Dusky Sound, passing the most 
 marvellous formation of mountains, tower- 
 ing straight above us in most fantastic 
 shapes, covered nearly to the top with 
 beautiful bush, fir, pines, and birch, and 
 all sorts of beautiful tree ferns and creepers, 
 and brilliant yellow and green moss. 
 
 On Saturday, 4//^ February, got up at 
 seven, and accompanied the bathers, who 
 had been busy for two days making 
 swimming dresses for themselves. We 
 rowed to the head of the creek, I taking 
 my sketching things and managing to do 
 a sketch, in spite of the vigorous onslaught 
 of our insect foes, who literally bit my 
 hands till they bled. Saw some colonial 
 robins, so tame they almost lighted on 
 one's head ; also some oyster birds, or 
 " red bills," with black bodies and red legs 
 and beaks.
 
 128 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 We were ravenous for breakfast, after 
 which repast we steamed up Anchor Pass- 
 age to Breaksea Sound, and up Vancouver 
 Arm, where we landed in the boats and 
 explored in the bush to our great delight. 
 I spied two native crows, large gray birds, 
 with red patches on each side of their 
 heads. 
 
 It is very exciting landing in unknown 
 creeks, which no foot of man has ever 
 trod before, not knowing if the boat 
 won't get aground. We then steamed up 
 Broughton Arm, and I did a large sketch 
 of some wonderful peaks and a gorge. 
 We saw some cow fish gamboling in the 
 water ; they are enormous creatures, run- 
 ning to fourteen feet long, and rather like 
 porpoises. They jumped right out of the 
 water in their astonishment when the yacht 
 passed. 
 
 In the afternoon we put out to sea
 
 Maori Stories i 29 
 
 and had two hours of pitching and tossing, 
 till at last we anchored for the night in 
 Dagg's Sound. 
 
 Captain Fairchild told a number of 
 amusing Maori stories at dinner, especi- 
 ally about all the tricks that went on at 
 the time of the war. When the Maories 
 were in want of bullets they used to show 
 a dummy in the bush ; of course it was 
 immediately fired at. A man with a string 
 in the background pulled it down. " Oh," 
 thought our fellows, " we've done for him." 
 Up came the dummy again, cautiously ; 
 bang, bang, bang went the rifles of the 
 British troops ; down fell dummy ; and 
 this went on till some worse marksman 
 than usual cut the dummy's rope, and no 
 Maori would go up the tree to splice it, as 
 it was certain death to do so. The bullets 
 were all taken out of a little earth bank 
 they had made behind the tree where the
 
 130 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 dummy appeared. This dodge was not 
 discovered for a long time. 
 
 On Sunday, <^th Feb., Lord Glasgow read 
 morning service in the saloon ; very heavy 
 showers. We landed to inspect a water- 
 fall, and got drenched. After lunch put 
 out to sea. Hilda and I sat on deck hold- 
 ing on tight, as the Hinemoa is given to 
 rolling. The entrance to Smith Sound 
 was gained, the mountains looking very 
 mysterious, veiled in clouds and mist, — 
 the great rocks covered with sea-birds and 
 yellow sea-weed at the entrance. We 
 anchored that night in Hall's Arm, Smith 
 Sound. 
 
 On Monday, 6tk February, several 
 boat-loads landed to explore the creeks. 
 The " larrikins," as we called the young 
 and giddy portion of this crew, headed by 
 
 Mr. G with a small axe, found the bush 
 
 so impenetrable that, as the only means of
 
 Smith Sound i 3 1 
 
 getting back to the shore, they kilted their 
 petticoats and waded down a creek, clear- 
 ing the branches as they went. 
 
 I embarked with the mate in the ship's 
 gig, which was sent to fetch them, and never 
 shall I forget the absurd scene when they 
 all emerged wet and dripping from under 
 the branches of bush scrub that met over- 
 head. We had forced the boat up the 
 narrow channel as far as it would oro, and 
 came upon several birds, a native crow, 
 and a male and female fantail — lovely little 
 birds like slender canaries, only brown, 
 with white tails, which they constantly 
 open and shut like a fan. 
 
 The girls all bathed again, not content 
 with one wetting. They swim beautifully, 
 and the savage rocks echo back shouts of 
 laughter. 
 
 We are a subject of great curiosity to 
 all the wild birds, who seem quite tame.
 
 1 32 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 and not the least aware what dangerous 
 creatures we are. Beautiful waterfalls 
 stream down the mountains in all direc- 
 tions. 
 
 At 2.30 we weighed anchor and steamed 
 into Bradshaw Sound, where we caught 
 sight of a pair of wild swans and four 
 young cygnets. The engines were stop- 
 ped, and the captain was off and after 
 them in the twinkling of an eye ; he re- 
 turned shortly with a very pleased smile 
 on his weather-beaten face and a live 
 cygnet under each arm. The bathers also 
 contributed to the menagerie by catching 
 some penguins. They are the most 
 ridiculous birds, with little hard fins for 
 wings, and webbed feet and long sharp 
 bills, green backs, and yellow or white 
 breasts. They hop and swim, but can't 
 fly, and are most cheeky and impertinent. 
 Their antics on deck amused the whole
 
 Caswell Sound 133 
 
 party. We anchored in Gair Arm, Brad- 
 shaw Sound. 
 
 On Tjiesday, yth February, started 
 at 9 A.M., in pouring rain, down Bradshaw 
 and Thompson Sounds, reached Caswell 
 Sound at one o'clock after two hours 
 tossing at sea. Weather cleared up in 
 the evening, and I sketched from a boat 
 
 with Hilda and ]\Ir. G . We were 
 
 drifting slowly down the sound, quite 
 unconscious, occupied with our painting, 
 when suddenly we heard the steam-whistle 
 of the yacht warning us it was time to turn, 
 so we had a hard row back agfainst the 
 tide, and lucky we found it out in time, or 
 they would have had to weigh anchor and 
 come after us. 
 
 On Wednesday, 8/// February, left 
 Caswell Sound at 5 a.m., reached Bligh 
 Sound at 8.30. Splendid weather ; landed 
 in boat at Bounty Haven, found shells,
 
 134 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 pampas grass, and a white flowery shrub 
 with blossom Hke a large daisy with 
 brown heart ; also a tiny white orchid 
 with delicious smell. Brought a lot of 
 green branches on board for the cow, and 
 did two sketches after lunch, had two 
 hours of a beautiful pitchy torquoise sea, 
 and sketched Mount Pembroke with its 
 snowy peak. Anchored at mouth of 
 Milford Sound for fishing and scrambling 
 purposes. Landed and found an old bush 
 track and dilapidated miner's hut ; collected 
 various ferns, and with help of axe cut 
 several sticks and supple Jack canes, and 
 found some oval white marble stones on 
 the shore for painting on. Caught some 
 penguins. 
 
 The scenery on entering Milford Sound 
 baffles description, especially as we saw 
 it first in a glorious sunset, with snow- 
 capped peaks in thedistance illuminated with
 
 ^
 
 A Sprained Ankle i 3 5 
 
 pink and golden lights intensified by deep 
 blue shadows — great walls of granite 
 coming on each side straight down into the 
 sea. At leno^th we turned the last corner, 
 and were anchored in full view of Mitre 
 Peak and Mount Pembroke. 
 
 Thursday, gt/i February. — With much 
 reluctance I bundled out of bed at 5 a.m. 
 in order to see and sketch the sunrise, 
 which was very lovely. That morning 
 
 Miss H started with Mr. Miller, 
 
 Eddie, and Mr. G . to walk to the 
 
 Sutherland Falls ; but, before they reached 
 
 Lake Ada, poor B sprained her ankle. 
 
 Not thinking it was serious, she walked a 
 little way to the boat which took them to 
 the head of the lake ; by this time her 
 foot was much swollen and very painful, 
 and it was decided that she and her cousin 
 would have to remain for the night at the 
 roadmaker's hut. There they met with
 
 136 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 great hospitality, and were regaled on a 
 supper of eels and billy tea, and in spite 
 of the sandflies and other insect pests, 
 seem to have had a festive time, although 
 they missed the grand sight of the 
 Sutherland Falls. 
 
 At 12.30 started in a boat with Lord 
 and Lady Glasgow, Lady Kintore and 
 daughters, Captain Boyle, and Captain 
 Clayton, up Arthur River. Here we 
 landed at the former penal settlement, 
 where the convicts' old huts still remain. 
 Walked for two miles to Lake Ada 
 through a superb mountain gorge, through 
 which the Arthur River had to fight 
 its way amongst giant boulders, making 
 a dull sound of waterfall in the depths 
 beneath. We saw a hawk floating in 
 the blue sky, and a great chattering of 
 small birds in the bush, as if they were 
 passing a warning note round to their
 
 Tea at Sutherland's Hotel 137 
 
 friends. I saw some lovely little L^reen tits 
 going about in pairs ; they had gray breasts 
 and sort of bright sea-green eye-brows 
 and no tails — most fascinating little birds. 
 
 It was very rough rowing back to the 
 hotel at the head of the sound, kept 
 by a man called Sutherland, who lately 
 married a handsome widow. There we 
 had tea, and had to wait for the return of 
 the Hineinoa. Captain Fairchild had gone 
 to land some stores and mail bags at 
 Martin's Bay and Big Bay. The sea was 
 rough, and some of those who remained 
 on board suffered for it. We met an 
 artist at the hotel named Ferret, who had 
 done some rather pretty little oil pictures. 
 Lord Glasgow and Lady Kintore bought 
 several of them. The Ilincmoa did not 
 return till after sunset, and we had to walk 
 through a bush path, beset with snares 
 for the unwary, to reach the boats. I
 
 I 38 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 christened a grand mountain peak " Mount 
 Chandos," and they are going to send the 
 name up for the Government maps. 
 There was a beautiful sunset that evening, 
 but sunsets only last a very few moments 
 in this country, so it is very difficult to 
 get the colouring in a sketch. 
 
 Friday, \oth February, was rather cloudy 
 and cold, with occasional heavy rain. 
 
 Hilda and I, accompanied by various 
 members of the party> landed near the 
 Bowen Falls, and had a most exhausting 
 climb up a precipitous bush path to see 
 the falls from the top. In some places 
 steps were cut in the rocks, or made 
 by roots of trees, and occasionally ropes 
 were stretched at the most dangerous 
 places for us to swing ourselves up by ; 
 it was like climbing the wall of a house. 
 Those who eventually reached the over- 
 hanging rocks, where the water was
 
 A Peep of Mount Cook i 39 
 
 dashing down, said it was a very fine 
 sieht, but, alas ! I was not of the number. 
 We were thoroughly soaked before we 
 got back to the yacht, and started that 
 night for Westport. 
 
 All Saturday, Feb. 1 1///, we were at sea, 
 stopped occasionally to land stores, and had 
 a glorious peep of Mount Cook, Mount 
 Tasman, and a range of snowy peaks. 
 They rose out of the clouds, as there was 
 a ofood deal of mist alonof the shore, so we 
 were most lucky to get a sight of them. 
 We had been going- for some miles along 
 the coast in perfect despair at the fog, 
 when at length one peak appeared like a 
 large white star ; you would hardly 
 believe it was a mountain, and it looked 
 quite up in the heavens. The sea was a 
 wonderful green colour, and gradually the 
 clouds parted like a curtain, and there was 
 the marvellous range exposed to view
 
 I40 Duchess of Buckingham' s Letters 
 
 against a bright blue sky. All those who 
 had retired to their cabins, victims of the 
 deceitful ocean, were routed out to see the 
 wonderful sight. 
 
 Hilda and I managed to remain on 
 deck, and had our deck chairs lashed to 
 the mast. Towards evening it calmed 
 down, and after we all got to bed we did 
 not mind what happened. 
 
 Early on Saturday morning we anchored 
 in Westport Harbour. It was delightful 
 to get on shore, and the air was delicious — 
 a lovely day, quite hot. We walked to 
 St. John's Church, and were met half-way 
 by a procession of volunteer sailors, who 
 came to do honour to the Governor, but 
 were rather too late to catch him on the 
 Hinemoa, as we were not expected to 
 arrive till Monday. 
 
 We walked along the river's bank by a 
 bush path admiring the tree ferns and
 
 A Walk ALONG THE River Bank 141 
 
 creepers, and hoping for fine weather to 
 continue. 
 
 Our further doings at Westport I must 
 reserve for another mail. 
 
 i^^,^fc^^jj^^-^.ij i - .=^b=a | 
 
 'el- '■■:■• 
 
 
 I V.:;, ,_ 
 
 1^ 
 
 
 BREAKSEA SOUND.
 
 
 OUR COACH ON THE BULLER ROAD. 
 
 LETTER No. 8. 
 
 Tavistock Hotel, 
 Waipukurau, Hawkes Bay, 
 
 North Island, New Zealand. 
 gi/i March 1893. 
 
 I THINK my last letter ended on our 
 safe arrival in Westport Harbour on 
 Sunday the 19th February. Enclosed are 
 some newspaper cuttings, which may 
 interest you, and will save me a lot of 
 extra writing. The earthquake described 
 took place that morning, and although we
 
 An Inspection OF Volunteers 143 
 
 were all up and dressed, and strolling 
 about on the pier at eight o'clock, waiting 
 for breakfast, none of us were aware of the 
 shock. As there was to be an earthquake 
 we felt rather defrauded not to have 
 noticed it. 
 
 The sun shone brighdy, and all looked 
 so calm and peaceful after the stormy 
 sea. 
 
 I walked to church with the Governor 
 and some of the party. The volunteers 
 were sent to meet us, and Lord Glasgow 
 inspected them, and spoke to their officer. 
 They were all dressed as sailors, although 
 they rarely, if ever, go to sea. 
 
 On Monday, 13///, it poured torrents of 
 rain, so our expedition had to be postponed. 
 The railway manager, Mr. Peterkin, who 
 is an Aylesbury man. and worked under 
 the Duke on the London and North- 
 Western in former days, brought his
 
 1 44 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 daughter to present me with some flowers. 
 He had one of the goods-sheds converted 
 into a temporary drawing-room, and we 
 were very glad to make use of it, and 
 paint, read, and work there, instead of 
 being cooped up on board the yacht. 
 Later in the day some of the party went 
 by train to see the harbour works. 
 
 The next day ( Titesday, i\th Febriiaiy) 
 we made a grand expedition to Denniston 
 coal mines, organised by Mr. Miller, who 
 is one of the directors, and also Speaker 
 of the Upper House. 
 
 All went by train as far as Waimangaroa, 
 where we got out to inspect a gold mine. 
 The fortunate miner it belongs to makes 
 from £10 to ^30 a week. Hilda and 
 Lady Augusta Boyle and her brother 
 descended into the mine. You go down 
 a long slanting passage, in a crouching 
 position, getting your clothes covered with
 
 A Gold Mine 145 
 
 wet yellow mud. The earth is brought out 
 in a little truck and poured with water into 
 a long wooden trough, with a sort of 
 wooden ladder in it to catch the grains of 
 gold. The gravel and mud are all carried 
 into the river, but the gold, being so 
 heavy, sinks to the bottom. We were 
 presented with some small bits of ggld, and 
 I got a little nugget. 
 
 The miner was delighted at the ladies 
 going down his mine, as he said the ladies 
 of Westport would not do it : they were 
 frightened, and did not like getting wet. 
 
 Then we all scrambled back into our 
 special train, and went on a short distance 
 to the foot of the mountain, to see the 
 coal trucks coming spinning down from 
 the top. As the mountain is 2000 feet 
 high, you may imagine the pace is terrific. 
 The loaded truck draws the empty one up 
 by an arrangement of twisted wire ropes.
 
 146 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 This plan is perfectly successful, but the 
 engineers were some time finding it out, 
 and used to have rather serious accidents 
 with the trucks, as formerly before the 
 road was made through the bush, all the 
 women and children went up that way. 
 Even now the trucks sometimes get off 
 the lines and collide with each other. 
 We remounted our train, and steamed 
 back to Waimangaroa Station, where a 
 crowd was collected to see the cavalcade 
 start for the mines. Twenty-three horses 
 were waiting, seven of them with ladies' 
 saddles for Lady Glasgow, Lady Augusta 
 Boyle, Lady Kintore, Lady Hilda, and 
 Lady Ethel Keith Falconer, Hilda, and me. 
 We were accompanied by the gentle- 
 men of our party, and various official 
 people ; the Mayor of Westport headed 
 the cavalcade. You never saw such a 
 miscellaneous collection of animals, as had
 
 Our Cavalcade 147 
 
 been lent by all sorts of people, and had 
 come from all parts. 
 
 Lady Glasgow chose a quiet pony, as 
 she did not much enjoy the prospect of 
 climbing precipices with her feet dangling 
 over the side. Her son was mounted on 
 a racehorse that was the winner of several 
 cups. I had a stout cob, which I chose 
 because the saddle looked so comfortable. 
 
 The doctor from Westport nearly came 
 to grief, as his horse shied at a man who 
 was mending the road, and he was as 
 nearly as possible shot over the cliff. 
 
 Mr. G , who is short of stature, was 
 
 perched on an enormous cart-horse, and 
 was carrying a large white umbrella for 
 one of the ladies. The variety of costumes 
 was extremely amusing, and for the first 
 half-hour we did nothing but go into peals 
 of laughter at each other's appearance. 
 
 We rode for an hour and a half up a
 
 148 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 zigzag path cut through the thick bush, 
 and under beautiful old trees of red 
 pine, white pine, black birch, and every 
 kind of lovely shrub, some covered with 
 scarlet berries ; tree ferns tossing their 
 graceful tops to the blue sky. A lovely 
 little white orchid was brought to me 
 with a delicious scent. We also saw 
 tufts of a plant, with bright blue poison- 
 ous berries, growing on the steep banks. 
 Occasionally the song of the bell-bird, 
 or the Tui, reached us from the tops of 
 the giant trees. One caught glimpses 
 of the sea, far, far away through the 
 trunks, and every turn brought fresh 
 beauties to admire. Each little torrent 
 that ran down the mountain side was 
 bridged by planks, over which the horses 
 had to go ; sometimes a noisy little water- 
 fall thundering down close by, bordered by 
 varieties of graceful ferns. I have dried a
 
 Denniston Coal Mines 149 
 
 few specimens of one of these called the 
 umbrella fern. It is so bewildering to 
 make the acquaintance of so many new 
 plants and birds. 
 
 We were quite sorry to reach the top, 
 but the excellent lunch that awaited us 
 was very acceptable, after which several 
 speeches were made by the directors, and 
 healths drunk. 
 
 The miners' houses are all wooden 
 shanties, built on the bare clearing, with 
 no sort of attempt at smartness or gar- 
 dens. They look dreadfully squalid and 
 untidy, but in this beautiful climate I 
 think people care less for ornament as 
 long as they have the necessaries of life. 
 All the children looked very healthy and 
 nicely dressed. 
 
 We went to see the small loaded trucks 
 arrive from the mine full of coal. They 
 flew along a little tramway, and were
 
 I 50 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 emptied down a shoot into the larger 
 trucks. Then we saw the large trucks 
 start down the hill. It took one's breath 
 away to think that any one had actually 
 gone down in them. We perched our- 
 selves on various perilous positions on the 
 rocks at the sides of the cutting, where 
 we could get a good view. The panorama 
 of the country was very fine from that 
 height, stretching away to the faint line 
 of breakers on the sea-coast. We were 
 taken to see the engine-room, and before 
 leaving the little town, Lady Glasgow- 
 asked the schoolmaster for a holiday for 
 the children. 
 
 They all assembled to see us mount 
 our various steeds, and the descent began. 
 I led the procession, and on reaching the 
 foot we found tea ready for us at the 
 station. 
 
 The children of Waimangaroa were all
 
 Maori Hens i 5 1 
 
 cheering like mad, headed by their school- 
 mistress, who shouted, " Three cheers for 
 Lady Glasgow, three cheers for the 
 
 Duchess of B ," as the train moved 
 
 off; and we had bouquets presented to us 
 by some very small ones. 
 
 We saw several Maori hens in the bush ; 
 they are rather like hen pheasants, and 
 live on rats, mice, and small birds. Also 
 some green paroquets, which fly about in 
 pairs, their green plumage flashing like 
 emeralds in the sunshine. 
 
 On Wednesday, the 15th February, 
 we started for the coaching tour from 
 W^estport to Nelson. Lord Glasgow, 
 
 Lady Augusta, Miss H , Captain 
 
 Clayton, Mr. G , Hilda, and I. 
 
 Lady Glasgow was prevented coming on 
 account of Alice havino^ cauo-ht a severe 
 cold. 
 
 We took leave of Lady Kintore and
 
 152 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 her daughters, who remained on the 
 Hine7itoa, and went by sea with the rest 
 of the party to Nelson, where they left by 
 train for Wellington, and thence back to 
 Adelaide via Sydney. The two coaches, 
 one scarlet, with five white horses, and 
 the other green, with bays, to take the 
 servants and luggage, drove up to the pier, 
 and we all packed in, or rather on the 
 top. I had a seat beside the driver, Mr. 
 Mitchell, a Scotsman, who gave us much 
 information as we went alono: about the 
 country. The road wound through the 
 valley of the Duller River, a most exciting 
 drive, as there was a precipice sheer down 
 into the foaming torrent on one side, and 
 just room for a coach, and very few places 
 where you could have passed another 
 vehicle. 
 
 After the first few miles we drove 
 straight down a steep track, which seemed
 
 The Duller Road i 5 3 
 
 to land in the bed of the river, which 
 was very wide and free from rocks at 
 this point. Then we discovered that the 
 whole coach had to drive on to a ferry 
 boat, which was worked with ropes, and 
 was pulled across the stream. The horses 
 seemed quite accustomed to it, and stood 
 quiet. We waited at the other side to see 
 the green coach come over. 
 
 Unfortunately this day's journey was 
 much spoilt by the rain, which fell very 
 persistently, and blotted out much of the 
 finest part of the scenery. The moun- 
 tains, covered with thick bush, rose almost 
 perpendicularly from the river's bed, and 
 the road we travelled by was cut out of 
 the side of the hill. The bridges over the 
 torrents were, in most cases, devoid of side 
 rails, which made them very dangerous in 
 case of accident or a horse slipping. 
 
 The first stage was 2 6 J. miles to I nan-
 
 154 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 gahua Junction, but an hour before reach- 
 ing it we were invited to stop at a station 
 and have some tea and peaches and cream 
 — a dehcious Httle repast prepared by some 
 people of the name of Walker, two elderly 
 bachelor brothers and a young niece. She 
 had got out all the best china, and after 
 nearly a month at sea, drinking out of real 
 china cups was quite a treat, instead of the 
 heavy things half an inch thick one 
 has to put up with on board ship. Such 
 peaches as we had I have never seen 
 equalled. 
 
 •However, we had not much time to 
 linger, and were soon hurried away from 
 this hospitable board, and packed up on 
 the coach to complete our stage. 
 
 We lunched at Courtenay's Hotel, all 
 prettily decorated with long tree ferns in 
 our honour — a crowd of school children, 
 as usual, in the foreground. The food at
 
 Courtenay's Hotel 
 
 these small inns was generally very nicely 
 cooked, with plenty of good vegetables 
 and fruit — grapes, plums, apples, pears, 
 and bananas, huge apple pies or stewed 
 apricots, and fresh milk and excellent 
 cream. Some men were collected in the 
 veranda, and among them was a most 
 amusing French labourer, who was de- 
 lighted to have some conversation in his 
 native tongue. 
 
 When we started he proposed three 
 extra cheers for " de ladies," and the land- 
 lord fired a gun off. Likewise a German 
 miner, who had not spoken German for 
 ten years, and was one of the earliest 
 settlers in the district. 
 
 The second stage was eleven miles to 
 Lyell. an " alpine village," as the inhabit- 
 ants called it. Here we were received 
 with flags flying and cheers from the popu- 
 lation, who all turned out, in spite of the
 
 1 56 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 rain, to welcome the Governor and hear 
 an address read to him. Wet and weary, 
 we had all to stand in the street till it 
 was over. Some of these addresses were 
 beautifully illuminated. 
 
 How glad we were to have a fire in 
 our small parlour, and dry our wet things ! 
 The other coach not having arrived, we 
 had to sit in our petticoats, drying our 
 skirts, hats, and boots. A tremendous 
 storm of wind and rain lasted all night. 
 One felt as if the house were coming 
 down, but all slept soundly in comfort- 
 able beds — an agreeable change from our 
 narrow berths on board the yacht. 
 
 Thursday, 1 6th. — Left Lyell after 
 breakfast. Had a lovely drive, in pretty 
 good weather, of twenty-seven miles, to 
 Longford Accommodation House, kept 
 by our driver Mitchell, who had sent 
 for his wife and baby, etc., to receive us.
 
 A Rope Cage" 157 
 
 They came from a place seventy miles 
 off. The house was all repapered for our 
 reception, and a cheerful wood fire burning 
 in the parlour, in one of the wide brick 
 fire-places one generally finds in these 
 Colonial farm-houses. 
 
 We passed a good many small clearings 
 by the Hope River that day, and also 
 drove through much forest scenery. The 
 road was in many places bordered by high 
 bracken, under which there is excellent 
 grass for cattle, as the sun does not get 
 at it to scorch the grass. 
 
 Longford is close to the river, and we 
 all walked to see a rope cage, by which 
 means you can get across, that is to say. 
 if it happens to be on the side you arrive 
 at. Hilda was adventurous enough to trv 
 it, and so was Augusta. It certainly did 
 look most dangerous and impossible for 
 any one who had not a very steady head,
 
 I 5 8 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 as the cage swings about seventy feet 
 above the bed of the river. 
 
 We also went to see the Elephant 
 Rock. It is in the midst of the stream, 
 and looks exactly like an elephant wading 
 in the water, with its long trunk. Another 
 rock is called the Calf. All along this 
 road we had constantly to go through the 
 dry beds of torrents, and got well bumped 
 about in the coach. Elsewhere we went 
 cantering along with the five horses and 
 heavy coach, and the clever way they 
 turned the sharp corners was perfectly 
 marvellous. 
 
 We passed a couple of coach wheels 
 on the side of a very steep place. " That," 
 said the driver, "was all that was left of a 
 coach that fell over the side lately, and 
 that mare " (pointing to one of our leaders) 
 " is the only survivor of the team ! " 
 
 On Friday, lyi/i February, we started
 
 The Elephant Rock i 59 
 
 at nine o'clock from Longford, and, after 
 we were all settled on the coach, a photo- 
 graph was taken of the party. Mrs. 
 Mitchell was very anxious to have the 
 baby in it, but as he began to jump about 
 at the critical moment he was banished. 
 However, I had found him being photoed 
 in the back-yard, in his little chemise, 
 before breakfast, surrounded by different 
 members of the family, chirping and 
 making all sorts of attractive noises that 
 babies are supposed to like ; so, as he had 
 been done justice to already, it was just as 
 well not to have him in our group. We 
 passed the Elephant Rock, and drove by 
 the Owen River, the Hope, and the 
 Matupiko, for about forty miles, and did 
 not stop for lunch till nearly three o'clock. 
 We ivere famished when we drove up to 
 Thompson's Accommodation House, where 
 the usual hearty meal awaited us. Then
 
 i6o Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 sixteen miles over a grand mountain range 
 to Bellgrove Station, where we were in- 
 vited to tea at the engine-driver's house 
 while waiting for our special train in which 
 Lady Glasgow, and her party, came from 
 Nelson to welcome us, so we did the last 
 twenty - two miles of the journey very 
 swiftly. 
 
 On reaching Nelson, far from resting 
 from our fatigues, we were received by the 
 Mayor and other swells, and put into open 
 carriages and driven through the town. 
 The artillery fired a salute as the train 
 stopped, and a brass band began to play. 
 
 At a foot pace we went through the 
 streets, and the rest of what we did you 
 will see in the newspaper. Slept that 
 night on board the Hinemoa. 
 
 On Saturday, \Zth, we w^ere all in- 
 vited to a picnic, given by the Mayor of 
 Nelson, and had a most lovely drive to
 
 Nelson and Cable Bay i 6 i 
 
 Cable Bay, where we inspected the cable 
 station and all the testing instruments, 
 which were most interesting, but extremely 
 difficult to understand. Sent various mes- 
 sages home to say we were well and 
 enjoying ourselves. Some of the girls 
 wanted to have their names telegraphed, 
 as the messages come out on a line of 
 tape, but the clerk at Sydney cabled he 
 was very hungry and just going to his 
 dinner. 
 
 We lunched on the banks of a very 
 pretty trout stream, where some lovely 
 brown trout were disporting themselves, 
 but declined to be caught, although several 
 fishers tried their luck. Weather most 
 beautiful, and such a sunset over the har- 
 bour ! 
 
 On Stiuday, i<^t/i, went to morning 
 
 service at the Cathedral, a large church 
 
 built of wood, very well situated at the 
 M
 
 1 62 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 end of the principal street, and up several 
 flights of steps. 
 
 On Monday, 20th, left Nelson Har- 
 bour for Picton. Six hours of very 
 rough sea, and a little misery in the 
 cabin ! On landing we proceeded to a 
 goods-shed, where addresses were pre- 
 sented to his Excellency, and bouquets 
 to Lady Glasgow and me. School chil- 
 dren sang, and the crowd pressed closer 
 and closer till we were nearly stifled. 
 
 The Rotorua anchored alongside of us, 
 and began to use our deck as a landing- 
 stage, and to unship her cargo across our 
 bows. The noise and discomfort was 
 so ereat that I retreated with my maid 
 to an hotel in the town, where I took 
 a room for the night. Lord and Lady 
 Glasgow w^ent to a dinner given by the 
 Mayor. 
 
 On Tuesday, 21st, we all went to the
 
 Our First View of Wellington 163 
 
 town of Blenheim for the day by rail, 
 where a great reception awaited us ; but 
 the show was rather spoilt by the rain. 
 Lunch in the Town Mall, and speeches. 
 On our return we went to tea with the 
 Mayor of Picton at his charming villa 
 overlooking the harbour, and were intro- 
 duced to various members of his family, 
 one of whom confided to me that we were 
 not nearly such alarming persons as she 
 anticipated. We weighed anchor that 
 night about 12 p.m., and started for Well- 
 ington. 
 
 Wednesday, 22nd. — Anchored for 
 breakfast and packing at the Heads at the 
 entrance of the harbour, a fine sunny day 
 for our first view of Wellinorton, but 
 desperately windy. The younger Boyle 
 children rushed down to the pier, slap 
 through the crowd to welcome their parents, 
 and sprang into the carriage, and nearly
 
 164 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 strangled their mother by the vehemence 
 of their embraces. 
 
 Later in the day I went for a lovely ride 
 
 with Eddie and Mr. G to Lyell Bay, 
 
 where we met Hilda and Augusta in the 
 pony cart, and had an enchanting gallop 
 on the sands. The horses were much in 
 want of exercise, and very fresh. I rode 
 a charming animal called Fly. 
 
 Thursday, 2'x^rd. — Very showery. Went 
 shopping in the town ; small dance in the 
 evening. There is a delightful, polished 
 floor in the ball-room, which opens out of 
 the drawing-rooms, and is always ready 
 for these festivities. Government House 
 is extremely comfortable, built of wood, 
 with a tower and red roof. All the houses 
 in Wellington are wooden ones, and fires 
 are frequent ; the fire-bell rings instantly 
 to warn the firemen, who fly to the rescue. 
 They are all built rather low, with \eran-
 
 Government House, Wellington 165 
 
 das, and the hills come so close down to 
 the sea that you see funny little dwellings 
 perched in all sorts of extraordinary places 
 just where there is room for a house. The 
 new Government buildings are rather 
 handsome, with pointed gables, and almost 
 adjoin Government House, which stands 
 in a garden full of lovely trees, ferns, 
 flowers, and creepers, with a tennis ground 
 in the rear. The drives all round are very 
 pretty, with peeps across the bay to the 
 distant mountains. 
 
 Saturday, 25///. — Lord and Lady Hope- 
 toun, accompanied by Lord Xorthesk 
 (A.D.C.) and Mr. Ralston, arrived from 
 Picton in the Hinouoa, after a very rough 
 passage. I went down with Lord Glas- 
 gow to welcome them. It was most amus- 
 ing to meet them again and exchange 
 experiences of our travels. They are very 
 delighted to have their holiday. A mail
 
 1 66 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 is going, so I must stop. I send this 
 from Geyser Hotel, Whakarewarewa, but 
 have not time to write up to date — 13th 
 March 1893. 
 
 
 fcfsl?^, 
 
 "^'-..'^v^'',. 
 
 ON THE BANKS OF A TROUT-STREAM, THE HAPFY VALLEY, NEAR NELSON".
 
 THE DAUGHTER OF A MAORI CHIEF. 
 
 LETTER No. 9. 
 
 Steam-ship "Mariposa," 
 
 Pacikic Ocean, off Samoa, 
 ]Ved)iesday, 2<)tk March 1S93. 
 
 This is a most confusing week, as we 
 have had two Mondays, by order of the 
 captain, to g-et straight. I must hark back 
 to 27th February, just after Lord and 
 Lady Hopetoun arrived at Government 
 House, Wellinojton, in the Hinemoa. We
 
 1 68 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 had a very pleasant time there. I painted 
 a good deal, and finished up sketches made 
 in the sounds ; prowled in the town, and 
 bought several water-colours and a little 
 oil painting of the Stirling Falls in Milford 
 Sound at sunset. 
 
 Some of the party played exciting 
 games of tennis in the garden, and it was 
 delightful sitting under the trees, with all 
 the children and the dogs and pet parrot 
 watching them exerting themselves. The 
 grounds are not large for the size of the 
 house, but full of beautiful trees, shrubs, 
 and tree ferns, and gay flower beds on 
 very green turf Over and over again 
 we used to say, " Well, this is delightful, 
 considering the frost, and snow, and fogs 
 that everybody at home is suffering from." 
 
 On Wednesday, ist March, a large and 
 merry party, consisting of the Hopetouns, 
 five young Boyles, four A.D.C.'s, Hilda,
 
 The Box Seat i6g 
 
 and I, packed into a huge brake with four 
 horses, and started on a twenty miles' 
 drive to a fishin": hut on a trout stream at 
 Wainuiomata. The road was a very 
 beautiful one, winding for miles along the 
 sea-shore, — such a blue sea, with a view of 
 mountains, which we gradually reached 
 and began to ascend, some of the party 
 getting out to walk up the steepest parts. 
 I was on the box, and of course heard all 
 about the horses from the driver, who was 
 vexed he had not had longer notice, and 
 was obliged to put a mare in as leader 
 who had not filled that post before. 
 
 Considering what a dangerous road it 
 was, I should have been very sorry to drive 
 a team one was not sure of However, 
 our whip was quite equal to the occasion, 
 and the only misadventure that befell us 
 was that, when we arrived and the horses 
 were unharnessed and turned loose to find
 
 170 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 their own way down to the stream, two of 
 them made their escape, and wandered 
 several miles into the bush. It took the 
 driver, Lord Northesk, and Mr. Ralston 
 some time to retrieve them, and we were 
 pretty late in getting home. We put a 
 basket full of soda-water and lemonade to 
 cool in the stream, and of course that was 
 the very place the horses selected to drink 
 at. Shrieks from the company, for, in our 
 anxiety, we almost heard all the bottles 
 crashing, and expected a bloody hoof to 
 emerge from the water. However, the 
 first horse just managed to save its dis- 
 tance, and the others were persuaded to 
 try their luck elsewhere. I will not tell 
 you how many trout were caught, as, after 
 driving a coachload of ardent fishermen 
 and women so far, the least we could have 
 expected was a heavy basket, but, alas ! 
 alas ! "hope told a tiattering tale," and we
 
 The Convent Schools of St. Mary 171 
 
 were very glad that a substantial luncheon 
 had been provided by the inanagcnicnt, 
 and we were not dependent for food on 
 the results of the sport. 
 
 On Thursday, 2nd March, I paid a 
 visit to the convent schools of St. i\Iary, 
 and was received by the Mother Superior 
 and her nuns and the priests. Some 
 music was played and songs sung by the 
 pupils ; and one very little girl of five 
 recited in a marvellous manner. It was 
 a piece in which she pretended to be a 
 captive bird, and the way she threw up 
 her little arms and looked up with her 
 blue eyes, saying, " I fly, I lly, I pierce 
 the skies," was most dramatic. 
 
 The whole scene, when we marched into 
 the school-room with the L^ood nuns, was 
 like a picture by one of the old Dutch 
 masters. A long desk was placed down 
 the centre of the room ; on one side sat
 
 172 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 the boarders in their Sunday frocks of 
 sober black, with white lace collars turned 
 down ; opposite them were the day pupils 
 in white chiefly, and all graduated accord- 
 ing to ages. By the piano sat one of the 
 sisters, and several others were grouped 
 about ; while a row of arm-chairs were 
 placed at the upper end of the room for 
 us and the Mother Superior. Some lovely 
 bouquets were then presented to us, and 
 afterwards we were taken to see the 
 chapel. All the running border decora- 
 tions were painted by the sisters — passion- 
 flowers, lilies, and vines. Then upstairs 
 to the dormitories, and down to the kitchen, 
 each sister in charge being presented. 
 
 It is always safe in the Colonies to ask 
 people what part of the old country they or 
 their families come from ; and if one happens 
 to have been near or at their own particular 
 home spot, they are generally so delighted.
 
 An Evening Reception 173 
 
 whether in England, Scotland, or Ireland. 
 One sister was in charge of the lace-work 
 done in the convent. It was chiefly tam- 
 bour-work or net for cheap altar-covers, 
 and a little linen lace. 
 
 In the evening Lady Glasgow had a 
 reception in honour of the Governor of 
 Victoria, Lady Hopetoun, and me, as all 
 the Wellington people were very anxious 
 to see us. I put on my best frock, a 
 white and gold brocade, and we all 
 made ourselves as smart as possible. 
 It felt quite odd to be dressing up again 
 after so many weeks of shirts and skirts 
 in the yacht. A mass of people were 
 presented, and all the rest of the time 
 I was in Wellington I felt dreadfully 
 afraid of cutting some one I was supposed 
 to know. This party was rather an ordeal: 
 whenever one looked up. rows and rows of 
 eyes gazing at one. We enjoyed the
 
 1/4 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 small after-dinner dances much more, as 
 they were less formal. Being Lent, they 
 could not have a big ball. 
 
 Colonel Pitt, who was one of the party 
 at the Mayor of Nelson's picnic to Cable 
 Bay, sent me some charming platinotype 
 photos he had taken of Cable Bay, and 
 the Hinemoa steaming out of Nelson 
 Harbour. 
 
 On Friday, 37-^ March, we were in- 
 vited to a picnic by Sir Patrick Buckley, 
 to see the beautiful scenery on the 
 Wainarapa Railway. The carriages are 
 provided with a balcony along the side, 
 where you can stand, enclosed with 
 wire netting, feeling like a sheep in a 
 sheep-truck, and admire the rapidly-dis- 
 solving views. We went up the Rima- 
 taku Incline, and past the place where a 
 train was blown over in a gale of wind. 
 Since then strong barriers have been put
 
 Pigeon's Bush i 7 5 
 
 up at this exposed bridge to prev^ent the 
 recurrence of such a disaster. F"ive people 
 were killed and others hurt. 
 
 We went as far as a station called 
 Pigeon's Bush, where we had a sump- 
 tuous lunch, and heaps of delicious grapes, 
 I did a hasty sketch of blue mountains, 
 with some cabbage-trees for foreground ; 
 but one might have spent weeks on 
 that lovely line, painting at every turn, and 
 it was simply maddening only to be able 
 to take such very inadequate sketches of 
 so much that was extremely grand and 
 beautiful. In the evening there was again 
 a small dance at Government House, the 
 Governor and Lord Hopetoun taking 
 part in a vigorous reel of Tulloch. 
 
 On Saturday, ^tk March, left Welling- 
 ton and our kind and hospitable enter- 
 tainers at 6.30 A.M., in company with the 
 Hopetouns and their staff, as far as
 
 1/6 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 Waipukurau, where my cousins, Mr. 
 and Mrs. Montgomery, were waiting to 
 meet us with a buggy and two nice grays. 
 We had breakfast in the train dining-car, 
 where they cooked chops — oh ! so hot — in 
 a small kitchen compartment, and gave us 
 paper napkins, which were very funny, 
 covered with pink advertisements. At 
 one of the stations we passed some Maori 
 ladies, riding astride, dressed in gay cottons 
 with coloured handkerchiefs on their heads. 
 The train passed through the Manawatu 
 Gorge ; but the day was cloudy, showery, 
 and windy, so we did not see it to advan- 
 tage. After many adieus to our fellow- 
 travellers at Waipukurau Station, we col- 
 lected our luggage and many bags, cushions, 
 rugs, sticks, and sketching-boards, and pro- 
 ceeded to the Tavistock Hotel, about a 
 mile or two from the station, kept by a 
 Scotchman of the name of Gow, who, with
 
 The Banks of the Tuki Tuki River 177 
 
 his obliging wife did his best to make our 
 stay comfortable. 
 
 We found that Harry Montgomery had 
 taken all the rooms, and they had come 
 down from their wooden cottage at the 
 Run to entertain us during our stay. As 
 it was about 2)-y^-' ^^'^ ^""^ ^"^o'^ ^o much 
 that evening except rest and recover from 
 our fatigues. 
 
 Next day, Sunday, ^th Alarch, I 
 walked to church with my cousins and 
 little IMary ; service done by a lay reader, 
 who preached a peculiar sermon on electric 
 lighting and other modern improvements. 
 In the afternoon we drove by the banks 
 of the Tuki Tuki River. At one point the 
 road was actually in the bed of part of the 
 river, which in winter is a tremendous 
 torrent. There had been some rain, so 
 our road was occasionally under water ; 
 huge plants of toi grass met overhead, and
 
 178 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 quantities of native flax grew with it. We 
 spent all afternoon exploring and sketching 
 a lovely view of the great range of the 
 Ruahine Mountains. 
 
 On Moftday, 6t/i, we were taken to 
 Woburn and Hatuma ; lunched in the 
 three-roomed wooden cottage, where the 
 Montgomerys are staying for the summer, 
 although they mean to move later into 
 the manager's house, I did an oil sketch 
 of the homestead for Maude, under 
 the shade of an umbrella tied to a 
 wheelbarrow, and Hilda sketched me in 
 this absurd position. Later, we saddled 
 all the horses and rode out on the Run ; 
 miles and miles of grass, wuth occasional 
 cabbage -trees, especially on one place 
 where there is good soil, called "cabbage- 
 tree flat." We were also taken to see the 
 wool-shed, which must present a busy scene 
 when full of Maori shearers and their
 
 Willows from St. Helena 179 
 
 wives, sorting the fleeces, and handing 
 them to be pressed in bundles for sale. 
 The weather was lovely, and we were 
 sorry when the riding was over, saddles 
 taken off, and the grays put in the buggy ; 
 Harry and little Mary escorted us riding. 
 Quite a bush road, or rather a bullock 
 track, as far as the manager's house at 
 Woburn. There are a good many old 
 weeping-willow trees about, and in the 
 avenue all along the banks of the stream. 
 They are a very general feature in New 
 Zealand scenery, and were originally 
 brought from St. Helena. In the hall at 
 Tavistock Hotel were several splendid 
 stags' heads : the red deer thrive well, and 
 grow to an immense size. Quite recently 
 one was killed with twenty-two points. 
 The heads are far fmer than any I have 
 seen in the Highlands of Scotland. Mr. 
 Gow presented me with a stick carved by
 
 1 80 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 Maories — one of those creeper sticks that 
 have been eaten into by the parasite 
 creeper as it twines round. He gave 
 Hilda the tusks of a wild boar, which 
 abounds in some parts of the bush, and 
 gives very good sport. Two men killed 
 eighty pigs in three days. 
 
 On Tuesday Jth, we spent most of the 
 day sketching on the Tuki Tuki River ; 
 taking lunch with us, unharnessing the 
 horses, and tying them to flax bushes. 
 
 Wednesday, ZtJi, drove with Maude past 
 a Maori pah, and on to a small town, where 
 we got some milk at the hotel, and I 
 sketched a picture in the hall of the half- 
 caste daughter of a Maori chief. 
 
 Afterwards in the garden of a hut we 
 saw two Maori women washing, and 
 an old man who remembered Maude's 
 father, Mr. Russel, and said, "He was 
 my father."
 
 Maori Women with Green Lips i 8 1 
 
 The women were tatooed with green on 
 their Hps and chins, the colour of green- 
 stone, which they so much admire. At first 
 one thinks it hideous and most disfiguring, 
 but after we had been at the hot lakes, and 
 seen so many at the Maori settlement, we 
 got used to it, and a Maori woman seemed 
 quite unfinished without green lips. 
 
 We left for Napier by the two o'clock 
 train, a three hours' broiling journey, the 
 train quite full — men, women, and babies in 
 profusion ; one lovely baby with golden 
 curls all over its head and pink cheeks. 
 Of course, this time we were not travelling 
 with a Governor and his staff, so had to 
 make the best of it. 
 
 On reaching Napier we found a fine open 
 carriage waiting to take us to the hotel. 
 
 We went to a chocolate shop, and 
 bought some boxes by way of provision 
 for the morrow. Walked a little way on
 
 I 82 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 the fine esplanade, of which the town is 
 very proud, but having had plenty of 
 the sea lately, we did not stop long to 
 admire the waves breaking. 
 
 Next morning, ()tk March, we started 
 at eight o'clock in a private buggy, driven 
 by a nice young Irishman called Brady, 
 who gave us a lot of information as we 
 went along. Our road lay all along by 
 the Inner Harbour for some miles, and 
 in the calm water all the rocks and head- 
 lands were reflected most beautifully. 
 Then we went through the fertile valley 
 of the Petane, and began to ascend the 
 Titiokuru Range (2750 feet). Stopped 
 at Mohaka to lunch and change horses. 
 The scenery was most beautiful and 
 interesting. The road ascended to the 
 top of Turanga-kumu (3500 feet), from 
 which there was a fine panorama. 
 
 We soon began to descend the famous
 
 Forty-six Miles in the Rain i 83 
 
 zigzag (4|- miles) to Stone Creek; then past 
 the Waipunga Creek, and arrived at dusk 
 at Tarawera, where we met all the coaching 
 travellers, and dined with them at a sort 
 of table d'hote in the kitchen. Our bed- 
 rooms were little attics, with sloping roofs 
 and casement windows. 
 
 On Friday, lotk, up early for our forty- 
 six mile drive. Alas ! it was a pouring 
 wet day, and we missed a good deal of 
 the beauty of the road in consequence. 
 We crossed the Kaingaroa Plains, saw 
 several herds of wild horses, and stopped 
 at Rangitaiki Hotel for lunch, where a 
 charming and compassionate landlady 
 helped us to dry our clothes at a wood 
 fire. 
 
 As the only luggage with us was 
 carried in bacfs, which had cifot soaked 
 through, we had to unpack them and 
 spread our garments to dry. In so
 
 184 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 doing some of them got singed, and poor 
 Miss James was especially exasperated 
 over a new red silk shirt she had just made 
 for me, with a multitude of little tucks. It 
 was bad enough to get it wet, but worse to 
 get it singed, after all her labour over these 
 little tucks, I am afraid we were more 
 inclined to laugh over our misfortunes, and 
 her tragic face added to our amusement. 
 At last, having arrayed ourselves in some 
 partially dry petticoats, we returned to our 
 buggy, much pitied by the coach pas- 
 sengers, who thought themselves so much 
 better off in that bumpy vehicle, because 
 they could draw all the leather curtains 
 round and sit tight, like pigeons in a pie. 
 The constant rain became monotonous, 
 and after passing Opepe, a point of historic 
 interest in the Maori war, Hilda persuaded 
 Mr. Brady that it would be safe for her to 
 take the reins for a bit. This he very un-
 
 Our Buggy off the Road i 8 5 
 
 wisely consented to do and took a back 
 seat himself. The result of the manauvre 
 was disastrous, when we began to descend a 
 small hill. The horses were accustomed 
 to have the drag put on, but this lady- 
 driver had made herself comfortable with a 
 thick ruor over her feet, and when the 
 critical moment came she could not find 
 the skid, and of course the buggy touched 
 a horse's hocks, and he began to kick. 
 The other horse, seeing an opportunity for 
 mischief, threw his head up and made a 
 plunge, nearly dragging the reins out of 
 the driver's hands, and almost pulling her 
 slender person right out of the seat. We 
 had some work to get them pulled up. and 
 were already off the road, bumping over 
 stones and grass tussocks. We lost one 
 of the bolts of the cross-bar, and broke my 
 umbrella ; James had hers caught by the 
 wind and turned inside out. Fortunately
 
 1 86 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 we were all more shaken than hurt. We 
 all hopped out and walked in the wet, till 
 the road was level, and the horses had 
 calmed down from their excitement. "No 
 more amateur driving of bush horses for 
 me, if you please," was my stern mandate. 
 We missed the fine views of Tongariro 
 and Ngaruhoe and Mount Ruapehu (5578 
 feet), as they were enveloped in mist. 
 Reached Taupo, well soaked again, and 
 thankful to sit over the fire in the sitting- 
 room, and go early to bed. There were a 
 number of Maories at Taupo, but the bad 
 weather prevented them from dancing the 
 haka, and we were sorry to miss the 
 opportunity of seeing a spontaneous ex- 
 hibition of their national dances. 
 
 On Saturday, i^th, had a twenty-five 
 mile drive. Stopped at Ateamuri for lunch, 
 where was a lovely view of river and 
 a great rocky hill standing up in the plain.
 
 A Fine View of Rotorua 187 
 
 on the top of which was a Maori pah at 
 the time of the war. A p£ih means a sort 
 of fortihed stockade ; but now they speak 
 of a settlement as a Maori pah, which is 
 not correct. This hill is called " Poha- 
 turoa," which means " Long Stone." The 
 day gradually cleared up, and was fine 
 towards afternoon. We passed the great 
 Horohoro Range (2500 feet), from which 
 stands out Hinemoa's Rock ; entered the 
 Hemo Gorge, and soon came to a fine 
 view of Rotorua and its lake. . Then we 
 descended a windinQ^ road to Whakare- 
 warewa, where we drew up at the Geyser 
 Hotel, and saw various figures on the 
 veranda making violent signs of welcome. 
 They were the Hopetouns, Baron Luttwitz, 
 Mr. Featherston, Lord Northesk, and Mr. 
 Ralston, who were all starting for their 
 evening bathe at the hot springs, with 
 towels over their arms. How delighted
 
 1 88 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 we were to meet again at this out of the 
 world spot ! and after our long cramping 
 drives, it was delicious to go down to the 
 bathing-houses and float about in the warm 
 sulphur baths. We passed the pool where 
 the Maories bathe all together in the open 
 air. Such a lot of brown satin skins and 
 black heads bobbing about ! They sit in 
 the pool up to their necks, and laugh and 
 talk the whole time. We used to have 
 long conversations with them, Sophia, the 
 Maori guide, acting as interpreter. She is 
 a half-caste, and in her youth must have 
 been very pretty ; and although she has 
 been twice married, and has children and 
 grandchildren, she wears wonderfully, and 
 still possesses quantities of long black hair, 
 only a little gray at the temples. I did 
 her portrait, which you shall see, and also 
 drew several sketches of the other women 
 washing and sitting on their heels. They
 
 The Maoris Fear of Doctors 189 
 
 were pleased that we sat also on the ground 
 when we wished to converse with them, 
 and told Sophia " they were sure " I was 
 " a great chief," as they could see I was 
 not ashamed to talk to them. 
 
 One poor woman had a very bad hand ; 
 in some quarrel another woman had bitten 
 her thumb and broken the bone. With their 
 usual fear of doctors, who would perhaps 
 cut it off, and thereby prevent her from 
 having the use of the injured limb in the 
 next world, nothing had ever been done, 
 and the hand was in a fearful state. I 
 tried to persuade them to send her to the 
 doctor at Rotorua, and told the hotel- 
 keeper about it, so I trust something was 
 done for her relief. 
 
 I heard of another case of a poor Maori 
 who got his arm badly crushed. He 
 was taken to the hospital, but would 
 not hear of having it amputated without
 
 1 90 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 his father's consent, although every hour, 
 in the opinion of the surgeons, was 
 valuable in case "mortification should 
 set in. The old father flew into a fear- 
 ful rage when he was consulted, and 
 said that his son would want his arm in 
 the next world, and it was better for him 
 to die with it and keep it, as it couldn't 
 be sent after him. The extraordinary 
 part of it was that the man recovered. 
 His arm is quite useless, but he still 
 keeps it. 
 
 These worthy people cook all their food 
 in the hot springs. I saw the chief's 
 wife, in a scarlet dress, cooking one 
 day. She had a little plaited basket in 
 the water, and into it she was throw- 
 ing small pieces of dough. Another 
 woman had a piece of pig and some pota- 
 toes in a string basket. It looked rather 
 nasty, and I do not think I should like to
 
 Sophia's " A untie " 191 
 
 see them eating it, as it is generally a case 
 of fingers were made before forks. 
 
 Sophia has an old relative she calls 
 " Auntie." This old, old woman is a chief's 
 daughter, and rejoices in the name of 
 Hangaiate Rangitantini, but in the settle- 
 ment she is generally called Cup-o-tea. 
 She afforded us a great deal of entertain- 
 ment. Her hair is cut short, as is their 
 custom for mourning ; in one ear she 
 wears the head and beak of a huia, and 
 in the other a long greenstone ear-ring. 
 A short white shirt, and still shorter petti- 
 coat, complete her costume. When she 
 wishes to be very smart, she puts on a 
 brilliant tartan shawl, sky blue and scarlet, 
 with bars of yellow, being the prevailing 
 tints. 
 
 Alas ! the picturesque cloaks of native 
 flax with curious borders are quite gone 
 out ; the people are so lazy, they will not
 
 192 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 take the trouble to prepare the flax and 
 the native dyes. 
 
 Old Cup-o-tea is the only one in the 
 settlement who still works diligently. Baron 
 Luttwitz bought from her a lovely little 
 cloak, but he had hard work to get her to 
 part with it. Hilda made great friends 
 with the old lady. One day, when she was 
 in particular good humour, she turned out 
 all the possessions in her hut to rummage for 
 some " huia" feathers, which she presented 
 to Hilda, and consented also to sell her 
 greenstone ear-ring-. Sophia and I also 
 exchanged tokens of affection. 
 
 One evening we were in our little sitting- 
 room, when the Baron opened the door, and 
 said, "A queen is coming to visit you." The 
 door opened, and in walked Sophia, dressed 
 in a long white Maori cloak, covered with 
 black tags, a couple of long huia feathers 
 in her hair, and a wonderful greenstone
 
 A Phantom Canoe 193 
 
 ornament round her neck. We ordered 
 some whisky for her, and soon started her 
 on the subject of the great earthquake, — a 
 most interesting story, and perfectly terrible 
 it must have been for those who were pre- 
 sent, when the great mountain, Tarawera, 
 was burst open, and the whole air filled 
 with stones and fire-balls, succeeded by a 
 fall of ashes, in which several villages 
 were smothered and many people killed. 
 
 Sophia lived at that time at Wairoa, one 
 of the doomed settlements, as she was 
 guide to the wonderful pink and white 
 terraces which were then destroyed. 
 
 She told us that a phnntom canoe was seen 
 the previous afternoon, not only by her and 
 other natives, but also by some of the 
 tourists, with whom she was rowing back 
 by the lake. At first there were thirteen 
 people seen in it, then fewer and fewer, 
 till only one was left, as the canoe Mided
 
 1 94 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 behind a rock and disappeared. This was 
 considered a very bad omen. Sophia 
 inhabited a very substantial and well-built 
 "warrie," as their houses are called. She 
 sheltered about forty natives on that dread- 
 ful night, when the roofs of other native 
 huts were stove in. 
 
 The schoolmaster's family had a terrible 
 tim.e of it. At first they were delighted 
 with the splendid view of the eruption 
 from their veranda, and stood outside 
 looking at it. Everybody seems to have 
 done that at first for a couple of hours, 
 instead of making their escape. When 
 the ashes began to fall, it got quite 
 dark and was too late. They lit the 
 fire in their stove, as a piercing wind 
 began to blow, and then they were nearly 
 suffocated by the smoke coming down the 
 chimney. 
 
 When the roof began to give way.
 
 Eruption of Tarawera 195 
 
 the mother was sitting in the middle of 
 the room by the stove with her three 
 younger children by her, the little girl on 
 her knee. They got wedged down by a 
 beam, and could not move ; the mother 
 was many hours after dug out by the search 
 party, but the children were dead. The 
 eldest girl, her father, and a friend, con- 
 trived to break a window they were 
 standing near, and so escaped into the 
 paddock, where they stumbled about 
 amongst fallen trees till they reached the 
 hen-house ; there they took refuge for the 
 night. Another child and its Maori nurse 
 were discovered alive under a wash-hand 
 stand in the bedroom. 
 
 At early dawn everybody who could, 
 made their way through the bush to W'haka- 
 rewarewa, the track often obstructed by 
 fallen^ trees. Half-way they were met by 
 the hotel-keeper and his coach, who drove
 
 196 Duchess of Buckinghaai's Letters 
 
 the terror-stricken fugitives to a place of 
 safety; but the men returned to search for 
 the missing and buried people in the huts 
 and houses. 
 
 One young English tourist lost his 
 life, and a monument has been erected 
 to his memory. 
 
 On Sunday, \2tl1 Ma^'ch, I got up 
 very early to see the Hopetouns start 
 in their red coach, Hopetoun and Mr. 
 Ralston riding. They were bound for 
 Canterbury, and we w^ere dreadfully sorry 
 they could not stay longer to explore 
 the country in our company. Baron 
 Luttwitz escorted us to church, and we 
 also inspected the Maori tribal meeting- 
 house at Rotorua. It was beautifully 
 carv^ed, with monsters in red all along 
 the dado ; and at the upper end of the 
 building w^as a sort of railed off altar on 
 which stands a bust of Oueen Victoria.
 
 A Maori Meeting-House 197 
 
 I am told the Maories bow before it, and 
 even pray there. 
 
 An old, old native woman and a 
 stalwart youth fought for the shilling 
 we paid at the door. A whole family 
 were encamped in one corner, play- 
 ing "nap" for matches. This seenis 
 to be a favourite amusement. The out- 
 side of the house was beautifully carved, 
 and ornamented with shells and red paint. 
 In the afternoon we went nine miles 
 across the lake in a little steam-launch, 
 landed, and were rowed by Maories up a 
 river, to see its source, which bubbles in a 
 cold spring straight out of the ground. 
 We could row right up the streani till we 
 reached this cul-de-sac. We threw 
 coppers in to see them lly up again by the 
 force of the water. It was a most curious 
 sight. The lake was rather rough coming 
 back, and we had not time to land on the
 
 ipS Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 island in the middle, where a tribe of 
 natives live, and see Hinemoa's bath, and 
 the rest of the settlement. 
 
 Hinemoa was the daughter of a chief, 
 and being separated from her lover, heard 
 the sound of his lute one evening over the 
 water. She plunged into the lake and 
 swam across to his island, and took refuge 
 in the bath. When an old slave came with 
 a calabash for water, she took it from him 
 and broke it ; he returned with another, 
 which Hinemoa broke again. The third 
 time the young chief came down in wrath 
 and discovered her, and took her to 
 wife, and their descendants are still 
 among the tribe. So runs the legend. 
 Such a lovely sunset, the hills changing 
 from blue to gold, and from gold to deep 
 violet, and all the hues reflected in the 
 water. 
 
 On Monday, i^^t/i March, we hired some
 
 Expedition to Wairoa 199 
 
 hacks, and Hilda, Baron Lutt\vitz,and I rode 
 ten miles to the buried village of Wairo. 
 It was a lovely expedition — first a few 
 miles along the fiat moor, then ascending 
 a delicious lane, where the branches met 
 overhead, — a beautiful piece of bush 
 scenery, which has reclothed itself with 
 verdure since the eruption. Birds were sing- 
 ino: in the branches, and sunlic^ht stream- 
 ingf throucrh the skeletons of o^iant trees 
 on beautiful fairy tree-ferns and creepers 
 and bracken, higher than our horses' heads. 
 Once or twice we had to turn aside from 
 the path, and make a detour on account 
 of the deep chasms caused by the earth- 
 quake across the road. Formerly coaches 
 went that way every day, but now, in 
 places, it was hard enough to find footing 
 for one horse, the land having slipped and 
 crumbled away till a tiny ledge was all 
 that was left.
 
 200 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 We emerged from the woods on a lovely 
 view of Lake Tikitapu ; galloped along 
 its white pebbly shore ; followed another 
 adventurous path by the side of the moun- 
 tains that rise straight from the beach ; 
 crossed the shoulder of a hill, and came 
 in sight of Lake Rotokakahi ; and so on 
 to Wairoa — its ruined huts and poor mill- 
 wheel half buried in volcanic ashes, pre- 
 senting a most melancholy spectacle. The 
 hotel was a mass of ruin. Two men were 
 there who had tied up their horses, and 
 were exploring about — one was the photo- 
 grapher from Rotorua, and the other a 
 Government inspector of roads. They 
 pointed out the schoolmaster's house and 
 Sophia's " warrie." 
 
 We continued to ride on, but were rather 
 sorry we had not tied up our horses with 
 the others, as the road suddenly ceased, and 
 we got on to a sort of ploughed field of
 
 An Aggravating Shower 201 
 
 ashes, partly covered with high ferns and 
 scrub, ending' in precipices straight down to 
 Lake Tarawera. In the distance we saw 
 Mount Tarawera illuminated by a brilliant 
 gleam of sun. 
 
 At last we came to a chasm, and had 
 all to get off and make the horses jump 
 down, and then found we could not pro- 
 ceed with them any farther ; so we tied 
 their reins under their off fore-legs, and 
 left them to amuse themselves with the 
 herbage while we scrambled on. I found 
 a capital foreground for a sketch — a huge 
 rock with skeleton trees on it, and the lake 
 and mountain behind. As usual, when 
 one begins to sketch, the most aggravat- 
 ing thing hai)pens — the only shower of 
 rain we had all day just began and spotted 
 all my paper, and of course we had left our 
 capes with the horses. It didn't last long, 
 and we had a lovely ride home. We picked
 
 202 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 up a little scrap of carved leg of chair or 
 somethino- from one of the ruined houses 
 as a memento. Half-way home we met 
 two Maori boys on horseback ; they had 
 been sent to see if we were all safe, as 
 Mrs. Nelson had worked herself into a 
 state on account of the danger of the road, 
 and had been upbraiding her husband for 
 letting us go without a guide. 
 
 When we were about two miles from 
 the settlement some magnificent thunder- 
 clouds we had been watching began to 
 burst in a storm of heavy rain. We hurried 
 up our steeds and galloped as hard as we 
 could, to the delight of the Maori boys, 
 to whom anything in the shape of a race 
 is a joy ; and before getting thoroughly 
 drenched we scampered into the hotel en- 
 closure, and dismounted at the veranda, 
 under the amused supervision of the other 
 travellers, who had been watching our head-
 
 M'' 
 
 i 
 
 I w '*\^ 

 
 Whakare ware wa 203 
 
 long course with interest and our efforts 
 to escape the rain-storm. 
 
 That morning I had had a perigrina- 
 tion with Sophia round the geysers, and 
 had heard all her stories about the 
 different spots, — such as the Brain-Pot, 
 where a poor chief's head was cooked after 
 he had successfully, for a time, eluded the 
 pursuit of his enemies in a cave she 
 showed me, close to a hot spring called 
 the Chief's Bath. 
 
 Two of the principal ge)'sers have 
 periods of great activity, when they play 
 like huge fountains for half-an-hour or 
 so, throwing volumes of boiling water up 
 to a height of seventy feet. When the 
 sun shines on them, makiiiL;- rainbows on 
 the spray, the effect is wonderful, and 
 one sees Sophia like the witch of some 
 giant cauldron, her picturesque- llgure 
 looming very weirdly through the vapours.
 
 2 04 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 When we were walking up to the settle- 
 ment we passed her bare - footed, with 
 her dress very much in a negligd style. 
 She cauo^ht hold of Baron Luttwitz, and 
 implored him to ask me to look the 
 other way while she fetched her shoes, 
 as she did not wish to be introduced to 
 me with bare feet ! When she returned 
 from her rapid flight to her hut, she had 
 spoiled her appearance by tying a white 
 cloth under her chin, and by putting on 
 a long blue dress and some stout shoes ; 
 also arming herself with a stick. 
 
 Another day I made a little sketch 
 of her daughter Miriam and her baby 
 " Queenie " — such a little yellow-faced 
 atom, with black eyes. The children used 
 to come and sit in rows, patting their 
 chests and saying, " Me, me." wishing to 
 be immortalised. We wound up the day 
 by a delicious bath.
 
 TiKITERE 205 
 
 On Tuesday, 14//^, we hired Mr. Nelson's 
 spider buggy and a reliable horse. Baron 
 Luttwitz accompanied us as outrider, and we 
 also took a side-saddle, so that in case the 
 road was very bad, one of us might take a 
 turn riding. Hilda and I drove in turns, 
 and we had no upset this time ; although 
 the horse, by catching the reins with his 
 tail, did his best at critical moments to 
 spoil our journey. 
 
 We drove along the shore of the lake 
 to Tikitere, where there are more geysers 
 and hot springs and baths — most primitive 
 ones, shaded by native huts, which are 
 by no means air-tight, being simply con- 
 structed of reeds and rushes on a wooden 
 framework. The house of our guide, 
 M'Croty, was of this description. He is 
 married to the Maori wonian to whom 
 the property belongs. She followed us, 
 her grandchild on her back. We stopped
 
 2o6 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 to talk to her and praise the beauty of 
 the Httle half-caste baby. It had lovely 
 roguish eyes and brown hair curling all 
 over its head, but was very spoilt, and 
 would not consent to leave its granny's 
 arms in order to allow her to dance us a 
 few steps of the haka for our diversion. 
 
 We wandered round the springs with 
 terrible names — Dante's Inferno, the fumes 
 of which were enough to suffocate you ; 
 Hell's Gate, a pond of boiling mud, smell- 
 ing of sulphur and brimstone. One had 
 to follow the guide pretty closely, as a 
 false step or two on the thin crust would 
 have ended in the seething cauldron, 
 from which there is no way out alive. 
 We ascended by some lava terraces the 
 banks of the stream, and crossed it at a 
 waterfall that fell very prettily over the 
 white lava. And making: a detour, we 
 ascended a little hill (oh ! it was a steep
 
 The Waiotapu Valley 207 
 
 pull in the blazing sun !) from whence we 
 had a lovely view of lakes and mountains. 
 On Wednesday, \Ztli o{ March, we again 
 betook us to the spider buggy, and drove 
 twenty miles in it to Waiotapu. The 
 road wound through a succession of low 
 hills, and was not very interesting till we 
 had almost reached the springs, when a fine 
 view of snow-capped mountains came in 
 sight. After lunching in a Maori hut I 
 started off to paint, accompanied by a tall, 
 handsome Maori youth, son of the guide, 
 and several little boys, who each carried 
 something for me. There was no shade 
 to be found, and I had to do the sketch 
 on my knees, crouching in the heath, 
 tormented by sand-flies. I made one of 
 the boys sit in the foreground. I heard 
 a little shout from one of the others, and 
 looking up saw an old gray horse ambling 
 towards us with a whole family on its
 
 2o8 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 back. " Niggers riding," said one of the 
 boys, with a tone of great contempt. 
 We all laughed, the three little black 
 figures looked so funny, and I got them 
 to stop for a moment while I did a hasty 
 sketch ; then it was time to return to the 
 hut. There are several geysers at this 
 place, and a primrose terrace, but not 
 very remarkable ; and I was too tired to 
 go the round with the guide, who had 
 already conducted the rest of the coaching 
 parties, who had come from our hotel. 
 
 On the road home we went back a differ- 
 ent way for some miles by the Pareheru 
 Slopes, from whence we had a perfectly 
 maofnificent view of Mount Tarawera and 
 the eruption district. I was very much 
 annoyed that we had not gone to this 
 place at once and spent the day there, 
 where I could have done a big drawing, 
 as the panorama was much finer than
 
 IV/LD Horses 209 
 
 anything we had yet seen, and there was 
 a lovely piece of wild bush that would 
 have made a beautiful foreground. 
 
 This detour took us over the very 
 worst road on which we have yet attempted 
 to drive, and I should have been very sorry 
 to try it in anything but a spider buggy. 
 
 Coming down from the slopes we spied 
 a herd of wild horses. Baron Luttwitz im- 
 mediately rode off as hard as he could in 
 pursuit. They all galloped past not very 
 far from us, — a good-looking stallion and 
 several well-bred mares and foals, their 
 long tails and manes flying in the wind. 
 
 Thursday, i6tk A/arck, we devoted to 
 resting and doing small sketches in the 
 settlement. 
 
 I walked out at sunset in a direction 
 we had not yet explored, and got some 
 perfectly lovely views of mountains in the 
 fading light.
 
 2 lo Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 On Friday, ijt/i, we proceeded on our 
 travels. Left Whakarewarewa at 1 1 a.m., 
 after many adieux to our Maori friends, 
 and drove in a private buggy to Okororie, 
 through lovely bush scenery and splendid 
 mountains. We stopped once to change 
 horses and have lunch ; also got some tea 
 at a roadmaker's hut, which was all papered 
 from the Illustrated London News, Sport- 
 ing a7td Dra7jzatic, etc. He had a nice wife, 
 who made us welcome, and provided slices 
 of excellent bread and butter ; but I did 
 feel sorry for her living in that poky place 
 swarming with flies ; however, you can't 
 have sunshine without them apparently. 
 She was very proud of her first baby, and 
 had a little sister staying with her who 
 acted as nurse. 
 
 A Maori couple were located, as they ex- 
 pressed it, in an adjoining hut ; the woman 
 was dressed in a scarlet cotton garment,
 
 The Fairy Bath — Okororje 21 1 
 
 and had a good greenstone ear-ring, which, 
 however, no blandishments would induce 
 her to part with. She smoked a short 
 black pipe, and was full of smiles till the 
 subject of her ear-ring was broached. 
 This drive was thirty-five miles. 
 
 We reached the hotel at Okororie at sun- 
 set, and lost no time in hurrying down to the 
 Fairy Bath, where we had a good swim 
 before dinner. It is a most ideal place to 
 bathe, surrounded by steep banks clothed 
 with beautiful ferns, and a little wooden 
 shed to dress in. The river there is most 
 peculiar ; the path to the bath-houses 
 passes along its banks, and the water all 
 suddenly disappears and rushes through a 
 small tunnel in the rocks, at the other side 
 of which it immediately widens into quite 
 a respectable stream. If it had not been 
 such a dark night, the innkeeper (who, 
 by the by, is a Brill man, and was de-
 
 212 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 lighted to welcome me) would have given 
 us some fishing, as the stream abounds in 
 excellent trout. 
 
 Next morning, Saturday, \Zth March, 
 we were up and breakfasted by 6 a.m., 
 and off to the railway station in a buggy, 
 a drive of a couple of miles. There we 
 found the Governor's saloon reserved for 
 us, so made the journey in great com- 
 fort, reaching Auckland at 2.30, All the 
 Glasgow children met us at the station. 
 We were just in time to say adieu to 
 Lord Hopetoun, who sailed in the War- 
 rimoo for Australia that afternoon. He is 
 going a tour in Queensland, but Lady 
 Hopetoun remains at Government House 
 for a fortnight. 
 
 On Simday, i(^t/t, went to morning 
 service at St. Mary's Cathedral Church. 
 
 Monday, lotJi March, we were invited 
 by Colonel and Mrs. Goring (he is com-
 
 A UCKLAXD 2 I 3 
 
 mander of the defence force of the district 
 of Auckland) to a tea picnic on the sea- 
 shore, near Lake Takapuna. Hilda and 
 I were staying at the Grand Hotel, but 
 we lived most of the day at Government 
 House. All the party there were included 
 in the invitation, and a very merry crew 
 we were. Horses and carriages were all 
 put on board the ferry-boat, and on reach- 
 ing the other side we mounted our various 
 buggies and steeds. I rode that delightful 
 horse Fly, and had a splendid gallop along 
 the sands. We found some pretty little 
 shells on the shore, and some of us sketched 
 while the kettle was boiling. A lovely sun- 
 set finished the day. The twilight is so 
 short in those latitudes, which makes paint- 
 ing sunsets a very difficult business. 
 
 On Tuesday, 2 is/, Alice Boyle drove me 
 to the top of Mount Eden in her pony-cart, 
 from which point of \-antage you can see
 
 2 14 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 the whole town of Auckland and all the 
 coast for miles and miles, with mountains 
 in the distance, everything spread out like 
 a map ; and it is a very easy way of learn- 
 ing the geography of the locality, and 
 quite as good as if you went up in a bal- 
 loon. Mount Eden is an extinct volcano, 
 and you can see down into the crater, 
 now covered with good pasture for cattle. 
 
 Wednesday^ 22nd MarcJi, the grand 
 Savil Cup Tournament of the New Zea- 
 land Polo Association commenced at 
 Potter's Paddock. The following Polo 
 Clubs competed : — Warrengate Polo Club, 
 J, Cameron, captain ; Auckland No. i 
 Team, E. D. O'Rorke, captain ; Auckland 
 No. 2 team, H. Wynyard, captain ; Christ- 
 church Polo Club, A. R. G. Rhodes, cap- 
 tain ; Poverty Bay, S. Williamson, captain ; 
 Rangitikei, and Kihikihi. We all attended, 
 and great was the excitement, everybody
 
 Mr. Nathan's Ostrich Farm 215 
 
 present having some personal interest in 
 the players. They have a capital ground 
 and commodious stand. 
 
 Thursday, 2yd, was spent in a visit to 
 the famous ostrich farm of Mr. Nathan. It 
 was a twenty-mile drive, but no one thinks 
 twice of these distances in the Colonies. 
 I did enjoy seeing these beautiful birds, 
 and made some hasty drawings of them. 
 It would be quite a new compliment to 
 say to any one, " You have the eye of an 
 ostrich." They really have the most 
 beautiful eyes and eyelashes. We began 
 by inspecting the little chicks and the 
 mother hen ostrich, who was sitting in an 
 outhouse. Then we saw the six-weeks'- 
 old birds, and so on, till we came to the 
 oldest and savagest old cock ostrich. There 
 were about 200 of them altogether, and they 
 were in separate paddocks. Several collie 
 dogs accompanied the manager, and were
 
 2i6 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 sent in pursuit of the birds, who came 
 tearinof alono: from the farthest corners of 
 the fields just like a flock of sheep, all their 
 black and white plumes nodding in the 
 breeze. It was the prettiest sight imagin- 
 able. We were also shown the plucking- 
 box, where the birds are driven in, one at a 
 time, to be stripped of their valuable wing 
 feathers before they begin to moult. Mrs. 
 Dibble, the manager's wife, made us hos- 
 pitably welcome at tea : she had a little girl 
 staying with her for country air, whom I 
 sketched in the shed with the female ostrich. 
 We inspected the room where the 
 feathers are kept in chests for the mar- 
 ket, and all the different qualities. One 
 pound of the best white feathers costs 
 ^28, and those grey ones, of which you 
 see so many boas made and feather trim- 
 mings, are really the plumage of the young 
 ostriches before they turn black and white.
 
 A Needle AND Thread Competition 217 
 
 On Friday, 2^tk, Lord and Lady Glasgow 
 arrived in the Hinemoa in time for the 
 polo in the afternoon, which was still going 
 on. We were very glad to have a glimpse 
 of them before embarking ourselves that 
 evening after dinner in the Mariposa. 
 Lady Glasgow presented the silver cup 
 won by the Christchurch team. Lady 
 Hopetoun and I each threaded a needle 
 in the needle and thread competition. 
 They were really paper - knives, with 
 slits for eyes and ribbon for thread. 
 Captain Hunter Blair (Lady Glasgow's 
 brother) distinguished himself very 
 much on the Auckland side. Young 
 Mr. Rhodes, who travelled out with us 
 in the Arcadia, was in the Christchurch 
 team ; he had first-rate ponies and also 
 rode extremely well. We visited them 
 all in the sheds before the play began. 
 A laroe continfjent from Government
 
 2 1 8 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 House accompanied us on board — Lady 
 Hopetoun, the Boyle girls, and Miss 
 
 H , Colonel Pat. Boyle, Captain 
 
 Clayton, Lord Northesk, Captain Hunter 
 Blair, etc. We had secured a good deck 
 cabin, and expected to be pretty comfort- 
 able. Colonel Boyle introduced the captain 
 (Hey ward). He and all the officers are 
 Americans, and all middle-aged people — no 
 such young officers as on board thQ Arcadia. 
 
 We were dreadfully sorry to say good- 
 bye to all these dear friends, and to think 
 our happy time was over. They all did 
 their best to persuade us to prolong our 
 stay, and the Hopetouns used every con- 
 ceivable argument to induce us to return 
 to Melbourne for their winter season. 
 
 I must really wind up this lengthy letter, 
 or you will all be tired of reading it ; 
 so I shall leave the description of our visit 
 to Samoa and Honolulu till we get on
 
 Writing Under Difficulties 219 
 
 shore. Thank goodness that will be in 
 two days, if all goes well. We are heartily 
 sick of the voyage, and the many times 
 my paper has been blown away, and the 
 ink upset, and all the aggravations of 
 writing on board ship repeated, have tried 
 my patience sorely. 
 
 I think it is veiy noble of me to try to 
 write this journal, especially as we had a 
 head wind most of the way, and lost twenty 
 hours from rough weather on the voyage. 
 
 THE I.ITTI-E GIRL IN THE OSTRICH SHED.
 
 »v^/t/^ 
 
 TUA, THE VILLAGE MAIDEN, MAKING *' KAVA." 
 
 LETTER No. lo. 
 
 The Antlers Hotel, 
 
 Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S., 
 
 24//^ April 1893. 
 
 My last letter was finished in mid ocean, 
 and posted at San Francisco. Now I 
 must go back to the 30th March. Every- 
 body awoke about 4 a.m. I looked out of 
 my cabin and saw a most lovely range of 
 mountains by moonlight. It was the coast 
 of Samoa. We hurried to dress (no
 
 Samoa 2 2 1 
 
 waiting for a turn of the bath that 
 morning), and every one was on deck, 
 rushing about, drinking tea or cocoa, and 
 making hasty meals of dry bread or 
 biscuit ; we were all in such a desperate 
 hurry to get on shore. 
 
 After a couple of hours the sun was 
 up, and we were allowed to land. 
 Mr. Haggard, the Commissioner at 
 Samoa, who had been written to by 
 Lady Jersey about us, came to fetch us 
 in his boat, with such a smart awning 
 and splendid native rowers : — 
 
 They had dark yellow skins, and curly 
 dark brown hair, and very good features. 
 Mr. Haggard took us to see his house, 
 where Lady Jersey and her daughter 
 lived when they visited the island. 
 
 We then walked through the town, and 
 beyond it to a native house, where we all 
 sat cross-legged on mats, while some "kava"
 
 222 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 was prepared for us by " Tua," the 
 village maiden whose business it is to 
 entertain strangers. She pounded the 
 root of the kava in an oval wooden bowl, 
 with legs carved out of a solid piece of 
 wood ; then poured water on it, and 
 served it round in a cocoa-nut cup. Each 
 person poured a drop or two on the 
 ground before drinking, and then said a 
 sentence in Samoan, which we learnt for 
 the moment ; it meant " Good health to 
 you " (Manoia). 
 
 I asked permission to sketch the village 
 maiden, and also one or two other women 
 who were in the hut. All around were 
 the most beautiful palm-trees and all 
 kinds of shrubs, and natives constantly 
 passing, and children playing about. 
 The beauty of the place is that it 
 is so unspoilt by civilisation, and the 
 native dress is still worn. A piece of
 
 Cargoes of (^oral 223 
 
 tappa cloth, made from the bark of trees, 
 with curious brown and red patterns over 
 it, forms a sort of petticoat ; and the 
 women wear white or blue muslin over 
 the shoulders, and also a girdle with 
 hanging shreds of dyed bark^ — scarlet, 
 white, and black. I was given one of 
 these girdles ; they are very gay and pretty. 
 On the way back to the ship we passed 
 several native canoes with cargoes of 
 coral for sale : quite large pieces of coral 
 rock, white and pink. They managed 
 their little canoes with great skill, using 
 small black paddles. 
 
 Mr. Stevenson, the author, with whose 
 delightful books you are doubtless familiar, 
 lives at Samoa ; he was on board the 
 Mariposa with his wife and step-daughter, 
 but so ill most of the voyage that we 
 hardly saw him, which we regretted very 
 much.
 
 2 24 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 The next day everybody suffered some- 
 what from the effects of their exertions on 
 shore, and perhaps also from the curious 
 drinks of which they had partaken. 
 
 On Satur^day, April ist, we saw the 
 Great Bear and the Southern Cross 
 together, and on Sunday, 2nd, we crossed 
 the line. Rough weather began, and a 
 head wind and a heavy sea ; huge waves 
 broke over the bows, and rushed down 
 over the decks, and into the scuppers, 
 making us very wet and uncomfortable. 
 
 At every moment of the day one was 
 liable to aggravating accidents. For in- 
 stance, I was trying to get through a 
 cup of cocoa for breakfast, feeling rather 
 bad, and lying down in my deck chair, 
 when the ship gives a worse lurch than 
 usual, and over goes the hot cocoa, 
 soakino- me to the skin. Oh ! I was 
 disgusted, having just arrayed myself in a
 
 Bad Weather and Discomforts 225 
 
 clean white blouse. It is a common thino: 
 for a glass of wine or a mustard pot to 
 land in people's laps at lunch ; and as 
 for the things in one's cabin, they go 
 flying about all over the place. 
 
 Going to sleep is a matter of difficulty, 
 as every timber in the ship creaks and 
 strains, and the wind whistles and shrieks 
 in the rigging as if an army of fiends were 
 let loose ; and one begins to wonder if one 
 will ever get safe home, or if one is after 
 all destined as food for the fishes. 
 
 I never spent a more miserable Easter 
 than on that old ship. We did not have 
 any sort of service on board. They used 
 to have musical evenings in the social hall 
 occasionally, and one lady sang beautifully, 
 another Australian girl recited, and another 
 was a great traveller, and related her 
 experiences in China, Alaska, and else- 
 where. 
 
 Q
 
 2 26 Duchess OF Buckingham's Letters 
 
 A young man and his friend told 
 me a most interesting story of their ship- 
 wreck, in January last, on the coast of 
 Ceylon. They were going from Calcutta 
 to Colombo in the Messagerie S.S. 
 Niemen. I will give you the rest in his 
 own words. He said ; — 
 
 " We were off the north-east coast of 
 Ceylon, thirty miles from Trincomalee, and 
 all was apparently going well. I went 
 down to my cabin to fetch something, 
 when suddenly there was a tremendous 
 jerk, and my water-bottle and tumbler 
 flew out of their places on the washstand 
 on to the floor. I thought nothing of it, 
 fancying the ship had begun to roll, and 
 replaced them. A moment later the same 
 thing happened again ; this time the glasses 
 were broken. I ran up to the saloon, and 
 saw the piano dancing about in an extra- 
 ordinary way ; so I rushed on deck to see
 
 An Interesting Story 227 
 
 what was the matter, and found every one 
 in a wild state of excitement. 
 
 " The propeller had stripped itself of the 
 blades, causing the shaft to run wild ; and 
 snapping the bearings, stove in two plates 
 in the stern, through which the sea began 
 to pour in. We were about eight miles from 
 the coast. 
 
 " The captain was almost beside himself, 
 His order was given for all sail to 
 be hoisted, and we ran for the shore at 
 the rate of one and a half knots an hour. 
 All the passengers collected on deck. 
 Fortunately we reached the coast, and 
 anchored outside the reef, in five fathoms 
 of water, where the breakers were sending 
 up clouds of surf. Even in a good surf- 
 boat at Madras the landing seems formid- 
 able. What an outlook it was with all 
 these helpless women and children, as the 
 ship's boats were pretty sure to be upset !
 
 2 28 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 " The captain, instead of landing the 
 passengers in dayhght as soon as possible, 
 while the sea was calm, ordered the 
 commissaire, with maps and compasses, to 
 land first and take bearings, and see where 
 we were, as he thought that the ship being 
 anchored in five fathoms of water could not 
 sink beyond the hurricane deck, and that 
 it was safer for passengers to remain 
 aboard. All this time there might have 
 been preparations made in the shape of 
 provisions, etc., and blankets being put in 
 the boats ; but nothing was done. Some 
 of these boats had no rudder, and hardly 
 an oar. 
 
 " The ship went on sinking, but they 
 decided to serve dinner, which was 
 accordingly done, partly to calm the 
 passengers and inspire them with con- 
 fidence. Suddenly the water began to 
 pour in at the ports of the dining-saloon,
 
 Boats Lowered 229 
 
 and a rush was made for the deck, some 
 people getting out by the skylights the 
 best way they could. I remained with 
 some other men till the water was up to 
 our waists, hunting for life belts, a lot ot 
 which we manag^ed to secure and take on 
 deck. Shortly after an order was shouted 
 that all the passengers (150) were to go 
 on to the bridge and forecastle, as the 
 vessel was settling down much faster and 
 lower than the captain anticipated ; the 
 boats were ordered to be lowered. 
 
 "Then there was an ugly rush by some of 
 the foreign male passengers to get first into 
 the boats, and they had to be restrained 
 by force, and the women and children given 
 the first chance. These helpless creatures 
 were hustled into a boat, and only two 
 Lascar sailors with them, who were 
 supposed to understand crossing the surf. 
 It was now too dark to cross the reef, and
 
 230 Duchess of Buckixgham's Letters 
 
 if the night had been a rough one, every 
 creature in the heavily-laden boats would 
 have been drowned. 
 
 "After a terrible night of anxiety, 
 bobbing about in the open boats, day 
 began to dawn, and the attempt was 
 made to land the people. The captain 
 imagined that the jungle was full of 
 wild beasts, but the danger from the 
 sea was much orreater. One boat made 
 the rush, and was watched with the 
 greatest anxiety. It got through all right, 
 but was caught by a huge roller and upset 
 before touching the shore. One poor lady 
 was drowned ; the rest of the passengers 
 managed to land. The other boats, by 
 some miracle, did not lose any of their 
 passengers. 
 
 " I was in the fourth boat myself, 
 and we kept hovering round the ship all 
 night, taking off a man at a time to
 
 A Lady Drowned 23 i 
 
 transfer to one of the other boats. The 
 danger of this proceeding was that, if 
 we approached too near, four or five 
 Lascars would jump on at once from the 
 forearm and swamp us. The captain and 
 pilot were the last to leave, and were 
 taken out of the rigging. 
 
 "On landing, the first thing we did was to 
 bury poor Mrs. Desinger. Her husband 
 had a presentiment that she would be 
 drowned on the voyage, and tried to make 
 her give it up, even after she was on board, 
 and he was saying good-bye to her at Cal- 
 cutta. But she was going to the wedding of 
 her only son, and would not be persuaded 
 to remain. She was a most charming, 
 pretty woman, and quite self-possessed in 
 all the danger. I remember asking her 
 if she had any one looking after her, and if 
 she had saved anything out of her cabin, 
 when she said No. I went down and
 
 232 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 fetched her hand-bag and some things. 
 She told me calmly she was sure she 
 would be drowned. When she was 
 washed ashore she looked quite beautiful, 
 with such a peaceful expression. We 
 found a silver cross washed up, and 
 fastened it with some wood to mark the 
 grave. 
 
 "Then parties were formed to explore, 
 and tried several bush paths in different 
 directions, but they all ended nowhere ; 
 so it was decided to march along the 
 coast. The sun soon dried our clothes, 
 but some had lost their shoes, and we 
 had to carry the women and children 
 at all the worst places. It was broiling 
 hot, and our feet and faces got fearfully 
 blistered. W^e had lost all our head gear, 
 and had to walk for three days in this 
 manner, crossing many water - courses, 
 the water often up to one's waist, sub-
 
 Hardships 233 
 
 sisting on the milk of cocoa-nuts, and a 
 little rice that we procured at some of the 
 native huts. 
 
 " One poor lady had two little children 
 of nine months and two years old. The 
 passengers were a mixed lot — Italians, 
 French, and Germans. 
 
 " I succeeded one day in getting a bottle 
 of milk and some bread for the babies, 
 who, with their mother, were far in the 
 rear of the procession ; but my feet were 
 so blistered that I asked the native Sin- 
 galese to take it to them, and, would you • 
 believe it, two horrid Frenchmen inter- 
 cepted him and drank it up themselves. 
 
 " Trincomalee was the nearest port, and 
 when we reached it at least sixty of us had 
 to be sent to the Infirmary. The last few 
 miles we procured some bullock carts for 
 the women and children. 
 
 " Of course our plight was instantly
 
 2 34 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 telegraphed, and a small steamer sent to 
 convey us to Colombo. It had only cabin 
 accommodation for fifteen, and we were 
 150, so you may imagine we had an 
 uncomfortable four days of it aboard her. 
 All the men had to sleep on deck, and 
 wet weather made it worse. We lost 
 every stitch of clothes, and everything we 
 had with us. My kodak floated ashore, 
 and as I had done several photos : while 
 the ship was sinking, I carried it with 
 me, and have since had some of them 
 ' developed, which were not too much spoilt 
 by the sand." 
 
 This is the unvarnished narrative of this 
 plucky young fellow ; he and his friend 
 came from Cheshire, and seemed to have 
 travelled a great deal. All the children in 
 the Ma^nposa were devoted to them, as 
 they were so kind to the little ones. 
 
 On Thursday, 6th April, after much
 
 Landing a t Honol ulu 235 
 
 rough weather, we reached Honolulu at 
 sunset ; but it was dark before we got 
 into the harbour and were allowed to land. 
 The beautiful green hills glowed in the 
 evening light. We landed with Miss 
 
 S • (a charming lady who corr-^sponds 
 
 with one of the leading papers at home), 
 Baron Luttwitz, Dr. Scheidel (a German), 
 and Monsieur Peret (a Russian), and went 
 to the hotel. 
 
 The land felt so firm under one's feet 
 after the deck, as we tramped through the 
 streets, and saw shadowy palm - trees at 
 every corner all round the hotel. The 
 palms and bushes were festooned with 
 electric limits, and an excellent Portucruese 
 band played for some time. 
 
 What we liked best of all was a big 
 packet of letters from home and news- 
 papers, which it took us some time to 
 read.
 
 236 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 We then heard that the Island dancers, 
 whom we had taken on board at Apia for 
 the Chicago Exhibition, were going to give 
 a performance in the theatre, so we all 
 hurried off there and saw all the dances. 
 It was very interesting, as they were all 
 in their national costume. 
 
 One dance with war paddles was very 
 wild indeed, and they clashed them together 
 and shouted in time to the music, which 
 consisted of tom-toms, also played by 
 natives. They wore huge, white sort of 
 turban helmets, stuck full of feathers, and 
 those coloured belts I told you of — all tags 
 of different shades ; their long brown arms 
 and legs flying about in all directions. No 
 words can paint the strangeness of their 
 attitudes and gestures. The only thing I 
 have seen the least like it was a small 
 sketch the Duke did in India of a devil 
 dance.
 
 A Visit from the English Consul 237 
 
 We were tired before the end of the 
 show, and returned to tlie hotel, where 
 we made an excellent supper — the first 
 I had really enjoyed for a long time ! 
 Round the walls of the dining - room 
 were terrific pictures of the volcano Kau- 
 lauea and lake of fire. Baron Luttwitz 
 remained in Honolulu on purpose to make 
 the expedition. You have to go 200 miles, 
 first in a small steamer, and ride the rest 
 of the way, I believe. 
 
 Mr. Woodhouse, the English Consul, 
 came to see me ; the letters had all been 
 sent to his care. As we had only landed 
 to take in cargo, and were twenty hours 
 late, and feared to miss the mail at San 
 Francisco, the captain would not wait till 
 daylighi, and we were all on board again 
 by twelve o'clock. 
 
 We had quite expected to come in for 
 a revolution at Honolulu to reinstate the
 
 238 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 Queen, who had so recently been deposed ; 
 but we found the inhabitants taking it 
 very coolly, and saying they were quite 
 sure she would be reinstated by the 
 English ! 
 
 Three rough days followed this pleas- 
 ing interlude on shore in the Sandwich 
 Islands. One used to be woke up in the 
 morning by the things banging about in 
 the cabin, and my maid often landed on 
 my knee when trying to dress me. We 
 got a good many bruises, and one morning 
 I put my foot into a glass of lemonade, in 
 climbing out of my berth, but fortunately 
 did not break the glass. One lived in a 
 constant state of mess and discomfort. If 
 one tried to write on deck the paper used 
 to blow away, and one jumped up to rescue 
 it, and upset the ink — a great crime — and 
 had to send for the quarter-master to mop 
 it up.
 
 We Enter the Golden Gate 239 
 
 At last, on Monday, loth, the sea began 
 to calm down a little, and I was able to go 
 down to the saloon for dinner. The oblig- 
 ing little stewardess had to bring me many 
 meals on deck that voyage ; she was such a 
 pretty little American, with dark eyes and 
 curly grey hair, and a very slight figure. 
 She told us she was a grandmother, so I 
 told her I had several grandchildren too, 
 alas! only step-ones. 
 
 The calm only lasted a day ; on Tues- 
 day, iith, the sea was up again, and head 
 wind as strong as ever. Drenchings from 
 big waves every now and then. It also 
 became much colder, and we had to get 
 out fur cloaks, and all the winter clothes 
 
 we could lay our hands on. 
 
 On the evening of Thursday we entered 
 
 the harbour of San Francisco by the 
 
 Golden Gate, in the midst of a fine sunset. 
 
 I must tell you that the harbour is si.xty
 
 240 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 miles long, so we had not quite arrived till 
 long after dark. 
 
 We were met by all sorts of people, 
 who had been written to, to take care 
 of us. Railway agent, manager of hotel, 
 other people's friends, etc., and got quite 
 bewildered when we found two sets of 
 rooms had been engaged for us at different 
 hotels. 
 
 After getting a small bag for the 
 night and a few pieces of hand-baggage 
 smuggled through the Custom-house, we 
 at length, after tipping everybody all 
 round, left the ship with glad hearts, and 
 drove to the wonderful Palace Hotel. 
 
 Oh, how delightful it was to get into 
 large comfortable beds, and eat supper 
 at a steady table ! No one who has not 
 been a voyage can understand the joy of 
 eating on shore again. People were so 
 kind to us, and sent us heaps of the most
 
 Cliff House and the Seals' Rock 241 
 
 lovely flowers : la France roses, Parma 
 and white violets, scarlet carnations, and 
 boxes of heliotrope, till our sitting-room 
 looked like a garden, 
 
 Friday, \\th, we spent in going to the 
 bank, post-office, and railway agent's (Mr. 
 M'Kay) office, to arrange our trip across 
 America, and take our sleeping-car tickets. 
 In the evening we were asked to dine and 
 go to the play with some friends. 
 
 On Saturday, \^th, Mr. T called 
 
 for us in his buggy, with fast-trotting 
 horses, and drove us out to a place 
 called the Cliff House, all through the 
 park, which is seven miles long. We 
 lunched at the Cliff House, on oysters and 
 terrabin (young turtle), etc. ; and from the 
 veranda one looks down on a huge rock 
 in the sea, called the Seals' Rock. It was 
 covered with enormous seals, some of them 
 all wet and glistening, just out of the water, 
 
 R
 
 242 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 others had been lying in the sun till they 
 were quite dry, and their coats a bright 
 yellow-brown colour. It was the most 
 extraordinary sight. 
 
 Our drive was really twelve miles long, 
 but it only took about forty minutes with 
 these fast horses. It was like flying, and 
 most enjoyable. 
 
 In the evening we asked our hospitable 
 host to dine with us, and all went afterwards 
 to see " China Town." First to the Chinese 
 joss house, where there were a whole row 
 of hideous Chinese idols, very small, with 
 real hairy beards. All the carving, and 
 beautiful silk hangings, and banners, and 
 rows of silver-headed spears, were most 
 curious. The keeper of the joss house 
 allowed us to try our fortunes without 
 bowing down to the idols, by shaking a 
 long wooden spill out of a spill box from 
 among a number of others, and hunting
 
 A Chinese Theatre 243 
 
 up the number of our respective spills in a 
 Chinese fortune -book. He told me I 
 should have very good luck in three 
 months, and let us hope he meant we 
 should get safe home ; but we won't take 
 three months about it. 
 
 We then proceeded to the Chinese 
 theatre, where foreigners are only allowed 
 to sit on chairs on the stage at the sides. 
 The dresses worn by the actors were most 
 gorgeous, all embroidered with gold, and 
 made of red, yellow, and blue silk. I 
 attempted some sketches, but in that noise 
 and heat, with inquisitive Chinese looking 
 over one's shoulder and laughing, it was 
 no easy matter. No Chinese woman is 
 allowed to act on a public stage, so their 
 parts are taken by men, and a good actor 
 of women's parts earns a very high salary, 
 especially if he has a squeaky voice. 
 
 The piece was evidently extremely
 
 244 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 amusing to the Chinese audience, who 
 were packed as tight as herring in a barrel, 
 and all standing ; the few women and girls 
 present were seated in a balcony. 
 
 The story, as translated to us, was of 
 the Enoch Arden style. The husband 
 returns from a long absence to find his 
 wife in bridal attire, marrying another 
 man. The rival husbands fight a duel on 
 the stage with spears, and they were so 
 close to us, that we expected every moment 
 at least to lose our hats in the wild twirl- 
 ing of swords and other weapons that ensued. 
 
 After remaining nearly an hour, and 
 seeing a variety of gorgeous costumes, w^e 
 took our departure by the back of the 
 stage, through all the actors, who crowded 
 round, asking to see the sketches we had 
 done. We heard they were not over 
 pleased, as they thought, perhaps, we were 
 doing them for the police !
 
 A Chixese Tea-House 245 
 
 The entrance to the theatre by the back 
 way is through a labyrinth of filthy dark 
 passages, with little ladders for stairs. If 
 the building chanced to take fire every one 
 would be suffocated like rats in a trap. 
 We were then conducted to see some 
 opium dens, where the devotees of that 
 noxious herb were enjoying themselves, 
 smoking pipes of it on fine mats, with a 
 little lamp beside them to melt the balls of 
 opium before stuffing it into their pipes. 
 By this time we were tired and thirsty, 
 and delighted to mount the stairs of a 
 Chinese tea-house, where some delicious 
 green tea was served in covered cups, 
 with a lot of little plates of ginger, cake, 
 and sweetmeats. 
 
 The room was very quaint, full of 
 beautiful lacquered carving and round 
 tables ; and a sort of dais, where the 
 Chinamen sit when they have a party
 
 246 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 of friends and dancing-girls perform for 
 them. 
 
 We had walked altogether about three 
 hours in China Town, and it was nearly 
 twelve o'clock when we got home. We 
 bought a few trifles at a Chinese shop as 
 remembrances of the expedition. 
 
 There was a charming collection of 
 miniatures being exhibited at our hotel, 
 which we went to see. Several of Napoleon 
 Buonaparte and Josephine, and Marie 
 Louise and her son, the little king of 
 Rome ; and also some lovely Cosways of 
 ladies in powdered hair. 
 
 On Stmday, i6t/i, we both had rather 
 bad colds after our nocturnal rambles, and 
 nursed them up all morning. In the after- 
 noon we returned several calls, and saw- 
 two beautiful houses full of wonderful fur- 
 niture and pictures. The town of San 
 Francisco is most picturesquely situated.
 
 In a Drawing-Room Car 247 
 
 all up and down hill, with beautiful views 
 of the sea and hills at every turn. It re- 
 minded us a little of Edinburgh, some of 
 the streets are so steep. 
 
 Next morning we left this hospitable 
 city at 7.30, having the good luck to 
 secure a drawing-room private car on the 
 railroad, which we inhabited till Tuesday 
 evening, when we reached Salt Lake City. 
 We were waited on by the negro car 
 porter in blue uniform. He made our 
 berths for us in the evening with plenty 
 of clean sheets and pillows ; most com- 
 fortable they were, and very soundly we 
 slept in them — in fact, rather too soundly, 
 as by the time we were dressed it was 
 nearly twelve o'clock, and the black cook 
 informed us we would have to have 
 lunch, as breakfast was over long ago. I 
 believe, in the public sleeping-car, people 
 get up from six to eight in the morning.
 
 248 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 They bring your meals in on a tray, and 
 fix up a little sliding- table to serve them 
 on, which is also very convenient for 
 writing or painting. We did some rapid 
 sketches of the scenery as we went along, 
 and we stopped at a great many stations. 
 Soon after leaving Sacramento City the 
 grass began to get a vivid green, and the 
 prairie was carpeted with masses of violet 
 and yellow flowers. The large yellow 
 buttercup is the flower of California, As 
 the railroad ascended into the Rocky 
 Mountains the air got keener, and the 
 flowers ceased. Beautiful snowy ranges 
 of mountains succeeded each other. The 
 ranches were very bare of grass, and 
 several skeletons of cattle were seen. 
 
 At one place we passed a tribe of Indians 
 on the move; they were mounted on horses, 
 and dressed in every variety of gaudy 
 garments, with feather head-dresses.
 
 Salt Lake City 249 
 
 V 
 
 Strange to say, we were not very tired 
 when we reached Salt Lake City, the air 
 was so wonderful and exhilarating. Hilda 
 enjoyed some snowballing with a fellow- 
 passenger. 
 
 On Wednesday, \<^th, we hired a 
 landau, and proceeded to make a tour of 
 the city. There is a magnificent view from 
 the Fort, about three miles distant, where 
 the soldiers' barracks and officers' houses 
 are. You see Salt Lake in the far dis- 
 tance ; it is called the Dead Sea by the 
 Mormons, and a river, called the Jordan, 
 runs between it and a smaller lake, which 
 they call the Sea of Galilee. Salt Lake 
 is about seventy miles long. The plains 
 extend for many miles, and are bounded 
 by the snow-capped peaks of the Rockies, 
 which rise to a great height just outside 
 the town. 
 
 We saw the soldiers drilling, and one
 
 2 50 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 company that is composed of Indians 
 — fine - looking fellows in blue uniforms, 
 with Tyrolese fawn - coloured hats. Our 
 driver told us various Mormon tales, 
 and pointed out Brigham Young's former 
 houses, where he stowed his numerous 
 wives. 
 
 A law has been passed of late years 
 forbidding the Latter-Day Saints a plu- 
 rality of spouses, so the rising generation 
 have to content themselves with one wife 
 apiece. Brigham Young had thirty-six 
 wives and forty-seven children, and I 
 don't know how many grandchildren. 
 Every one who is not a Mormon is 
 called a Gentile in Salt Lake City. I 
 did an oil sketch from the windows 
 of the hotel, which shows the old inn 
 in the foreground. One of the reporters 
 from the Salt Lake Herald called, 
 and I had to eive him an interview
 
 Grand Scenery 251 
 
 while painting it, as the sun was going 
 down rapidly. He made a paragraph 
 of the interview, which amused us very- 
 much. 
 
 On Thursday, 2ot/i, left our splendid 
 hotel at Salt Lake with much regret, as it 
 was so comfortable. Started at 8 a.m., 
 and failincr to Q^et a drawino^-room car or 
 even a section for that day, were just 
 going to sit in the public car with some 
 cowboys, when a kind couple took pity on 
 us, and offered us seats in their section till 
 the evening, when we secured a car for 
 ourselves. 
 
 The views that day were grander 
 and grander. We lunched at a place a 
 little beyond Castle Gate, a huge rampart 
 of red sandstone. In fact, it was difficult 
 to realise that all the walls, and for- 
 tresses, and castles we saw were not the 
 work of human hands. The line went
 
 252 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 through a succession of canons, with rivers 
 flowing between the rocky ramparts. We 
 passed numerous cattle ranches, and saw- 
 some red deer towards evening on the 
 bank of the river. 
 
 The negro cook in our compartment 
 told several thrilling tales of murders, and 
 pointed out the graves of three cowboys 
 who had been shot by a rancher for steal- 
 ing his cattle. The latter calmly wired 
 for three coffins to be sent down next 
 morning, in which he buried them. He had 
 of course to stand his trial, but was let off, 
 people in these wild parts having a strong 
 feeling for summary justice. 
 
 We enjoyed this journey enormously, 
 and sat at the end of the train eating 
 Florida oranges and dust, and looking at 
 each lovely scene as we sped along. 
 
 We reached Colorado Springs at 5.30 
 on Friday morning (April 21st), and
 
 " The Garden of the Gods " 253 
 
 had to turn out of our warm beds. 
 Only one room could we procure, and 
 had to wait two hours for it in a cold 
 parlour, where we fell asleep on sofas till 
 the housemaid began to brush and sweep 
 round us. It was an uncomfortable arrival; 
 but after hot baths and breakfast we felt 
 better, and sallied forth in a buggy to see 
 some of the wonders of that most wonder- 
 ful place. 
 
 We had two charming cream-coloured 
 ponies, with long tails. The Americans 
 have the greatest contempt for " dock - 
 tailed horses," as they call the English 
 ones. We drove to the " Garden of the 
 Gods." It is a tract of country where 
 there are extraordinary formations of 
 red sandstone in every conceivable shape. 
 Walls of fiery red form the gate- 
 way to this enchanted place, and beyond 
 you see the snowy summit of Pike's Peak,
 
 2 54 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 a mountain nearly as high as Mont Blanc. 
 The different forms these rocks take are 
 very eccentric : for instance, there is the 
 
 MONUMENT PARK. 
 
 bear and the lamb kissing each other ; a 
 figure of a man with a periwig, in robes 
 of state ; frogs, lizards, the Queen, the 
 Siamese Twins, the Cook's Cap, etc., etc.
 
 The Fa t Man 255 
 
 — all natural, and owing nothing to art. 
 We stopped at a small hostelry, on 
 the window of which was written in 
 gold letters, Slop and see the Fat 
 Man. Out he came, as large as life, 
 and provided us with milk, bread and 
 cheese, and a great deal of amusing con- 
 versation. We bought photos from him, 
 and I sat a lonof time in the veranda 
 doing a sketch of the gateway and Pike's 
 Peak. 
 
 Saturday, 22nd. — My sister's wedding 
 day, Alas ! that we were not home in 
 time to assist at the ceremony. We 
 sent a cablegram with loving congratula- 
 tions, and spent the day having a delight- 
 ful picnic at the Cheyenne Canon, an even 
 more lovely spot than any we had pre- 
 viously visited. Enormous red cliffs, 
 clothed at their base with pine and silver 
 fir. A waterfall in the south canon, with
 
 256 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 seven falls, and snow peaks beyond. I 
 saw a little animal that I took for a prairie 
 dog, but afterwards discovered that it was 
 called a Tasmanian devil. It was striped 
 like a tiger, and had a pointed nose. The 
 middle of its body was orange colour, and 
 it had a small bushy tail like a squirrel, 
 which it rather resembled. We also 
 noticed several lovely blue birds and 
 prairie larks with yellow breasts. 
 
 Sunday, i-^rd April. — Went to the 
 Episcopal church, and heard beautiful sing- 
 ing. Drove in our spider buggy, with the 
 chestnut pony, in the afternoon to the 
 Utah Pass by a winding road up the 
 mountain. We reached the Great Caverns, 
 and were shown through them by the 
 guide, armed with lamps, as it was 
 pitch dark inside. They were only dis- 
 covered in 1885 by the whites, although 
 known to the red men. We saw one
 
 " The Grea t Ca verns " 257 
 
 skull and cross-bones of an Indian, and his 
 necklace of beads that had been found 
 there. 
 
 We met an Englishman at the 
 Caverns, Mr. Heber Percy, who was de- 
 lighted to talk what he called English 
 with us, as he had been travelling alone, 
 and had heard nothing but American ! 
 
 We were equally pleased to hear news 
 of many English friends, as he had come 
 straight out from home. He was surprised 
 to find that my grand-aunt had married 
 his grand-uncle ; but that is always the 
 way when you come to investigate — every 
 stranger you meet almost has some con- 
 necting link. I had also known his sister 
 in former days. 
 
 We heard a most wonderful instrument 
 played in the Caverns ; it was a musical 
 set of stalactites, like the pipes of an 
 organ, and the melody was produced by
 
 258 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 hitting them with a small stick. It had 
 only been discovered about four years ago 
 by the man who played to us on it. 
 
 PIKES PEAK, FROM THE GARDEN OF THE GODS. 
 
 We left Colorado Springs on Tuesday, 
 25th, at 10.40, having spent Monday 
 again sketching the stupendous' scenery 
 at the " Garden of the Gods." It was 
 only a three hours' journey to Denver 
 City. We had rooms at the Brown 
 Palace Hotel, the speculation of a million-
 
 Denver City 259 
 
 aire, and vastly successful — a wonder of 
 good taste and comfort. The lifts make 
 one quite giddy ; they rush you up and 
 down at such a pace. 
 
 On Wednesday^ 26th, we made the tour 
 of the city, Mr. Howard, the helpful rail- 
 way agent, having procured us a charming 
 little open carriage, a sort of cross between 
 a pony phaeton and a Victoria, with a pair 
 of dashing white horses. Almost every 
 street is full of handsome buildings, and 
 bordered by trees ; in another month they 
 will be out, but these towns are so hi^rh 
 that spring is late, and rain much wanted 
 at present. The villas keep their lawns 
 green by constant watering. Six hundred 
 miles of prairie stretch away from the city; 
 300 miles are fertile, and much is being 
 done in the way of irrigation, which causes 
 " the desert to rejoice and blossom as the 
 rose." If you are not all tired of reading
 
 2 6o Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 this epistle, I am of writing it, so adieu for 
 the present. 
 
 P.S. — We propose to sail for England 
 on the i/th May in the Majestic. 
 
 <^^ 
 
 
 /l># 
 
 '- ^N[r'A/'';-i« 
 
 
 ^#^ 
 
 BALANCE ROCK, GARDEN OF THE GODS.
 
 LETTER No. ii, 
 
 Richelieu Hotel, 
 Chicago, Friday, 2%th April 1S93. 
 
 We left Denver City at 9 a.m., and jour- 
 neyed over the 600 miles of arid, yellow- 
 plains. Several times the engine grunted, 
 and some unfortunate bullock was tossed 
 off the line by the cow-catcher, and left 
 to die, with its back broken, at the foot 
 of the embankment. 
 
 The dust and heat were intolerable ; we
 
 262 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 slept in the drawing-room car that night. 
 On the whole, we have become so satiated 
 with magnificent scenery, that we found it 
 quite a relief to read a book and not look 
 out of windows. 
 
 About thirty miles from Chicago we 
 were met by Mr. Wilson, another of 
 those obliging station agents who make 
 things so smooth for unprotected females 
 in America. He brought us our letters, 
 and about 5 p.m. we reached Chicago, 
 and drove to the Richelieu Hotel, where 
 we secured some rooms lately occupied 
 by Adelina Patti, and supposed to be 
 very luxurious — all opening into each 
 other with folding doors, and beds that 
 hooked themselves up into mirrored ward- 
 robes, the walls hung with good modern 
 pictures, and thick pile carpets on the 
 floors : they were well situated, over- 
 lookino- the street and the steamboat
 
 The Bell of Liberty 263 
 
 pier, with Lake Michigan as a back 
 ground. 
 
 Next morning, Saturday, 2C)tk, we saw 
 detachments of troops pass, both cavalry 
 and infantry, escortino- the Duke of Ver- 
 agua and the President in open carriages 
 from the station. Then there was the 
 procession of the Bell of Liberty. It 
 was drawn along by thirteen horses on a 
 car, with a live eagle, who looked ex- 
 tremely uncomfortable perched on some 
 laurels at the top, followed by mounted 
 police. This was the first bell sounded 
 after the War of Independence was over. 
 
 Fine weather, but cold and raw. We were 
 called on by General and Mrs. M'Clurg 
 and Mr. M'Cormick, who took us to an 
 art gallery where there was a fine collec- 
 tion of old pictures. It was being opened 
 in connection with the Exhibition, and was 
 still full of workmen unpacking statuary.
 
 264 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 On Sicnday, 2otk, Mrs. M'Clurg 
 fetched us in her carriage, and we went 
 to service at St. James's Church — a very 
 large, handsome edifice. 
 
 Monday, isi May, was the great day 
 of the opening ceremony at the World's 
 Columbian Exhibition. Our kind friends 
 had secured excellent places for us, very 
 near the President, where we could hear 
 his speech ; and one of them, Mr, Aldis, 
 came to escort us to the station, where 
 we entered the special train, with a lot of 
 dignitaries, and were introduced to several 
 charming American ladies. 
 
 Comparatively few of the fair sex in 
 Chicago honoured this festive ceremony 
 with their presence, as the day was so 
 threatening, and the mud we had to 
 wade through to reach the buildin^ was 
 so deep ! Also many of them were 
 reserving themselves for the opening of
 
 The Opening of the Exhibition 265 
 
 the Women's Section later in the day. 
 We were glad that we had not been 
 dissuaded from taking part in the big 
 function, for the impressive scene will 
 remain fixed in our memories for ever. 
 
 When the President declared the Ex- 
 hibition open, and touched the electric 
 spring which set the whole thing in 
 motion, the effect was extremely thrilling. 
 Round and round the magnificent build- 
 ings the flags of every nation flew up to 
 the tops of the flagstaff's, while every 
 boat and gondola on the lake rushed from 
 its hiding-place, gaily decorated with 
 bunting ; and the veils which enveloped 
 the colossal golden statue of Liberty slowly 
 fell off". 
 
 The whole area in front of the chief 
 building was a mass of humanity, and as 
 they kept crowding from all points towards 
 the middle to hear the President's speech,
 
 266 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 many adventurous females in the crowd 
 began to get squashed. Naturally some 
 shrieking ensued, and a good many 
 limp forms were extracted from the throng 
 and perched on the packing-cases, where 
 the cameras of a swarm of photographers 
 were stationed. 
 
 At one time it was feared the mob 
 w^ould try to rush the barriers, and break 
 in amongst us ; but some extra police 
 were called up, and order restored. 
 
 That afternoon my cousin, the Master of 
 Elibank, arrived, having crossed in the 
 Campania. You may imagine what a 
 pleasure it was to see some one fresh 
 from England, and hear all the home 
 news, and also to have some one to dine 
 with us and control the waiters, half of 
 whom had gone off on strike to the Ex- 
 hibition, leaving the hotel proprietor tear- 
 ing his hair and obliged to hire a scratch
 
 Waiters on Strike 267 
 
 pack, who were the reverse of brilliant. 
 The first night we had dined in a comfort- 
 able room up stairs, with shaded lamps and 
 everything nicely done ; but after that a 
 restaurant was opened on the ground 
 floor, which was both hot and noisy, and 
 glaring with electric light. All sorts of 
 people used to come in from other hotels, 
 in most fantastic costume, and after the 
 strike we simply had to wait about two 
 hours for the smallest dinner. The ser- 
 vants were worse off, as they could hardly 
 get anything to eat at all. 
 
 Who should turn up one day but my 
 butler, whom I had placed in a temporary 
 situation before leaving England, and who 
 was travelling with his master as valet, — 
 certainly the last person one expected to 
 appear in Chicago and offer to do one's 
 messages. 
 
 On Tuesday, 2nd iMay,^\v. M'Cormick
 
 268 Duchess of Buckinghaa'/\s Letters 
 
 lionised us indefatigable tourists all round 
 the town. We insisted on going to see 
 the Panorama of the Great Fire — perfectly 
 fearful it must have been from the rapidity 
 with which it spread. Multitudes of 
 people were pursued by the flames to the 
 shore of Lake Michigan, and had to 
 wade into the water and stand in it all 
 night. 
 
 We were also taken to the top of the 
 Tower of the Auditorium in a lift, from 
 whence there was a bird's-eye view of the 
 city ; very fine and most interesting to 
 have pointed out to us on the real live 
 map the different points where the fire 
 began and spread to. 
 
 We afterwards drove round Lincoln 
 Park and by the esplanade on the shore 
 of the lake, and saw the fine statues of 
 Lincoln and Grant. 
 
 Wednesday, 2^rd, we spent again at the
 
 ^00 Miles of Walks and Corridors 269 
 
 Exhibition ; saw the Buildings of Agri- 
 culture and Manufactures, and the Art 
 Building with the splendid collections of 
 pictures in the British, German, and Aus- 
 trian sections. No words can say how 
 much we admired them, or how hungfrv 
 we were when lunch time arrived ! Alas ! 
 there wasn't time to see the French 
 gallery. 
 
 As there are 400 miles of walks and 
 corridors to disport yourself in at this great 
 show, it used to make me full of rage to 
 hear people say that there was not enough 
 finished for them to see, and that the place 
 was in a mess and full of packing-cases. 
 The papers took up the same tune, and 
 really did a great deal of harm by prevent- 
 ing lots of people coming who would have 
 liked to see it early in the season before 
 the great rush, but were quite put off it 
 by all this stupid twaddle.
 
 270 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 I thought it a very sensible plan that 
 so many schools gave the pupils a sort of 
 course of the Exhibition, as they would 
 learn so much more in a short space than 
 books could teach. 
 
 We were particularly fascinated by 
 the lovely collections of stuffed birds ; 
 and there were some cases of life-sized 
 models of different Indian tribes in beauti- 
 ful deerskin dresses, dyed yellow and pale 
 green — even the children's dresses quite 
 complete. Also specimens of their bead- 
 work in all the loveliest shades, hunting 
 pouches, mocassins, papoose cradles, etc., 
 etc. Then the Mexican Indians made 
 most elaborate and gorgeous feather 
 dresses, all from the plumage of brilliant 
 small birds, parrots, etc. 
 
 Very near the Indians were some inter- 
 esting models of war-ships and passenger 
 steamers ; a model of Mr. Burdett Coutts's
 
 General M'Clurg 271 
 
 Brookfield stud also attracted our atten- 
 tion. 
 
 We paid a hasty visit to the Women's 
 Section, but had not really time to see the 
 lace and other lovely things, as we had to 
 return to Chicago in time to dress for Mrs. 
 Potter Palmer's reception in the afternoon. 
 I bought a lovely French bonnet for the 
 occasion, trimmed with violets and a little 
 pink rose. General iNI'Clurg called to fetch 
 me in his brougham, and on the way he 
 showed me his book-store, full of such 
 fascinating editions that it was hard to 
 tear one's self away. After serving most 
 gallantly in the war he turned printer, and 
 does a great business in books. The day 
 I left he sent me some charming little 
 volumes for a remembrance of my visit to 
 Chicago, although we did not require any- 
 thing to remind us of the great kindness 
 and hospitality we received there.
 
 2 72 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 At Mrs. Palmer's reception swarms and 
 swarms of people were introduced, and 
 I was delighted with the bright way they 
 entered at once into conversation and 
 made one feel at home. The Duchess of 
 Veragua and her daughter were there, 
 and Lord and Lady Aberdeen, and so 
 many pretty faces and smart frocks, 
 wonderful furniture, hangings, and costly 
 pictures. The whole thing was most be- 
 wildering, and like a brilliant dream. 
 
 That evening we dined with General 
 and Mrs. M'Clurg at their beautiful home. 
 The chimney-piece in the library is all 
 carved with military trophies, and the 
 names of the various battles in which the 
 General took part — a delightful heirloom 
 for his son. 
 
 Afterwards we joined the Duke and 
 Duchess of Veragua at the play : a 
 spectacular piece, with a ballet and pro-
 
 Niagara 273 
 
 cessions of all the different states and 
 nations and their trains in wonderful 
 costumes. All were asked on to supper 
 afterwards at a club. Certainly that day 
 we didn't let the grass grow under our 
 feet, and were pretty well tired out when 
 we got to bed. 
 
 Next morning, Thursday, Alay ^th, we 
 were asked to go a coaching expedition of 
 the Four-in-hand Club with the Veraguas 
 and all the "society" ; but, alas! we were 
 obliged to content ourselves with seeing 
 the teams start in brilliant sunshine, with 
 many regrets that we were unable to join 
 them. 
 
 Our train for Niagara left at 5 r.^r., and 
 we arrived at the Falls at '].'^o on Friday 
 morninor. 
 
 We only secured sleeping berths in the 
 public car, and I lost a beloved diamond 
 brooch in the shape of a bee, which was
 
 2 74 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 very vexing, as it was a wedding present 
 from an old friend. At the first view of the 
 Falls the train stops for five minutes, and 
 everybody, at least all who are dressed, 
 bundle out to see them. 
 
 The day was rather cold and dull, so 
 we thought a good walk would be bene- 
 ficial. Alick,^ Hilda, and I sallied forth 
 after dressing and breakfast at the hotel, 
 and made a tour of the islands ; got 
 covered with spray at Horse Shoe Fall, 
 then walked on to the Rapids above the 
 Falls, and sat watching the foaming, 
 fascinating green waters for a long time. 
 
 After lunch we drove four miles on a 
 most atrocious road to the Whirlpool and 
 Rapids, and saw the place where poor 
 Webb was drowned. Every one has heard 
 so much of the Falls that I must not launch 
 forth on the subject of their grandeur and 
 
 ' The Master of Elibank.
 
 Arrival IN New York 275 
 
 beauty. Later in the summer, when all 
 the cotton trees are in spring garments, it 
 must be lovely ; as it was, the grass was 
 carpeted with wild flowers, and, fortunately, 
 there are notices up to prevent ruthless 
 tourists from tearing them up by handfuls. 
 Before leaving we invested in some Indian 
 dollies for my ''grandchildren !'' I at- 
 tempted one or two tiny sketches. 
 
 We started for New York at ^.^o ; had 
 a smart drawing-room car, and slept like 
 ten tops. Arrived at 8 a.m., and drove to 
 Holland House. After baths and break- 
 fast sallied forth in search of clothes, and 
 each found a decent reach-me-down suit 
 for our homeward voyage. 
 
 On Sunday we were rather late for 
 church, so turned in at the small church 
 of the Transfiguration, which, to our sur- 
 prise, seemed to be full of white veiled 
 figures in the centre aisle. It turned out
 
 276 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 that a confirmation service was going to 
 be held. As the Hght from the stained 
 glass windows was very " dim and re- 
 ligious," it made quite a pretty and mys- 
 terious scene, and worthy the brush of a 
 skilful artist. 
 
 On Tuesday, c^th, we went with friends 
 to visit some of the men-of-war then 
 anchored in the Hudson. Had tea out ot 
 a samovar on board the Russian flag-ship 
 Deinitri Doitskoi, whose officers were 
 most hospitable, and showed us every- 
 thing. We also boarded the American 
 flag-ship Chicago, and had much interesting 
 conversation with Captain Sperry. 
 
 We paid a visit to the Zoo and Central 
 Park, where all the trees were bursting 
 into leaf. The weather was very hot and 
 trying, and we were glad to get out of 
 town, after a sad farewell to Alick, who 
 sailed for Antigua.
 
 Mr. George Childs 277 
 
 On Wednesday, lot/i, crossed the Ferry, 
 and took the train to Philadelphia, where 
 we were the guests of Mr. George Childs, 
 who came to meet us at the station and 
 take us on in the local train to Bryn Maur, 
 where his carriages met us ; we had a 
 lovely drive through a fertile country, with 
 many fruit-trees in blossom, and the green- 
 est of green grass. Passed many dainty 
 villas and country homes, and eventually 
 drove up an approach, through well-kept, 
 smooth-shaven turf, to Wootton House, so 
 named by Mr. and ]\Irs. Childs after our 
 Wotton in Buckinghamshire, but spelt 
 differently to insure its proper pronuncia- 
 tion. Such a pretty red brick house, with 
 deep veranda. 
 
 That evening there was a large dinner 
 party. I sat next Dr. da Costa, and found 
 he had known the Duke, and been at 
 Stowe in former davs. Mr. Frank Thom-
 
 2/8 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 son (Vice-President of the Pennsylvanian 
 Railroad) and his pretty daughter were 
 also of the party. He very kindly offered 
 us his private car for our journey to Wash- 
 ington. We were delighted to accept, as 
 it was the wish of our hearts to travel in 
 one. 
 
 Thursday, iit/i, I was taken to see the 
 Ladies' College for the higher education 
 of women. We were received by the 
 (female) dean, and shown all over the 
 buildings. It was quite a journey through 
 it. Swarms of "girl graduates" in cap and 
 gown. I begged for a photo of one of 
 them, and a very pretty " freshman's " was 
 afterwards sent me. 
 
 Various young professors were engaged 
 in giving lectures on a variety of abstruse 
 subjects. We peeped into the lecture 
 rooms, opening the swing doors very 
 carefully, and I considered the climax of
 
 / Planted a Tree 279 
 
 research was reached when we found on 
 the top story a laboratory, where a plaster 
 cast of a man's brains had just been suc- 
 cessfully executed. The professor in charge 
 of the brain, which was still on a plate, 
 said, " the fellow who once owned it was 
 doing more good now than he had ever 
 done in life " ; so we supposed it was the 
 brain of a criminal, or a very frivolous 
 person. 
 
 On our return there was a large luncheon 
 party of eighteen ladies, which lasted three 
 hours, after which I planted a tree on the 
 lawn, and we visited the farm and green- 
 houses. 
 
 Some more friends were invited to 
 dinner, but, alas ! I was suddenly seized 
 with a touch of influenza — the "grip," as 
 they call it here — and had to retire from 
 the fray and go to bed. 
 
 Next morning we were to have started
 
 2 8o Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 at eight, to go and lionise in Philadelphia, 
 and see the " Drexel Institute " and the 
 " Ledger Office," both creations of Mr, 
 Childs, but I felt too ill for such an early 
 start, so Hilda went with Mr. Childs, and 
 I joined by a train which left at eleven 
 o'clock. Our kind host and hostess, and 
 Miss Thomson, saw us off in her father's 
 luxurious car, with two negro servants to 
 cook and wait on us. 
 
 We arrived at Washington about four 
 o'clock, and were met at the station by Sir 
 Julian Pauncefote, who drove us to the 
 Embassy, where Lady Pauncefote and her 
 daughters welcomed us most hospitably, 
 and we had a time of real rest and refresh- 
 ment, while we stayed in their delightful 
 house. 
 
 I was most anxious to see the views of 
 the city and everything that was to be 
 seen, so, in spite of my influenza, I went
 
 I.IA.S l-.AI NlI-.Iip I K, 
 
 l\'_/,Hl- /•■ -'O-.-
 
 The White House 281 
 
 about, and they took us some beautiful 
 drives. The finest view was from ArHno-- 
 ton, the military cemetery, which used to 
 be General Lee's country seat. 
 
 A pleasant episode was my visit to the 
 White House, where Mrs. Cleveland, the 
 President's pretty young wife, very kindly 
 gave me an audience. 
 
 Hilda happened to go one day with 
 Miss Duncombe to see the state-rooms, 
 and hearing the President was just holding 
 his weekly reception, at which any one has 
 the right to attend, they went in and shook 
 hands with him. He was amused to see 
 Miss Duncombe, who explained who Hilda 
 was, and how they came to be at " The 
 White House " on a reception day. 
 
 One evening Mr. Boucher was one of 
 the guests at dinner, and we went after- 
 wards to see his Company act in " Twelfth 
 Night " at the National Theatre.
 
 282 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 This delightful visit was only too soon 
 over, and on Wednesday, 1 7th May, we 
 had to say good-bye to them all, and start 
 for New York. Dined with some friends 
 in Fifth Avenue, and went on board the 
 Majestic after dinner. It is a splendid 
 liner and no mistake. One didn't mind 
 the rolling on such a large scale, and we 
 had one of the best three berth-cabins, and 
 were more than comfortable. 
 
 Canon Leigh (a brother of Lady Jer- 
 sey's) and his wife and daughter were 
 among the passengers, and plenty of other 
 nice people, but the weather was too cold 
 to make many acquaintances, and after 
 the other long voyages the time passed 
 very quickly, beguiled by quails and other 
 good things, not forgetting the contents of 
 two large honbonuicrcs which we found in 
 our state-room. 
 
 There was a most attractive library on
 
 ^^r^^^fnc '■ 
 
 INDIAN SCOUT. 
 
 IFroiii a Sketch by Craig.)
 
 284 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 board, every sort of interesting book, and 
 little writing-tables and comfortable arm- 
 chairs, and a viosf comfortable stewardess. 
 
 On Tuesday, 23rd, we got some letters 
 at Queenstown, and reached Liverpool 
 at 6.30 on Wednesday morning, 24th. A 
 great display of bunting in the harbour, 
 not for our arrival, but for the Queen's 
 birthday. After our colonial and guber- 
 natorial experiences, we quite felt that it 
 might be for us. 
 
 Thus ended our tour. Unlike most 
 travellers, our pleasure in getting home 
 was mingled with deep regret that it was 
 all over, and that my cabin mate and I 
 must now go different ways and dissolve 
 partnership.
 
 INDEX 
 
 Aberdeen, Lord and Lady, 
 272 
 
 Ada, Lake, 135, 136 
 
 Adelaide, Port, 60 
 
 Aden, 27 ; traders, 27 ; ceme- 
 tery, 30 ; tanks, 31 
 
 Albany, 55, 58 ; climate, 56 
 
 Albury Junction, 86 
 
 Aldis, Mr., 264 
 
 Anchor Passage, 12S 
 
 Andrews, Captain, 67 
 
 Arcadia, S.S. , 2 ; cabins, 6, 7 
 
 Architect's Studio Cave, 97 
 
 Arthur River, 136 
 
 Ateamuri, 186 
 
 Auckland, 212 ; St. Mary's 
 Cathedral Cliurch, 212 ; 
 Savil Cup tournament, 214 
 
 Bellgrove Station, 160 
 
 Big Bay, 137 
 
 "Billy tea," 104 
 
 Blair, Captain Hunter, 2 1 7 
 
 Blenheim, 163 
 
 Bligh Sound, 133 
 
 Blue Mountains, 91, 94 
 
 Bluff Harbour, 123 
 
 Bong Bong, picnic races at, 
 
 118 
 Botany Bay, 120 
 Boucher, Mr., 281 
 Bounty Haven, 133 
 Bowen Falls, 138 
 Boyle, Colonel Pat., 125, 136, 
 
 218 
 Lady Augusta, 144, 146, 
 
 151 
 
 Alice, 213 
 
 Bradshaw Sound, 132 
 Brady, Mr., 182, 184 
 Breaksea Sound, 128 
 Brindisi, 18-21 
 Broughton Arm, 12S 
 Brown, Mr. Sylvester, 107 
 Bryn Maur, 277 
 Buckley, Sir Patrick, 174 
 Buddhist temple, 42 
 Buller River, 152 
 Bushranger, storj'ofa, 105 
 
 Cable Bay, 161 
 Calf Rock, 158 
 Camel's Hump, 77 
 Canterbuiy, 196
 
 2 86 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 Castle Gate, 251 
 Caswell Sound, 133 
 Caulfield races, 81 
 Cave House, 96, 99 
 Caverns, the Great, Colorado, 
 
 257 
 Caves, the Jenolan, 92, 94 
 " Chandos, Mount," 13S 
 Cheyenne Cailon, 256 
 Chicago, 262 ; art gallery, 
 
 263 ; St. James's Church, 
 
 264 ; opening ceremony of 
 the Exhibition, 264 ; Pano- 
 rama of the Great Fire, 26S ; 
 Tower of the Auditorium, 
 268 ; Lincoln Park, 268 ; 
 Exhibition, 269-271 
 
 Chicago, American flag-ship, 
 
 276 
 Chief's Bath,\Vhakare\varewa, 
 
 203 
 Childs, Mr. George, 277, 280 
 Citta Vecchia, 13 ; Cathedral, 
 
 14 
 Clark, Sir W. and Lady, 32, 
 
 83 
 
 Clayton, Captain, 125, 136, 
 151, 218 
 
 Cleveland, President, 263, 
 281 ; opens the Exhibition, 
 265 
 
 Mrs., 281 
 
 Clifi" House, 241 
 
 Colombo, 33 ; landing at, 35 ; 
 native shopkeepers, 38; con- 
 jurers, 40, 47 ; rickshaws, 48 
 
 Colorado Springs, 252, 258 
 
 Cook, Mount, 139 
 
 Point, 84 
 
 Costa, Dr. da, 277 
 Courtenay's Hotel, 154 
 
 Cox, Dr., crown trustee and 
 conchologist, 114 
 
 Dagg's Sound, 129 
 Dante's Inferno spring, 206 
 Darley, Chief- Justice Sir 
 Frederick, 100 
 
 Lady, adventure when a 
 
 child, 108 
 
 Detnitri Doicskoi, Russian flag- 
 ship, 276 
 
 Denniston coal mines, 144 ; 
 miners' houses, 149 
 
 Denver City, 258, 261 
 
 "Devil's Coach-House," 97 
 
 Dibble, Mrs., 216 
 
 Duncombe, Miss, 281 
 
 Dusky Sound, 126 
 
 Earthquake at Tarawera, 
 
 account of the, 193-196 
 Eden, Mount, 213 
 Elephant Rock, 15S, 159 
 Elibank, Master of, 266, 274 
 Engineer, death of the, 55 
 
 Fairchild, Captain, 129, 
 137; his Maori stories, 129 
 Featherston, Mr., 187 
 Flemington Race-meeting, 80 
 Forbes, Captain, 121 
 
 G -, Mr., 125, 130, 135, 
 
 147, 151
 
 Index 
 
 287 
 
 Gair Arm, 133 
 
 " Garden of the Gods,' 253, 
 
 258 
 Geysers, the, 203, 205, 20S 
 Gibraltar, 10 
 Glasgow, Lord, 123, 130, 136, 
 
 151, 162, 217 
 
 Lady, 123, 136, 146, 
 
 160, 162, 217 ; holds a 
 reception at Wellington, 
 
 173 
 Goe, Mrs., 71 
 Goring, Colonel and Mrs., 
 
 212 
 Govett's Leap, 102 
 Gow, Mr., 176, 179 
 
 Haggard, Mr., Commissioner 
 at Samoa, 221 
 
 Hall's Arm, 130 
 
 Hamilton, Sir Robert and 
 Lady, 72 
 
 Hangaiate Rangitantini, or 
 Cup-o-tea, a Maori chiefs 
 daughter, 191 
 
 Hatuma, 178 
 
 Hell's Gate pond, 206 
 
 Hemo Gorge, 187 
 
 Heyward, Captain, 21S 
 
 Hill View, 86, 120 
 
 Ilincmoa, S.S., 1 25 
 
 Hinemoa, legend of, 198 
 
 Hinemoa's Rock, 1S7 
 
 Honolulu, 235 ; Island dan- 
 cers, 236 
 
 Hope, Lord, 75 
 
 River, 157, 159 
 
 Hopetoun, Lord, 67, 165, 
 187, 196, 212 
 
 Lady, 70, 165, 187, 
 
 212, 217 
 
 Horohoro Range, 1S7 
 Horse Shoe Fall, 274 
 Howard, Mr., railway agent, 
 259 
 
 IXANGAHUA Junction, 154 
 
 James, Miss, 184 
 Jenolan Caves, 92, 94 
 Jersey Cave, 98 
 
 Lord, 86 
 
 Lady, 87, 120, 221 
 
 Kaingaroa Plains, 183 
 Kangaroo Island, 66 
 Katie's Bower Cave, 97 
 Katoomba, 99 ; Carrington 
 Hotel, 100 ; school chil- 
 dren, 112 
 Keith Falconer, Lady Ethel, 
 146 
 
 Lady Hilda, 146 
 
 King George's Sound, 55 
 Kintore, Lord, 60 
 
 Lady, 63, 125, 136. 
 
 146, 151 
 
 Lady Carrington's Heaven 
 
 and Hell Cave, 97 
 Lavinia, Mount, 42, 46 
 Leigh, Canon, 282 
 Liverpool, 284
 
 288 Duchess of Buckingham' s Letters 
 
 Longford, 157, 159; Accom- 
 modation House, 156 
 
 Lucinda Cave, 97 
 
 Luttwitz, Baron, 187, 192, 
 196, 199, 205, 235 
 
 Lyell, New Zealand, 155 
 
 Bay, 164 
 
 Majestic, S.S., 282 
 
 Malta, 1 1 ; the old palace, 
 12 ; Cathedral Church of 
 St. John, 1 5 ; costume of 
 the women, 15 
 
 JNIanawatu Gorge, 176 
 
 Maori, stories of, 129; 
 women, 176, 181 ; pah, 
 180, 187 ; fear of amputa- 
 tion, 189; cooking, 190; 
 tribal meeting-house, 196 
 
 Marble Hill, 62 
 
 Mariposa, S.S., 217 
 
 Martin's Bay, 137 
 
 Matupiko River, 159 
 
 M'Clurg, General, 263, 271, 
 272 
 
 Mrs., 263, 272 
 
 M'Cormick, Mr., 263, 267 
 
 M'Croty, guide, 205 
 
 Melbourne, 67, 120 ; Custom 
 House, 68 ; Government 
 House, 68 ; Botanical 
 Gardens, 69 ; Zoological 
 Gardens, 72-75 ; tram- 
 cars and buggies, 78 ; race 
 meetings, 80 
 
 Bishop of, 71 
 
 INIichigan, Lake, 263 
 
 Milford Sound, 134 
 Miller, Mr., 135, 144 
 Mitchell, Mr., 152 
 
 Mrs., 159 
 
 Mitre Peak, 135 
 
 M'Kay, Mr., railway agent, 
 
 241 
 Mohaka, 182 
 Montgomery, Mr. and Mrs., 
 
 176 
 ]\Ioon, eclipse of the, 22 
 Moss Vale, 87, 118 
 Mount Macedon, 76, 80, 
 
 84 
 Murray, Hon. Edward, 1 1 
 Mystery Cave, 97 
 
 Napier, iSi 
 
 Nathan, Mr., his ostrich farm, 
 
 215 
 Nelson, 151, 160; Cathedral, 
 
 161 ; Harbour, 162 
 
 Mayor of, 160 
 
 Mrs., 202 
 
 Nepean River, 91 
 
 New York, 275, 282 ; Church 
 
 of the Transfiguration, 275 ; 
 
 the Zoo and Central Park, 
 
 276 
 Ngaruhoe, ]\It., 186 
 Niagara, Falls of, 273, 274 
 Northesk, Lord, 67, 165, 
 
 187, 218 
 
 Okororie, 210 ; Fairy Bath, 
 
 211 
 Opepe, 184
 
 Index 
 
 289 
 
 Ostrich farm, 2 1 5 
 Otago Retreat, 125 
 Owen River, 159 
 
 Palmer, Mrs. Potter, 271 
 Paramatta River, 120 
 Pareheru Slopes, 208 
 Pauncefote, Sir Julian, 280 
 
 Lady, 280 
 
 Pembroke, Mount, 134 
 Percy, Mr. Heber, 257 
 Peret, Monsieur, 235 
 Petane Valley, 182 
 Peterkin, Mr., 143 
 Philadelphia, 277 ; Ladies' 
 
 College, 278; " Drexel 
 Institute" and the ''Ledger 
 Office," 280 
 
 Philip, Port, 66 
 
 Pickersgill Harbour, 126 
 
 Picton, 162 
 
 Mayor of, 163 
 
 Pigeon's Push, 175 
 Pike's Peak, 253 
 Pitt, Colonel, 174 
 
 " Pohaturoa" Hill, 187 
 Port Said, 23 
 I'reservation Inlet, 125 
 
 QUEE.NSTOWN, 284 
 
 Ralston, Mr., 165, 187, 
 
 196 
 Ramsay, Dr., 1 14 
 Rangitaiki Hotel, 1.S3 
 Rhodes, Mr. 217 
 Rimataku Incline, 1 74 
 Rocky Mountains, 248 
 
 Rotohatna, S.S., 121 
 Rotokakahi, Lake, 200 
 Rotorua, 187 ; Maori tribal 
 meeting-house, 196 
 
 Lake, 197 
 
 Rowan, Mrs. Ellice, 84 
 Ruahine Mountains, 178 
 Ruapehu, Mt., 186 
 Rupertswood, 83 
 Ryan, Mr. and Mrs., 84 
 
 S , Miss, 235 
 
 Sacramento City, 248 
 
 Salt Lake City, 247, 249 
 
 Samoa, 220 ; preparation of 
 kava, 221 ; native dress, 
 222 
 
 San Francisco, 239, 246 ; 
 "China Town," 242-246; 
 Chinese theatre, 243 ; 
 opium dens, 245 ; tea- 
 house, 245 
 
 Scheidel, Dr., 235 
 
 Scott, Admiral Lord Charles, 
 
 85 
 Seals' Rock, 241 
 Shipwreck, account of a, 226- 
 
 234 
 Smith Sound, 130 
 Sophia, the Maori guide, 188 ; 
 
 account of the earthquake 
 
 at Tarawera, 193 ; stories 
 
 of the geysers, 203 
 Sperry, Captain, 276 
 Stevenson, Mr., 223 
 Stewart Island, 1 23 
 Stick insect, 1 16
 
 290 Duchess of Buckingham's Letters 
 
 Stone Creek, 183 
 
 Suez Canal, 26 
 
 Sutherland Falls, 135 
 
 Sydney, 90, iii, 119: 
 Government House, 90 ; 
 climate, 90 ; circus, 112; 
 Museum, 114; organ re- 
 cital, 117; Town Hall, 
 118 
 
 Mayor of, 117 
 
 T , Mr., 241 
 
 Takapuna, Lake, 213 
 
 Tarawera, 183 ; earthquake 
 at, 193 ; Lake, 201 ; 
 Mount, 201, 208 
 
 Tasman, Mount, 139 
 
 Taupo, 186 
 
 Tavistock Hotel, 176, 179 
 
 Te Anaii, S.S., 121 
 
 Thompson Sound, 133 
 
 Thompson's Accommodation 
 House, 159 
 
 Thomson, Mr. Frank, Vice- 
 President of the Pennsyl- 
 vanian Railroad, 277 
 
 Miss, 280 
 
 Three Sisters, red rocks, 101 
 
 Tikitapu, Lake, 200 
 
 Tikitere, 205 
 
 Titiokuru Range, 1S2 
 
 Tongariro, ^It. , 186 
 
 "Tua," a Samoan village 
 maiden, 222 
 
 Tui, the, or the bell -bird, 
 148 
 
 Tuki Tuki River, 177, iSo 
 
 Turanga-kumu, 182. 
 
 Utah Pass, 257 
 
 Vancouver Arm, 128 
 Veragua, Duke of, 263 
 
 Duchess of, 272 
 
 Victoria, Mount, 91, 99 
 
 Waimangaroa Station, 
 144, 146 ; gold mine, 144 
 
 Wainarapa Railway, 174 
 
 Wainuiomata, 169 
 
 Waiotapu, 207 
 
 Waipukurau, 176 
 
 Waipunger Creek, 183 
 
 Wairoa, buried village of, 
 193, 199, 200 
 
 Wallington, Mr., 121 
 
 Washington, 280 ; Arlington, 
 the military cemetery, 281 ; 
 the White House, 281 
 
 Wellington, 163 ; Govern- 
 ment House, 164 ; convent 
 schools of St. Maiy, 171 
 
 Went worth Falls, 10 1 
 
 "Western Sounds," 126 
 
 Westport, 139, 151 ; har- 
 bour, 140 
 
 Mayor of, 146 
 
 Wet Jacket Arm, 127 
 
 Whakarewarewa, 187, 210; 
 hot springs, 187 
 
 Wiegand, Mons. Auguste, the 
 city organist, 117 
 
 Willoughby, Captain, 67 
 
 Wilson, Mr., 92, 96
 
 Index 
 
 291 
 
 Wilson, Mr., railway agent, 
 
 262 
 Woburn, 178 
 Woodhouse, Mr., English 
 
 Consul at Honolulu, 237 
 Wootton House, 277 
 
 World's Columbian E.\hibi- 
 tion, opening ceremony, 
 264 
 
 Young, Brigham, 250 
 a squatter, 93 
 
 THE END 
 
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