DIARY 
 
 A WORKING CLERGYMAN.
 
 LONDON 
 Printed by G. Bakclat , Castle St. Leieester Sq
 
 DIARY 
 
 WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 IN 
 
 AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA, 
 
 KEPI DDE1M THE ISAM 18W-185S; 
 
 INCLUDING 
 
 , s ^ TO ENOEANO « W« OF JAVA, 
 SINGAPORE, CEYLON, AND EcYPT. 
 
 BY THE 
 
 »V. .JOHN DAVIES MEREWEATHEB, B.A. 
 
 A»*or .f » LIS » Board » ««*«* ** 
 
 LONDON : 
 HATCKAKD AND CO. 187 PICCADILLY. 
 
 MDCCCLIX.
 
 
 PREFATORY REMARKS. 
 
 In the year 18o2 I published a little work, en- 
 titled " Life on Board an Emigrant Ship, being a 
 Diary of a Voyage to Australia." This small 
 volume was so well received by the public, and so 
 favourably criticised by the press, that I am 
 emboldened, although conscious of having been 
 already treated better than I deserved, to give to 
 those of my countrymen, who have at heart the 
 spiritual and temporal welfare of their compatriots 
 at the Antipodes, a continuation of the aforesaid 
 Diary. This continuation will comprise my 
 doings as a working Clergyman during the four
 
 VI PREFACE. 
 
 years set forth in the title-page, in Van Diemen's 
 Land, now called Tasmania; in the vast tract of 
 country lying north of the Murray, New South 
 Wales, called the Edward River District; and 
 also in the city of Sydney. As on my return to 
 England by way of Java, Singapore, and the 
 Overland Route, I repeatedly did duty in Batavia, 
 Ceylon, and on board the Indian steam-vessels, 
 it will not be irrelevant to my present purpose 
 to include in this publication the Diary which I 
 kept during that period. Thus the present pub- 
 lication will contain notices of my proceedings 
 from the time I reached Adelaide, in South 
 Australia, which took place about the middle of 
 the year 1850, until I arrived in Southampton in 
 the early part of 1854. During this comparatively 
 long period there will be necessarily numerous 
 gaps in the Diary. The occupant of a quiet 
 country chaplaincy in Tasmania does not en- 
 counter very exciting adventures. The Clergyman 
 of the Australian Bush, riding from station to 
 station on his arduous mission — now fevered with 
 the glare of the summer sun, and now half- 
 drowned with the winter's rains and floods, is
 
 PREFACE. Vll 
 
 not always, after a long clay's journey, capable 
 of committing to writing all that he has seen, or 
 done, or thought during the previous four-and- 
 twenty hours. But all that can prove of general 
 interest to the reader will be introduced into this 
 work. I allude more particularly to the discovery 
 of gold which took place during my residence in 
 the Australian colonies ; and its effects, as I saw 
 myself, on the moral and religious principles of 
 the population. Nor is it possible to omit some 
 information on the convict population of Tasmania 
 and New South Wales. The aboriginal popula- 
 tion, too, will be also touched upon. This Diary 
 pretends not to give valuable statistical or geo- 
 graphical information ; it contains no essay on 
 Church Government in the Colonies : as for 
 Colonial Politics, it is a blank : nor does it contain 
 sufficiently exciting episodes to satisfy the mere 
 novel reader. It is a plainly written account of 
 what befell an English Clergyman who went to 
 serve his Master at the Antipodes ; and it is hoped 
 that, however it may want in elegance, not an 
 assertion will be found in it inconsistent with 
 the strictest unvarnished truth. In Colonial
 
 Vlll PREFACE. 
 
 statements there is an exaggerated tone, which 
 renders it very difficult for a stranger to get 
 at the exact truth on any subject : thus, that 
 I, though misled myself, may not mislead others 
 in my narrations, I will, in all my assertions of 
 which I am not positively certain, avail myself 
 of the wg Xeyovai of the veracious old historian 
 of Halicarnassus.
 
 DIAEY 
 
 SfC. 
 
 The last entry which appears in my published 
 diary is dated Sunday, the 16th June, 1850, and 
 recounts how the passengers of the emigrant ship 
 and myself all went to the little church at Port 
 Adelaide, to return thanks to Almighty God for 
 having extended His fostering protection over us 
 during a long and perilous voyage. For 138 
 days we had been exposed to the chances of 
 "lightning and tempest; to plague, pestilence, 
 and famine;" but He who sits above, in grandeur 
 inaccessible, had of His tender mercy delivered us 
 from them all. From that date I commence my 
 present narration. 
 
 June 17, 1850. — To-day, though in mid- 
 winter, we have a glowing sun, modified by a 
 balmy breeze. All the deck is in confusion, for 
 the emigrants, who go no further than Adelaide, 
 
 B
 
 I DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 are getting out their baggage. I, at the request 
 of the passengers, drew out a testimonial for the 
 doctor, which was unanimously signed; and he 
 deserves this mark of attention, for, profession- 
 ally, he has been most assiduous, and socially, 
 he has behaved as a gentleman should. Many 
 of the surgeons on board of emigrant ships are 
 disreputable characters in every way. In the 
 course of the day I went with two passengers to 
 Adelaide. We travelled in a public conveyance, 
 which was a Whitechapel cart, drawn by two 
 horses, tandem fashion. The drivers of these 
 vehicles carry as many passengers as they can 
 get. We were said to be lucky, for there were 
 only six besides us three. The road, which 
 passed through a desolate tract of country, was 
 full of large holes, which by recent rains had 
 been converted into round ponds; these ponds 
 we had to coast round, making a great half- 
 circle, so that instead of travelling seven miles, 
 the distance between Port Adelaide and Adelaide, 
 we travelled at least ten miles. On our way we 
 met and passed innumerable bullock-drays, drawn 
 by eight, or ten, or twelve, patient, hard-tugging 
 bullocks. We also saw several of the aborigines, 
 clothed in duty blankets and kangaroo and 
 opossum-skins ; they looked half-starved, like 
 the dogs that followed them, and were hideously 
 dirty and ugly. Adelaide strikes me as a very
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 6 
 
 miserable, squalid place. Wide streets are laid 
 out, but there are few bouses in them, and those 
 few are mean and wretched : the roads are full 
 of- holes, receptacles of dust in summer and mud 
 in winter ; public-houses abound, and drunken- 
 ness seems everywhere prevalent. There is a 
 substantial Change for the merchants to con- 
 gregate in, but all the business of Adelaide 
 seems done at a noted public-house, kept by a 
 man called Coppin, or Choppin. Here is to be 
 seen a strange mixture of merchants, newly- 
 arrived immigrants, squatters, bullock-drivers, 
 shopkeepers, loose characters, trafficking, blas- 
 pheming, laughing, singing, yelliug, and drink- 
 ing innumerable nobblers. Everybody goes there, 
 for every business, rendezvous is made at Chop- 
 pin's. As I could get no conveyance to the 
 port in the evening, I slept at an inn there. 
 Each bed-room has three very plain sofa-couches; 
 and I was told that if I didn't wish companions, 
 I must pay for all three. The guests here live 
 table-d'hote fashion, and their breakfasts, dinners, 
 and teas, are served with a monotonous pro- 
 digality. At every meal there are beef sausages, 
 mutton chops, beef steaks, roast mutton and 
 boiled beef, good potatoes, and most delicious 
 bread; and of these three substantial meals the 
 guests partake with the most persevering elas- 
 ticity. The table-talk is of bullocks, highly-
 
 4 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 flavoured with oaths, and each person seems bent 
 on making his fortune as quickly as possible. 
 I can imagine the early Puritan settlers in North 
 America to have been a very different set of 
 persons. A young woman at table, speaking 
 contemptuously of some newly-arrived immi- 
 grants (" Jimmy Grants," I think, was the slang 
 term she applied to them), I asked her how long 
 she had been out herself? " Oh," she said, " I 
 have been out six weeks, and I feel quite colonial 
 already." I told her I could well believe her. 
 But the affectation and pretension of these 
 people is to me very extraordinary. To hear 
 them talk, you would suppose they had held 
 important social positions in their fatherland, 
 instead of which, three parts out of four have 
 been driven out of it by hunger, or by crime. 
 
 June 18. — I returned to the port almost blind 
 with the dust. Walking out with the doctor in 
 the evening, I saw ever so many of our pas- 
 sengers drunk, some of whom had during the 
 voyage made many promises of amendment of 
 life. Now I am quite sure that these men were 
 sincere when they made those promises, and if 
 they were to renew them to-morrow I should 
 believe them sincere, although perfectly conscious 
 that they would relapse at the first temptation. 
 St. Paul explains all this when he says, " I 
 delight in the law of God after the inward man ;
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 5 
 
 but I see another law in my members warring 
 against the law of my mind, and bringing me 
 into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my 
 
 members So then, with the mind I myself 
 
 serve the law of God ; but with the flesh the law 
 of sin." After all, perhaps, evil may not be 
 without its uses : the moral world would become 
 flat, stagnant, and inactive, if the acid of sin 
 were not introduced into its composition to cause 
 fermentation, and subsequently purification. As 
 in the political world, so in the moral world, 
 fermentation is more wholesome than stupid 
 stagnation. 
 
 June 20. — To-morrow is mid-winter, and it is 
 very hot. What must the summer be here ! 
 Went to Adelaide in a Whitechapel cart as 
 before. Saw a monument erected in memory of 
 Col. Light : it is ugly enough. Walked over to 
 Kensington to call upon the Bishop of Adelaide, 
 who lives in a charming cottage nestling in a 
 flower-garden. I had a cordial reception from 
 this excellent prelate, who combines the dignity 
 of a high ecclesiastic with the simplicity and 
 goodnature of an English country gentleman. 
 
 June 22. — A very beautiful day again, cloud- 
 less and warm as an English August day. In ge- 
 niality the climate here far exceeds that of Italy 
 in winter. There is no wind approaching to the 
 piercing Tramontana. But I understand that
 
 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 the heat here during the summer months is 
 frightful. At that period, during a hot wind, the 
 thermometer will range from 100° to 120° in the 
 house. Visited the school of the aborigines, where 
 
 1 found thirty-three boys and seventeen girls. 
 I examined them before the inspector and master, 
 and they answered me correctly some simple 
 scriptural questions. I was shown their writing, 
 and one of their copy books was presented to me, 
 which I have now. The penmanship is capital. 
 They sang one or two hymns very nicely, and if 
 I had not had before me their swarthy faces and 
 restless, flashing eyes, I could have fancied my- 
 self in an English parish school. But these Aus- 
 tralian aborigines are a very unsatisfactory race 
 of people. They slip away from the grasp of 
 civilisation in the most extraordinary manner; and 
 as to permanent religious impressions they are, 
 as far as I can judge, incapable of them. With 
 very acute perceptive faculties, they are absolutely 
 without reflective faculties, and it is next to im- 
 possible to create the simplest religious impres- 
 sions in the breast of a being who can't think. 
 These people, too, are pure Atheists ; they do not 
 even worship idols : but they have a childish fear 
 ef some harming spirit, equivalent to what our 
 children call Old Bogie, and of the influence 
 which the spirits of the dead may have over them. 
 They believe, too, in magical powers. They cling
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 7 
 
 to their boundless plains and their forests with a 
 tenacious animal instinct which nothing can 
 quench, neither good masters, good clothes, good 
 food, nor the most excellent religious instruction. 
 I can give two or three examples of this. A 
 squatter in the province of Victoria took a black 
 from the bush and made him his servant, cloth- 
 ing him well and teaching him to be generally 
 useful. At the end of a year or two the master 
 wished to pay a visit to England, and the black 
 implored him to take him, too. He consented. 
 The man accompanied him to England, and dur- 
 ing a two-years' sojourn behaved most admir- 
 ably, performing all the duties of a first-class 
 man-servant. He, if I mistake not, learned to 
 read and write, and cast up little accounts, and 
 was always delighted at the idea of going to 
 church. By and by he returned to the colony, 
 and went up into the bush with his master. Not 
 very long after he came one day to his master, 
 and, looking very confused, said he wished to 
 leave him. "Why?" said the gentleman, very 
 surprised. Well, he wanted to see the other 
 black fellows in the bush. "But," said the 
 squatter, "you are in the bush as it is ; the other 
 black fellows are always camping round the sta- 
 tion : however, if you want a run, go by all 
 means, and then come back." The man looked 
 very serious at the concluding order, and went
 
 8 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 out of the room without saying more. In the 
 morning he got out of his bed before the dawn, 
 and leaving all his clothes behind him, went off 
 entirely naked. He never came back, and his 
 master subsequently learned that he was roaming 
 about the wilds with a couple of wretched women, 
 living on the precarious product of the chase, an 
 unclothed, half-starved, untameable savage. 
 
 Another case in point is still more to be re- 
 gretted. A lady took a girl of eight or nine years 
 old out of the Aborigines School at Adelaide, 
 and brought her up as a companion to her little 
 daughter. The child, under the auspices of her 
 kind mistress, read well, wrote well, ciphered 
 well, dressed well, was cleanly in her ways, went 
 to church regularly twice every Sunday, sang 
 hymns nicely, and said her Catechism perfectly. 
 This lasted about three years, at which period 
 the girl must have attained the age of twelve. 
 One day she came running in to her mistress, 
 looking very pale (for black people can look pale 
 enough, sometimes), saying that she had seen in 
 the street the young man destined by her family 
 to be her husband, and that he wished her to go 
 back with him immediately. Her mistress en- 
 deavoured to quiet her by telling her, that if she 
 were so annoyed again the offender should be 
 given into custody. She also ordered the girl not 
 again to go out alone. For two or three months
 
 JN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. iJ 
 
 all went well, and the girl had almost forgotten 
 her fright; when, one unlucky evening, the lady 
 having need of some little thing, sent her to a 
 neighbouring shop to purchase it. In about ten 
 minutes the poor girl rushed in wildly, and 
 weeping, told her mistress that she must now in- 
 deed leave her, for her lover had met her, and 
 told her that, having given his sister as wife to 
 her brother, her brother had in return given her 
 to him (this exchange seems to be a universal 
 custom among the Australian aborigines) that 
 the old men of the tribe had sent to say, that if 
 she would not obey their law and return imme- 
 diately they would solemnly curse all that she 
 should eat or drink; and that she knew their 
 power so well that she dared not resist it. After 
 this second interview, not all that the lady did or 
 said could tranquillise the mind of the scared 
 and distracted girl. She neglected her duties; 
 she sat moodily sighing all day; she sobbed all 
 night ; she refused nourishment, even that on 
 her mistress's table, saying that it was accursed to 
 her. The doctor was called in, and both his rhe- 
 toric and physic were unsuccessfully employed. 
 They began to have serious apprehensions about 
 her health; when, one morning, her bed-room 
 was found untenanted — the occupant had flown; 
 yes, had jumped out of the window before the 
 dawn of day and had fled away naked into her
 
 10 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 native woods, unpossessed of a single article of 
 clothing or anything else, to propitiate the anger 
 of the old men of her tribe, and to obey the mys- 
 terious impulses of a savage nature. In about a 
 year afterwards there came up to the door of the 
 lady's house a group of blacks begging. First 
 came an ill-looking savage, with features scarcely 
 human, with a murderous-looking spear in his 
 hand and a filthy opossum rug thrown over his 
 shoulders. Behind walked an ugly, worn, dirty 
 woman, seemingly of forty, with features scarcely 
 visible from the clots of matted hair which hung 
 about her face. The rags that straggled about 
 her served rather to exaggerate than conceal her 
 nakedness, and from her long breast, thrown over 
 her shoulder, she fed an unclothed baby which 
 she was carrying on her back. Five or six lean 
 dogs, of indescribable breed, accompanied and fol- 
 lowed this miserable couple, carrying their noses 
 to the ground, and every now and then silently 
 swallowing any filthy offal lying about. The wo- 
 man was the once neat Sunday-school child, who 
 used to love going to church and saying her Ca- 
 techism, and she had come to see her former kind 
 mistress and to beg some cold meat. She was 
 sufficiently content with her lot, she said, and 
 would not wish to come back to her former ser- 
 vitude. 
 
 June 23 {Sunday). — Head the Litany and
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 11 
 
 preached on board the ship. Went ashore after 
 lunch to see one of our passengers, who is lying 
 very ill at the Commercial Hotel. He was the 
 father of the poor little child who died on the 
 passage out. A party of our people strolled upon 
 the sea-beach and brought back pieces of coral, 
 beautiful shells, bits of sponge, and pretty peb- 
 bles. Hear that the Port Church was well at- 
 tended to day. 
 
 June 24<. — Mid-winter, and yet it is a lovely 
 day, with a hot sun, as in August with us. 
 Transferred my effects on board the " Sea Queen, •' 
 
 Captain W , a very fine barque, originally 
 
 intended for the opium trade. The London ship 
 goes no further than Adelaide, and has contracted 
 with the " Sea Queen" to take on to Port Phillip 
 the Melbourne passengers. Before starting I 
 took tea with my good friend, the surgeon of the 
 ship which brought me from London. We were 
 put into a very nice room, with a good carpet, 
 mahogany table, wax lights, a fire-hearth, three 
 couches or sofa-beds, and a wash-stand. At night 
 one of our passengers, who was very drunk, pass- 
 ing from one ship to the other, fell between the 
 two, and was drowned. His brother, who was, if 
 possible, more intoxicated, abused the captain in 
 unmeasured terms for his want of proper pre- 
 cautions. All was confusion on board the two 
 ships. Lights were waving to and fro amidst the
 
 12 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 baggage and down in the holds; boats were 
 lowering to endeavour to find the drowning man, 
 women were screaming and crying, men were 
 shouting and swearing, whilst in the midst was 
 the brother, sobering by degrees, mingling strong 
 hysterical sobs with his imprecations. The body 
 was never found. 
 
 June 25. — We were towed down to the light- 
 ship at daybreak, and anchored there. The poor 
 people were huddled together below without com- 
 fort, and almost without decency. Provisions for 
 a fortnight are put on board. 
 
 June 26. — Still at anchor, waiting for the cap- 
 tain. One of the emigrants caught a strange fisb, 
 as big as a large sole, prickly all over, with two 
 lateral and two dorsal fins, which has the power 
 of swelling itself out like a toad. It was a very 
 unkcd specimen of the finny tribe. Some called 
 it a sea-porcupine, others a devil-fish, others a 
 sea-toad. All the three names are applicable. 
 
 June 28. — Weighed anchor at day-break, and 
 stood down the Gulf at eight knots. When we 
 got to the entrance of the Backstairs Passage, the 
 wind became so foul that we were obliged to let 
 go anchor for the night. Continue giving re- 
 ligious instruction to some of the passengers. 
 My two boys said by heart the Catechism and all 
 the more important Articles. Where we anchored 
 was in Kingscote Bay, Kangaroo Island.
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 13 
 
 June 29. — Fine weather, but the wind foul as 
 it can blow. Were beating through Backstairs 
 Passage all day, and at night got no further than 
 Antechamber Bay in Kangaroo Island, where we 
 found good shelter and good anchorage. We 
 have already consumed five out of our fourteen 
 days' provisions. An old woman, of at least 
 seventy-five, assured me that she was just turned 
 fifty-eight. 
 
 June 30 (Sunday). — A very fine, calm day, and 
 inexpressibly warm, considering it is midwinter. 
 Left Antechamber Bay at daybreak, and got well 
 out to sea before nightfall. Could have no ser- 
 vice in consequence of the confusion which pre- 
 dominated down below. 
 
 July 3. — A wonderfully bright day, of uncom- 
 mon brilliancy, but no wind. The emigrants are 
 looking serious, and speculating as to whether 
 the water and provisions will hold cut; for we 
 are only victualled for fourteen days, and already, 
 the ship not having made half her passage, we 
 have entered upon the ninth day. We were told 
 that the voyage would probably last no longer 
 than a week. 
 
 July 5. — A fair wind sprung up during the 
 night, which took us abreast of Cape Otway, which 
 lies about eighty miles from the entrance of Port 
 Phillip. In the afternoon the captain caught a 
 shark, six feet long, with my hook. After he was
 
 14 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 hooked he was partially lifted out of the water ; 
 a running noose was then run down the line, over 
 his head and under his fins. He was then hoisted 
 by this on to the deck. 
 
 July 6. — A calm day and a foul wind. The 
 land seems to be flying from us as we advance. 
 Our water and provisions will be entirely out to- 
 morrow or next day. We caught two barracootas, 
 long fish, lean, and hungry-looking, and full of 
 bones. They are, however, very eatable. The 
 sea here is full of them. A captain of a trading- 
 vessel between Port Phillip and Van Piemen's 
 Land had so great a renown for catching these 
 fish, and giving his passengers nothing else to 
 eat, that he was called " Barracoota Jack." 
 
 July 7 {Sunday). — A fair wind having sprung 
 up during the night, we found ourselves off Port 
 Phillip Head at early morning. At the entrance 
 of the magnificent sheet of water called Port 
 Phillip stand two points, Point Lonsdale and 
 Point Nepean. Between these two points a strong 
 tide runs, with great force, through a narrow 
 channel two miles wide. As we entered, the wind 
 blew from the south, and we had the tide against 
 us, so that the water was turbulent and much 
 agitated, and numerous were the vortices through 
 which the ship ploughed her way. Pleasing was 
 the sail up this beautiful bay, which has a length 
 of 45 miles and a breadth of 40 miles. The blue
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 15 
 
 sky smiled above us, and the blue water beneath 
 us responded with its avriot&iiov ye'kouff&a. The 
 atmosphere which we breathed was as pure as the 
 purest Italian, and all felt that elasticity of spirits 
 which springs from clear fine air passing through 
 the lungs. On our left rose boldly against the 
 sky the picturesque summit of Station Peak; in 
 front of us the Mount Macedon range of blue 
 mountains mellowed into the bluer sky ; whilst on 
 our right the distant Alps, stretching away into 
 Gipps' Land, completed a scene of beauty which 
 I had then never seen surpassed, nor have I yet, 
 writing this as I do after a lapse of many years, 
 and after much travel. Towards the gloaming of 
 the evening we anchored in Hobson's ^ay, at the 
 entrance of the Yarra Yarra (flowing, flowing, or 
 everflowing), river. Stayed on board all that 
 night. 
 
 July 8. — Left the "Sea Queen," after bidding 
 farewell to the amiable captain, and went aboard 
 a small river steamer at 8 a.m. Steamed up the 
 Yarra Yarra, whose banks are very ugly. They 
 are low, covered with sad-looking, short scrub, and 
 studded with boiling-down establishments, which 
 circumfuse most fetid odours. In about a couple 
 of hours arrived at Melbourne, a considerable 
 town, sufficiently well situated on two hills and 
 the intervening valley. The main streets are 
 wide — too wide, if anything — and the drainage
 
 16 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 ought to be perfect. The river is spanned by a 
 handsome stone bridge of one arch. The streets 
 are infested by enormous dogs, who thrive here 
 on the cheap butchers' meat. Went to a very 
 excellent hotel called the Prince of Wales, where 
 I dined and slept. 
 
 July 9. — Called on the Anglican Bishop and 
 on the Governor, but found neither at home. 
 They inhabit pretty cottages, surrounded by 
 grounds and gardens, on the banks of the Yarra. 
 
 July 11. — Received an intimation from the 
 Melbourne Club that I was received as an 
 honorary member. Dined there with my in- 
 troducer, an old member, and six others. We 
 sat down ^at six o'clock at a well-appointed table, 
 lighted by many wax-lights, and we were waited 
 upon by two men-servants, one in dress livery 
 the other out of livery. At night, as I lay in an 
 excellent bed at the hotel, I could not help 
 making the following reflections. Here am I, 
 after a voyage of thirteen or fourteen thousand 
 miles through the great ocean, arrived on a 
 vast continent, the existence of which was un- 
 known to the world until two hundred years 
 ago, and which was not inhabited by white men 
 until sixty-two years ago. More than that, I 
 have been partaking of an excellent repast, 
 served in a way which would be considered cre- 
 ditable in London or Paris, in the society of
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 17 
 
 educated and wealthy men, in a portion of that 
 continent which was only discovered seventeen 
 or eighteen years ago, and in a city which six- 
 teen years back was a savage waste, trodden by 
 savage men in chase of the emu and the kan- 
 garoo. In this city there are 25,000 inha- 
 bitants, surrounded by all the necessaries and 
 comforts of life; there are well-built houses; 
 shops filled with everything one can require; 
 two churches, besides chapels ; active Ministers 
 of all denominations ; a well-managed custom- 
 house, gaol, and post-office; numerous colonial 
 trading vessels clustering at the river quays ; 
 whilst at the mouth of the Yarra, by William's 
 Town, lie at anchor fourteen or fifteen full-rigged 
 ships. What wonderful civilising tendencies the 
 Anglo-Saxon race seems to have! Instruments 
 are they of an All-Wise Providence to substitute 
 in the remote extremities of the world human- 
 ising Christianity for savage Paganism, a pure 
 code of morals for abominable impurities, govern- 
 ment for anarchy, peace for bloodshed, industry 
 for idleness, the certain fruits of agriculture for 
 the precarious yield of the chase ! An English- 
 man is never content to do anything that he 
 undertakes, by halves ; he will pull all surround- 
 ing influences up to his level ; he never descends 
 to them. It is the genius of the British colonist 
 to reproduce in the most distant regions, and 
 
 c
 
 18 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 under the most unfavourable auspices, the mi- 
 nutest details of early associations, to surround 
 himself at the antipodes with the atmosphere of 
 home. With dogged energy he never rests till 
 he has reduced to practice the great theories 
 necessary to the birth and existence of common- 
 wealths, which have been familiar to him from 
 his childhood. Thus, in the colonies we find the 
 same adoption of a constitutional form of govern- 
 ment; the same regard to the majesty of the 
 law; the same tendency to open discussion of 
 religious matters, mixed up, however, with a 
 profound respect for religion in general ; the 
 same appreciation of personal liberty ; the same 
 adherence to the great principles of commerce, as 
 we find in the fatherland. And this imitation of 
 " home" is carried into all the details of private 
 domestic life, even down to the furnishing of a 
 house or the arranging of a dinner. Old ideas 
 born in him, as it were, and customs pertina- 
 ciously upheld, are the Sacred Fire, the Penates, 
 which the Englishman carries with him from the 
 old shores wherever he goes. He may change 
 the soil — he cannot change his country, for 
 dear Old England contains him still ; an England 
 of his own creation, substituting the sunny 
 beauty and brightness of youth for the majestic 
 vigour of age. And why has Providence chosen 
 England from all other nations to carry Christ-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 19 
 
 ianity, and its offspring, Civilisation, into the far- 
 away wildernesses of distant lands, inhabited by 
 savage men, devouring one another ? Other 
 races, other empires are more extensive, more 
 populous, possess more natural intelligence, more 
 taste for what is elegant, are equally robust, 
 equally enduring. But the glorious office of 
 creating light in an atmosphere of moral dark- 
 ness, in pouriug spiritual day on the sightless 
 eyeballs of the heathen, has not devolved on 
 them. How does this come to pass ? If we 
 may, without presumption, canvass the designs 
 of Providence, the question would be capable of 
 the following solution. It is, then, that every 
 Englishman is brought up from his earliest in- 
 fancy to read, learn, and digest the pure and 
 undefiled word of God. He early forms a ha- 
 bitude of judging for himself in religious matters, 
 biased, perhaps, but not peremptorily dictated 
 to, by any man, or any body of men. And this 
 independence of judgment, once formed, extends 
 naturally to secular matters, and prevents the 
 growth of vacillation of character. And more 
 than this, he learns within the book of life that 
 every man should consider himself a responsible 
 being, gifted with certain talents by his Creator, 
 of which he is to make use. This gives him 
 early an idea that he has an object in life, and 
 that he must not run to seed down here; and
 
 20 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 though the religious part of the matter is, alas ! 
 often lost sight of, yet the moral tone remains 
 kneaded into his character, and begets in him a 
 ceaseless activity, and a tenacious perseverance in 
 carrying out all that he begins. To this, I 
 imagine, must be attributed the superiority of 
 the English national character over all other 
 national characters ; and this is why he is called 
 upon by Heaven to accomplish that in which 
 other nations, from want of moral ballast — fixity 
 of purpose, would fail. 
 
 July 12.— Breakfasted with Mr. N , the 
 
 truly excellent incumbent of St. Peter's Church. 
 He lives in a pretty house, quite close to the 
 church. The mud renders the streets almost 
 impassable : it rears itself up above the boots. 
 
 July 13. — Saw the Bishop of Melbourne (Dr. 
 Perry), a thin and very acute-looking prelate. 
 Bought a Queen's head for a letter. The portrait 
 of her Majesty is a wonderfully coarse production 
 of art, very much like a public -house sign 
 reduced. 
 
 July 11 (Sunday). — Waded to church through 
 mud four inches deep. St. James's is the first 
 church that was built in Melbourne. Its external 
 architecture is very hideous ; internally it is, if 
 anything, worse. The prayers arc read, and the 
 sermOD preached, from two lofty desks of polished 
 wood in front of the chancel. The font is placed
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 21 
 
 between these, so as to impede the view of the 
 communion-table. The service was celebrated 
 with great decorum, and the Bishop preached 
 a clear, logical, and impressive discourse, of 
 what is termed the Low-Chi*rch School. He 
 took his text from the 3d chapter of St. John, 
 the 3d verse. In the course of his sermon lie 
 said that " he would not now touch upon the 
 connexion between baptism and regeneration, but 
 would leave that to a future opportunity; that in 
 infant baptism regeneration may be the cause of 
 faith and repentance, but in adult baptism it 
 would be the consequence; that instead of dis- 
 puting upon baptismal regeneration, we should 
 strive to realise our own individual regeneration." 
 July 16. — Mr. La Trobe, the Superintendent 
 or Deputy-governor of the Colony, did me the 
 honour of calling on me. This gentleman is a 
 Swiss by birth, and has distinguished himself 
 by publishing several amusing and instructive 
 works, such as " The Alpenstock," " Travels in 
 Mexico," &c. It requires a great deal of tem- 
 per to be governor of a colony. The game of 
 "Ministerial" and "Opposition," "Conservative" 
 and "Liberal," is played out here just as in the 
 mother-country ; but it is done in a coarser and 
 rougher spirit. The head of the Government is 
 always the butt of the most personal and virulent 
 attacks from the opposition journals, which, like
 
 22 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 mosquitoes, are always buzzing about his ears, 
 and sometimes they sting very sharply. A nerv- 
 ous, irritable, or a refined, fastidious man, had 
 much better stay at home tban accept such an 
 office. • 
 
 July 17. — Hear that the climate is very vari- 
 able. Last autumn influenza was very prevalent 
 in Melbourne, and all the blacks retreated from 
 the city and immediate neighbourhood into the 
 bush. When questioned on their reasons for 
 leaving, they replied, "No good stay; white man 
 too much sniffle." Hear that shepherding is such 
 a solitary, idle life, that some of the men become 
 half-witted and foolish. Walked to Richmond, a 
 pretty village, partly seated on a gentle eminence, 
 close to the Yarra. In going I passed a stately 
 house, half-finished, which is being built as a pa- 
 lace for the Bishop. In Richmond abound wea- 
 ther-board cottages, nestling in flower-gardens. 
 
 July 20. — Walked over the fine bridge to a 
 pretty village on the shores of the bay called St. 
 Kilda, about three miles from Melbourne. Bath- 
 ing would be delicious here, if the locality were 
 free of sharks. Formerly, there were none here ; 
 but now so much offal floats down the river from 
 the boiling-down establishments, that these mon- 
 sters prowl about everywhere. Wherever the car- 
 case is, the vultures congregate. 
 
 July 21. — A most brilliant, clastic day. I at-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 23 
 
 tended divine service at St. Peter's Church, a 
 plain, unpretending building, not ugly and not 
 handsome. There is no regular reading-desk 
 there at present ; the prayers are read from inside 
 the altar rails. In the afternoon I visited the 
 Cemetery. It is a melancholy bit of ground, of 
 about ten to twelve acres, laid out in poor taste 
 and wretchedly kept. A few dismal trees attempt 
 to flourish among the graves ; long coarse grass 
 springs up in rank luxuriance, and the paths are 
 overgrown with weeds. Some of the inscriptions, 
 both Latin and English, are misspelt. The Latin 
 word "excelsis" seems to puzzle the graver, for 
 in one inscription there is "Gloria in excelces 
 Deo;" in another, "excelxis." Only two monu- 
 ments struck me as interesting; one a broken 
 granite column in memory of a bank clerk cut 
 off at an early age ; the other in memory of Dr. 
 Hobson. 
 
 July 22. — One of the immigrants who was my 
 fellow-passenger out, came to ask me what he 
 should do with his money, saying that he had 
 had pressing offers of wonderfully remunerative 
 investment, by which his fortune could be soon 
 made without trouble. Advised him to thank his 
 disinterested new friends for their kind offers, and 
 to peremptorily decline them ; to place one hun- 
 dred pounds in the Savings' Bank, and the rest in 
 the Union Bank; to get into some employ at
 
 24 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 good wages; and to look about him for a year 
 until he became colonialised. After that, I told 
 him, he would gain sufficient experience to be en- 
 abled to invest his small capital with advantage. 
 This man was a respectable, hard-working agri- 
 cultural labourer of the better class, inDevonshire, 
 who, having come into a small legacy, determined 
 to bring his wife and family to Australia, and try 
 his luck as a farmer. Hear that every newly ar- 
 rived immigrant is beset by sharpers, who do 
 their best to ruin him. Indeed I am told that no 
 new man is good for anything till he has been 
 clean ruined. Ruining, they say, is good for the 
 experience. This means, that the stupidest dupe 
 becomes the cleverest knave. 
 
 July 30. — Walked to Heidelberg and back to 
 pay a visit to the estimable clergyman there. 
 My way lay through the bush till I came to the 
 Merri Creek. Having crossed that, I found a 
 good road through an inclosed country, which 
 took me to Heidelberg. This township straggles 
 over a large space of fertile hill and valley, and 
 has the Yarra running through its precincts be- 
 tween very deep banks. On a little eminence 
 they are building a substantial stone church. 
 Land here is high in price, on account of its great 
 fertility and its proximity to Melbourne, being 
 about seven miles off. Walked home by sunset 
 with the greatest ease. The air is so transparent
 
 IX AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 
 
 25 
 
 and elastic, that no amount of exercise seems to 
 tire. The thermometer (in the shade) during the 
 last week in Melbourne was as follows : 
 
 
 S£ A.M. 
 
 2 J P.M. 
 
 Sun3et. 
 
 9p.h 
 
 Monday 
 
 49° 
 
 55° 
 
 52° 
 
 48' 
 
 Tuesday 
 
 41 
 
 58 
 
 54 
 
 46 
 
 Wednesday 
 
 45 
 
 58 
 
 54 
 
 50 
 
 Thursday . 
 
 46 
 
 47 
 
 42 
 
 38 
 
 Friday . . 
 
 38 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 Saturday 
 
 52 
 
 56 
 
 54 
 
 49 
 
 Sunday . . 
 
 48 
 
 54 
 
 54 
 
 46 
 
 Aug. 4. — Rambled about Melbourne, and 
 was astonished at the well-being which seemed 
 to prevail everywhere, at the well-filled stores, at 
 the number of butchers' shops, at the independ- 
 ent, contented, young look of the population. 
 The scarcity of old people is very striking. The 
 chief streets in Melbourne are Collins Street, 
 Bourke Street, and Lonsdale Street, running east 
 and west ; and Elizabeth Street and Swanston 
 Street, running north and south. These are very 
 fine, wide streets, but the east and west streets 
 have a little street running parallel with them, a 
 sort of diminished double, all of which are ill- 
 kept and have miserable buildings in them. The 
 inhabitants are low and dirty, and these localities, 
 seaming as they do the very centre of the city, 
 are so many nuclei of bad smells and disease. At 
 the first laying out of the town it was intended
 
 26 DIARY OF A "WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 that these streets should be appropriated as mews 
 to their big brothers; but as land increased in 
 value, men, not horses, came to inhabit them. The 
 west end of one of them, called Little Collins 
 Street, is nicknamed Chancery Lane, on account 
 of the great congregation of lawyers in that lo- 
 cality. To show the increasing importance of 
 Port Phillip, as well indeed as of the whole of 
 Australasia, I give the value of the exports from 
 this group of colonies to Great Britain during the 
 past year (1849): New South Wales, 1,260,600/.; 
 Port Phillip, 976,620/. ; Adelaide (S. Australia), 
 535,130/.; Hobarton (Tasmania), 215,500/.; 
 Launceston, 180,180/.; and N. Zealand, 10,000/. 
 Wool and tallow, and the copper from the Burra 
 mines, compose the staple commodity of this vast 
 commerce. 
 
 Aug. 5. — Having received an invitation from 
 a wealthy squatter in the neighbourhood of Gee- 
 long, the second city of the colony, I embarked on 
 board a small steamer at the Melbourne Wharf at 
 eleven o'clock, and reached Geelong at half-past 
 four. The Yarra banks were as desolate-looking as 
 ever, the boiling-down establishments defiled the 
 air with their usual smells. When we reached 
 llobson's Bay a breeze sprung up, and carried us 
 gaily onward in a southerly direction. In about 
 two hours we bore westward, and entered the fine 
 sheet of water called Geelong Harbour. We soon
 
 IN AUSTEALIA AND TASMANIA. 27 
 
 crossed the Bar, and steamed alongside of the 
 wharf. In a few minutes I entered a fine free- 
 stone palace-looking place, called Mack's Hotel, 
 where I slept, partially interrupted in my slum- 
 bers by the drunken roarings of a rich proprietor 
 in the neighbourhood, who was trying to force his 
 way into somebody else's room. 
 
 Aug. 6. — As I sat at breakfast in the coffee- 
 room of Mack's Hotel, a coarse-looking person, 
 well dressed, entered into conversation with me. 
 He told me that he was one of the early settlers 
 in that part of the country, and that he had se- 
 veral sheep-runs, which he was about to let for 
 two or three years, that he might make a visit 
 home to England. He said that his property was 
 worth to him from 2500/. to 3000/. a-year; and 
 did I think that he could get on in England with 
 that? I asked him if he was a married man. He 
 said, No. I answered him that, as he was a single 
 man, I thought he might, with strict economy, 
 make two ends meet in England on 3000/. a- 
 year. I don't think he quite liked my answer. 
 I afterwards learnt that he was as rich as he re- 
 presented himself to be, that he came to the co- 
 lony very poor, that his character did not stand 
 very high, and that he was much given to boast 
 of his wealth. This being so, I am glad I an- 
 swered him as I did. After breakfast, took a sur- 
 vey of Geelong. This city, which from its situ-
 
 28 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 ation is more worthy to be the capital of a colony 
 than Melbourne, is built on a steepish declivity, 
 which commences from the water. It has fine 
 wide streets, and the houses are for the most part 
 freestone. Behind the city, a mile or two away, 
 runs the river Barrabool, which sometimes makes 
 sad devastations. From every part of Geelong is 
 an exquisite view of the harbour: on the right are 
 high clowns, with a soil of wonderful fertility; 
 turning round, one sees in the background the 
 picturesque summit of Station Peak, which some 
 one told me bears evidence to being an extinct 
 volcano. And all the time I was looking about, 
 there was a glowing sun and a cloudless sky, and 
 a pure elastic air quite life-giving. In Geelong, I 
 hear, there is a great deal of dust in summer and 
 inexpressible mud in winter. For morality, Gee- 
 long is no worse than its bigger neighbour. The 
 crying vice is drunkenness, and that arises from 
 the filthy adulterations practised by the publicans 
 more than from the quantity drunk. The to- 
 bacco that should be in the cigars which they 
 sell, is put into weak rum and water, to give it 
 flavour and force and make it intoxicating. It 
 may be supposed how pernicious such intoxi- 
 cation is. My hospitable friend came into Gee- 
 long expressly to meet me ; so at two o'clock in 
 the afternoon we mounted, and rode over the 
 clastic turf nineteen miles, without drawing bridle,
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 29 
 
 in two hours and a half, till we came to his sta- 
 tion near the Anakie Hills. 
 
 Aug. 7. — My friend's place is situated at 
 the commencement of a forest, which extends 
 over a hill at the back. The gum-tree, the 
 sheacke, vulgarly called the she-oak, and the mi- 
 mosa, flourish abundantly there. The house in 
 which he lives is rather a collection of many 
 houses or hut3, accumulated as necessity required. 
 It is, however, rendered very comfortable, and as 
 he has a good garden, his table is well served. 
 The annual income which he derives from the 
 wool of his sheep cannot be less than 2000/. 
 sterling. After breakfast read a little of the 
 " Canterbury Pilgrimage," which I found in 
 his library, then mounted on horseback, and 
 rode to the base of the left-hand peak of the 
 Anakie Hills. It consists of enormous fragments 
 of rock in grotesque shapes, which seem to have 
 been belched up from the plain by volcanic 
 agency. A great deal of soil has accumulated 
 amid the interstices of these rocks, and there 
 are to be found rare plants, and shrubs, and 
 heaths. 
 
 Aug. 8. — Returned to Geelong. 
 
 Aug. 9. — Intended to return to Melbourne, 
 but the day was so transparently lovely, and the 
 bay smiled so brightly, that I determined to stop 
 to-day. Wandered on the banks of the river,
 
 30 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 which meanders prettily through the valley after 
 emerging from the Barrabool Hills. The soil 
 seems of indescribable fertility, but the sad-co- 
 loured foliage of the trees throws a dusky veil 
 over an otherwise brilliant landscape. And the 
 leaves of the trees do not droop, but stick out 
 quite stiff. They are small, too, and give little 
 shade. As scarcely any of the trees in Australia 
 are deciduous, every landscape is saddened at all 
 seasons by this dull green tint everywhere pre- 
 vailing. All is monotony. With us, on the con- 
 trary, the changes of our foliage keeping pace 
 with the seasons, the annihilation in winter, the 
 new birth in spring producing the radiant green 
 of youth, mellowing into the rich summer tint, 
 followed up by the " sere and yellow leaf" of 
 autumn, bring forth those strong contrasts which 
 so much delight tbe lovers of nature. Called on 
 
 a Mr. C , the worthy incumbent of the 
 
 church here, who received me with much hospi- 
 tality. This excellent clergyman has laboured in 
 the cause of his Master as a missionary in South 
 Africa. 
 
 Aug. 10. — Returned to Melbourne in a little 
 steamer called the "Vesta." The voyage took us 
 six hours. The bay looked as brilliant as ever. 
 The mornings are crisp and cold. The thermo- 
 meter in the sun at noon is 105°. 
 
 Aug. 11 (Sunday). — Assisted the incumbent
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 31 
 
 at St. Peter's Church, Collingwood, a suburb of 
 Melbourne. I read Prayers in the morning and 
 preached in the afternoon. The behaviour of the 
 people was as perfect as could be — no whisper- 
 ing, no fidgeting, no sleeping. They joined 
 heartily in the singing and responding. I could 
 hardly realise to myself that I was out of Eng- 
 land. 
 
 Aug. 12. — Went to see some gymnastic 
 sports, which were celebrated to day on the race- 
 course. All was confusion and careless manage- 
 ment. None, save those in the front rank, could 
 see anything; and there was nothing for them to 
 see worth struggling for. Saw a man haled off 
 by the police for picking pockets. All put me 
 in mind of the old country — the want of arrange- 
 ment, the drinking, the cursing and obscene talk- 
 ing, the prostitutes, thieves, and policemen. 
 
 Aug. 18 [Sunday). — Attended divine service in 
 the morning at St. James's, the Cathedral. 
 
 Aug. 19. — Went to the Botanical Gardens, a 
 piece of twelve or fourteen acres on the other side 
 of the Yarra, planted and arranged in a very 
 tasteful manner. There are gum-trees, mimosas, 
 cactuses, apple-trees, stocks and geraniums, and 
 many other trees and plants which I cannot par- 
 ticularise. There is one exceedingly pleasant seat 
 under a gigantic gum-tree, commanding an exten- 
 sive prospect.
 
 32 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 Aug. 22. — Went on a visit to a worthy clergy- 
 man who is incumbent of Heidelberg. He lives 
 in a pretty weather-board cottage seated on an 
 eminence. From the broad verandah which sur- 
 rounds the house is a charming view of the vil- 
 lage green, and of the half-built church on a little 
 hill in the midst. The course of the river with 
 its hidden waters can be traced by the brilliant 
 golden blossoms of the mimosa, which adorn the 
 precipitous and overhanging banks. It looks like 
 a gigantic golden serpent stretching its sinuous 
 length on a brilliant greensward. At intervals 
 I heard the liquid tones of the bell-bird, and the 
 discordant notes of the bird called (from his me- 
 thod of expressing himself) the laughing jackass. 
 My friend took me to see a black ant's nest. 
 These insects were an inch and a half long, with 
 an immense forceps and a most venomous bite. 
 Their eyes are large and most expressively fero- 
 cious. 
 
 Aug. 25 {Sunday). — A fine day, though not 
 without rain. Assisted at divine service, which 
 was held in a little school-room built of logs in 
 the bush by a Quaker. I preached to about 
 forty persons — all decent, quiet people, who re- 
 sponded very nicely during the prayers. Around 
 us were waving old gum-trees, which fourteen 
 years back were waving over the savage, as yet 
 sole proprietor of the soil. After lunch I rode to
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 33 
 
 a cottage in another direction, and preached to 
 twenty attentive listeners on the subject of re- 
 wards and punishments bestowed on mankind in 
 this world as well as the next. The text was 
 from the 8th chap. Ecclesiastes, 11th verse. Was 
 shown a large tract of land, which is said to be- 
 long to some titled family in England. It is now 
 the object of a Chancery suit. It will in time 
 have a great value. Found an enormous spider 
 which had his haunt close to my bed. They 
 called him a tarantula. He had a hairy body 
 and huge hairy legs. When I turned a full-sized 
 tumbler down upon him, I could not inclose his 
 legs, and cut one of them, which he immediately 
 put into his mouth and began to suck. 
 
 Aug. 26. — llode in to Melbourne. The sun 
 shone brightly, and the birds made the best noise 
 they could. They do not sing here. 
 
 Aug. 28. — Paid a visit to a clergyman, who is 
 the incumbent of Brighton, a straggling town- 
 ship situated on the shores of the bay, about six 
 to eight miles from Melbourne. The road is a 
 track through a forest full of gum-trees, sheackes, 
 and mimosas. Passed a swamp on my right 
 thronged with rushes, from which issued a sound 
 as of heavy castanets. Who were the performers 
 I did not see. The view from my friend's 
 verandah was enchanting. The laughing waters 
 of the bay clapped their hands under the bright 
 
 D
 
 34 DIARY OP A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 sunbeams. The soil at Brighton is light and 
 sandy, and excellent vegetables are grown there. 
 Land ranges there from' twenty to forty pounds 
 an acre. 
 
 Aug. 30. — Gave half-a-crown for a ticket to a 
 lecture on mesmerism at the Mechanics' Hall, and 
 attended the lecture. A great many people were 
 there. The lecturer operated on two boys, one a 
 white, the other a black just arrived from the 
 Murray River, and made them perform a variety 
 of wonderful feats. He spoke disjointedly and 
 unconnectedly, and, with cool audacity, drew a 
 parallel between himself, Mesmer, Elliotson, and 
 Jesus Christ. The effrontery of the orator was to 
 me the great trick of the evening. 
 
 Sept. 4. — We have weather, the like to which, 
 for beauty, I have never experienced. Mountains 
 at sixty miles' distance seem but twelve away, and 
 the air is so pure and fresh that one feels as if he 
 were inhaling laughing gas. Took a long walk 
 in the environs the other side of the Yarra. All 
 is beautiful, but the parched-looking green colour 
 of the trees is a great drawback. Attended a 
 government land sale. The land is put up in lots, 
 varying from two roods to six hundred acres, at 
 prices varying from one pound to three hundred 
 pounds an acre. It is a strange sight to see the 
 rough-looking bush men, mixed up with tradesmen 
 and gentlemen, eagerly bidding in a room blocked
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 35 
 
 up with stores, some sitting upon, others strad* 
 dling across, barrels, cases, chests, and boxes. 
 
 Sept, 13. — In the afternoon there came a 
 tornado, driving before it an incredible quantity 
 of dust. This they call " a brickfielder." 
 
 Sept. 22. — A hot north wind in the morning, 
 a cool south wind in the afternoon. These north 
 winds come from the Central Desert, and during 
 their prevalence one feels to be standing at the 
 mouth of a furnace. The thermometer rises to 
 120° in the shade; books get dog-eared; writing- 
 desks split ; many people go to bed ; universal 
 physical demoralisation prevails. This lasts one, 
 two, and even three days. All of a sudden, the 
 wind chops rounds to the south in a moment, the 
 thermometer falls to 60°, all nature is refreshed, 
 and people resume their accustomed activity. 
 These hot winds are said to possess great purify- 
 ing qualities. 
 
 Sept. 25. — One of the Crown Commissioners 
 having hospitably invited me to his house at the 
 township of Gisborne, a place between thirty and 
 forty miles to the north of Melbourne, on the 
 Mount Macedon road, I started with my friend 
 from the door of the Club at two in the afternoon. 
 We had three spaniels with us, and a greyhound, 
 and a mounted policeman followed, in the capacity 
 of orderly. As the day was black and lowering, 
 and we feared rain, we put our horses into a fast
 
 36 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 canter, and continued them at it, with the excep- 
 tion of five minutes for watering, until we arrived 
 at Gisborne at six o'clock. The exact distance is 
 thirty-three miles. This is not particularly fast, 
 considering that we traversed dry, springy turf, 
 and that the weather was cool and bracing, like 
 an autumn day in England. 
 
 Sept. 26. — My friend has a nice cottage in a fertile 
 garden, which descends to a stream. It contains 
 all the comforts and luxuries of a bachelor's home 
 in England. Started after breakfast for Pastoria, 
 
 a sheep-station belonging to a Mr. P . Our 
 
 route lay through the Black Forest, which extends 
 under a lofty ridge of Mount Macedon. The 
 weather was most malignant, and we got very 
 wet. The rain and mist prevented us from seeing 
 much except the trees on either side; I had, 
 however, one momentary glimpse of a giant cliff 
 on my right. After a wet ride of eighteen miles 
 through this forest, we stopped a little at the 
 Court-House to see if any magistrates' business 
 
 was to be done, and then went on to Mr. P 's, 
 
 where we had a warm welcome and dry clothes. 
 
 Sept. 27. — Employed all the morning in read- 
 ing a great portion of Watson's " Apology for the 
 Bible." It is an answer to Thomas Puine's "Age 
 of Reason," and puts me in mind of a sturdy 
 wrestler throwing his adversary heavily at every 
 bout. After all, I am convinced, that if a man have
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 37 
 
 an evil heart of unbelief, no Apologies or Analogies 
 or Evidences in the world will argue him into the 
 right path. Infidelity is a disease of the heart, 
 not of the head. Thus, arguing with an hardened 
 unbeliever is time thrown away. He is prede- 
 termined not to be convinced. Reasoning cannot 
 touch him — he is not open to conviction; whilst 
 we, who are open to conviction, run the risk of 
 being made very uncomfortable by his weak or 
 lying arguments, speciously dressed up and 
 audaciously advanced, the logical defects of which 
 we cannot, in the heat and hurry of argument, 
 detect. To say the truth, if we were as active in 
 the cause of our Master as sceptics and infidels 
 are in the cause of theirs, the religion of Christ 
 would have a much more extended influence over 
 the hearts of men. At two o'clock started for a 
 large sheep-station on the Campaspie River, the 
 
 hospitable proprietor of which is a Mr. M . 
 
 This gentleman has just built a fine wool-shed, 
 which is admirably adapted for a church. Find 
 in the house every comfort one can possibly 
 require. The Campaspie has the characteristics 
 of other Australian rivers : in the dry season it is 
 but a chain of seemingly stagnant water-holes ; 
 during the rains it is a raging, rushing torrent. 
 Many people, however, think that water-holes are 
 not stagnant, but that they have an underground
 
 38 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 communication, by means of the vanished river 
 running in a subterranean channel. In the course 
 of the day stopped at a shepherd's hut out of the 
 rain, for an hour and a half. The sides were logs 
 of fir-wood laid horizontally one on the other ; 
 the roof was pointed at a high pitch ; there were 
 two beds on stretchers in the hut, and at one end, 
 opposite the door, was a huge fire-place built of 
 stones. There was no flooring. To the roof were 
 hung to dry, opossum-skins, of which people here 
 make rugs to keep them warm. The two beds 
 belonged to the shepherd and his mate, the hut- 
 keeper — the duty of which last, is to cook, and 
 make everything comfortable for the other, and 
 make himself responsible for the sheep when folded 
 round the hut at night. The shepherd takes care 
 of the sheep by day in the pastures round about. 
 The hut-keeper gave us all he could — a disagree- 
 able, bitter, hot syrup, which I found to be strong 
 green tea, and an immense quantity of coarse 
 brown sugar; also some heavy cake, very indi- 
 gestible. This was " damper," and made without 
 leaven. I ate of his bread and drank of his tea, 
 though they were not to my taste, for I am given 
 to understand that a hut-keeper feels himself very 
 much insulted if a traveller — especially a gentle- 
 man — refuses to partake of the poor fare he can 
 offer ; and it is the poorness of the fare which puts
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 39 
 
 him on his mettle in this regard. However, 
 clamper, if it be very well made, is by no means 
 bad food. 
 
 Sept. 28. — After breakfast started for Gisborne. 
 Called at the Court-House, or Bench, as I believe 
 
 it is called, and lunched at Mr. J 's station. 
 
 This gentleman is a wealthy squatter. We then 
 rode through the unamiable Black Forest in the 
 midst of a tempest, and arrived at Gisborne, wet 
 through and through, after a day's journey of 
 thirty-three miles. 
 
 Sept. 29 {Sunday). — A stormy wet day again. 
 
 Bode over to the station of a Mr. R , who, 
 
 with his partner, Mr. H , said to be a lineal 
 
 descendant of Sir William Wallace, are wealthy 
 squatters. Celebrated a full Service in the draw- 
 ing-room, to a congregation of twenty people. 
 The singing was very nice, for there were several 
 
 ladies present, and Mrs. B accompanied on 
 
 the piano. 
 
 Sept. 30. — Started for Melbourne after lunch, 
 and rode there in four hours, stopping for twenty 
 minutes or half-an-hour at the house of a rich 
 importer and breeder of rams, situated on a plain 
 of wonderful fertility. The last fifteen miles we 
 rode in an hour and twenty minutes, without 
 distressing the horses at all. Thus ends my tour 
 in the Mount Macedon district, in which I was 
 first initiated in the mysteries of squatting. In
 
 40 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 my childhood I always pictured squatters as a 
 party of dirty people, squatting and lying round 
 a large cauldron, full of inexpressible things, 
 suspended from three sticks, and simmering 
 over a fire. That idea has, I confess, a little 
 haunted me since. At all events I never thought, 
 until I went to Australia, a squatter's life to 
 be an agreeable one ; but now I am quite un- 
 deceived. I find well-educated and wealthy gen- 
 tlemen squatting in the midst of their flocks 
 and herds, surrounded by every comfort and 
 luxury, and enjoying a delicious climate. They 
 have nicely furnished dwellings; their dining- 
 tables sparkle with glass and plate, and they 
 ride the best of horses. Some of them are 
 married, and the bush ladies make excellent ma- 
 nagers, especially those that are gentlewomen by 
 birth. They have good gardens, which yield 
 them flowers and vegetables ; and they are per- 
 mitted to cultivate as much land as their home 
 consumption may require. As they have vast 
 tracts of fertile land given them by the Govern- 
 ment for sheep and cattle-runs, at almost a 
 nominal yearly rent, it would not be just to- 
 wards the farmers, who buy land at a high price-, 
 that they (the squatters) should be allowed to 
 sell the product of the soil. But every squatting 
 has its drawbacks ; the sheep are liable- to three 
 diseases, one troublesome and noisome, called
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 41 
 
 the foot-rot, the cure of which is one of the most 
 disagreeable operations that one can imagine ; 
 the other two mortal and ruinous — scab, and 
 the terrible catarrh. Of these two last, the first 
 is so contagious, so expensive to treat, and the 
 treatment so uncertain in its results, that many 
 sheep-owners say they would rather that sheep 
 would die at once, and thus put them (the sheep- 
 owners) out of the misery of their incertitude. 
 As to the catarrh, it is positively a heart- 
 rending disease. A squatter on Monday morning 
 may find himself the possessor of ten thousand 
 healthy sheep, worth from eight to twelve shil- 
 lings a-piece. His run will be crossed by a flock 
 of unhealthy travelling sheep ; his sheep will get 
 infected; they will show the symptoms of violent 
 influenza ; the disease will make most rapid pro- 
 gress, and by Saturday night he will find four 
 thousand remaining out of his ten thousand — 
 perhaps all will be taken ; and no remedy has 
 been found for this accursed and mysterious dis- 
 ease. Sheep with foot-rot and scab can be dressed 
 with mercurial preparations and turpentine. Loss 
 and trouble enough supervene with these; but 
 but for catarrh there has been no remedy — no 
 alleviatory course of treatment discovered. The 
 only plan is to cut the throats of those sheep 
 that show any symptoms of the disease, and draw 
 off the unaffected ones to a distant part of the
 
 42 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 ran, leaving that part tabooed for many a long 
 day. If there be a boiling-down establishment 
 near, the bodies of the victims can be converted 
 into tallow; if not, they must be burned or 
 buried, and then the loss is total. Thus squat- 
 ters — particularly those whose runs adjoin the 
 high roads — have always the sword of ruin 
 hanging over their heads. They are subject, too, 
 to drought, when the stock dies from the drying 
 up of the water-holes. Their sheep, also, get 
 rushed and worried by the wild dogs ; and some- 
 times Government steps in, when the lease of the 
 run is up, to take possession of the land, that it 
 may be surveyed and sold in lots for the pur- 
 poses of cultivation. In that case the squatter 
 receives just compensation for the buildings he 
 has erected. 
 
 Oct. 5. — Hear that I have been appointed to a 
 Government Chaplaincy in Tasmania. A Chap- 
 laincy like this is much more satisfactory to a 
 clergyman than a cure, the remuneration of which 
 is raised by the direct voluntary system. Coarse- 
 minded people often presume upon their con- 
 tributions towards the support of the clergyman, 
 and dictate to him in an indelicate manner. 
 People, I find, will contribute freely enough to- 
 wards the support of a minister in a new district; 
 but when the novelty of having a clergyman is 
 worn oiF, or they find that he is not a mere
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 43 
 
 puppet in their hands, and has ideas of his own, 
 some cantankerous little-great man will withdraw 
 his support, and persuade others to do the same. 
 Thus the poor clergyman, if he have no private 
 means, is placed in a very awkward position; 
 and the laity, in a colony like this, should reflect 
 that any minister coming among them can only 
 be actuated by pure and disinterested motives : for 
 there is scarcely any employment which is not 
 more remunerative to a man, with a fair share of 
 intellect, than that of the cure of souls. The 
 Bishop, they say, has many difficulties, in a pecu- 
 niary way, in regulating this diocese. I am 
 much surprised that colonial bishops in general 
 do not turn their attention more to the endow- 
 ment system. Nothing makes a church so inde- 
 pendent of the caprices of the laity as endowment. 
 In this colony, judiciously chosen land, bought 
 at the present price, would, in fifteen or twenty 
 years' time, if not before, increase twenty-fold in 
 value, and thus would give to the clergy increased 
 means of doing good. At all events, care should 
 be taken to surround every new-built parsonage 
 by an extensive glebe. This has not, as far as I 
 know, been done in this diocese. 
 
 Oct. 7. — Three of the immigrants who came 
 out with me paid me a visit in the evening. One 
 was an old man of seventy, and in this colony, 
 where everybody is young and vigorous, it is rather
 
 44 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 a refreshing change to see a venerable old man. 
 They seem happy and healthy, having got work 
 to do at high wages ; even the old man is not 
 idle. If all trades were to fail in town, they 
 can but go into the bush and take employment 
 as shepherds and hut-keepers. The squatters 
 would receive them with open arms, and give 
 them between twenty and twenty-five pounds 
 a- year, together with excellent rations of tea, 
 sugar, beef, and flour, in quantity such as one 
 stomach could never digest. This is, indeed, a 
 land of promise, where the climate excels that 
 of the much-vaunted Ausonia, and where famine 
 and ruin are unknown. It is the famished 
 Englishman's Paradise. Thus, those who think 
 to punish convicts by sending them into this 
 quarter of the world, make a mistake; they 
 are rather rewarding them ; they are giving 
 them health and food, and, perhaps, putting 
 them in the way of amassing great wealth. The 
 greatest boon that good people in England can 
 bestow on a deserving poor family would be to 
 give them means to emigrate to one of the 
 Australasian colonies — it docs not matter where, 
 for throughout, want is unknown to the indus- 
 trious, steady man. 
 
 Oct. 10. — Having taken leave of all my good 
 Melbourne friends, 1 embarked at the wharf on 
 board the steamer " Shamrock," bound for Laun-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 45 
 
 ceston, the second town in Tasmania. Steamed 
 down the Yarra in the evening, and passed the 
 night at anchorage in Hobson's Bay. 
 
 Oct. 11. — At daybreak started from our 
 anchorage. When I went on deck I found that 
 the vessel was battling with the eddies of the 
 Port Phillip channel. Sea smooth, but the 
 " Shamrock" rolled very unpleasantly. All the 
 day crossing Bass's Straits. 
 
 In the morning at daybreak, I entered 
 Launceston harbour, and steamed up the river 
 Tamar, which is very beautiful indeed, every 
 now and then swelling into lake-like expanses, 
 studded with green islands, and surrounded by 
 graceful declivities wooded to the summit. Lay 
 at anchor for several hours in a pretty reach, 
 waiting for the tide. Discovered that the boiler 
 being thin, the steam had escaped through a hole 
 close to my baggage, and had blasted it in a most 
 extraordinary manner. The effects were those of 
 a damp flash of lightning. My saddle had the 
 leather loosened from the tree ; a large black 
 wood trunk, covered with leather and bound with 
 iron, had all its leather torn from it, and this 
 leather was hanging about it in pitiable festoons. 
 All the metal that was touched, was discoloured 
 with a sort of blue mould, and the bindings of 
 the books were scarified, and the leather shrivelled 
 in a most deplorably capricious manner. Every-
 
 46 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 thing but ray clothes was more or less injured. 
 At five in the evening I landed on the wharf at 
 Launceston, and very shortly afterwards saw a 
 gang of convicts in their dismal attire. Went to a 
 very excellent inn, as good as any English country 
 inn, and was soon surrounded by every comfort I 
 could wish. Felt a little fidgety at first on being 
 told that the intelligent waiter, who was so atten- 
 tive to me, had probably come out at Her Majesty's 
 expense ; but the feeling soon passed away. 
 
 Oct. 14. — A cold, piercing wind, with a hot 
 sun. Find Launceston to be a spacious, clean 
 town, with very good shops. There are too many 
 public-houses in it. The immediate environs are 
 very picturesque. In the distance, lofty hills 
 stand out sharp and clear against the blue sky. 
 
 Oct. 15. — Rode out to Patterson's Plains, the 
 scene of my chaplaincy. Patterson's Plains is 
 the name given to a. fertile valley running be- 
 tween two ridges of rather lofty hills, watered by 
 a limpid stream called the Esk. About five miles 
 from Launceston, at the left side of the road, on 
 a slight declivity, where the hill-side mellows into 
 the plain, stands a pretty little church, called 
 St. Peter's. It will hold a hundred and twenty 
 people, and has a north aisle, a porch, and a 
 vestry. It has also a bell turret ; its lateral 
 windows arc intended to be in the style of Early 
 English. At the east end there is a very good
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 47 
 
 triple lancet window. It has too small a reading- 
 desk and too large a pulpit. The view from the 
 churchyard, of mountain and mountain-forest, of 
 smiling valley and sparkling stream, of bright 
 villas and of labourers' cottages, is inexpressibly 
 charming. But yet the sad-coloured foliage of 
 the trees detracts very much from all this beauty. 
 My churchyard is full of lugubrious wattle-trees, 
 under which the grass does not grow well, so 
 that the whole area has a spotted appearance. 
 In the evening, attended a conversazione held at 
 the house of one of the leading ladies in Launces- 
 ton. A merchant who was present, read a very 
 nice paper on Shakspere's " Antony and Cleo- 
 patra," or rather on the dramatist's conception 
 of Cleopatra. When I looked round on the 
 elegantly-furnished room, and the well-dressed 
 people all listening intently to the frequent quo- 
 tations from one of the finest of the poem-plays 
 of the myriad-minded man, I could hardly be- 
 lieve myself to be in the great convict settlement 
 of Van Diemen's Land. Probably the very ser- 
 vants who were bringing in the refreshments, 
 and who were lingering at the door to catch the 
 last immortal longings of the dying Egyptian 
 beauty, whose " infinite variety age could not 
 wither, nor custom stale," were convicts banished 
 for ever from their country for some hideous 
 crime.
 
 48 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 Oct. 16.— Rode to the White Hills district, 
 which is to be united to my Patterson's Plains 
 cure. Rode out on the right side of the riyer 
 and back on the other. The district of White 
 Hills adjoins that of the Patterson's Plains, but 
 lies farther away from Launceston. It consists 
 of undulating hills of wonderfully corn-bearing 
 capacity, and is inhabited by a hardy, vigorous, 
 independent race of farmers. This district ex- 
 tends into localities as yet uncleared of its 
 gigantic timber, but is everywhere very fertile. 
 The church is on the summit of a hill command- 
 ing an extensive and varied view. It looks pretty 
 enough with its lancet windows, but it has been 
 cheaply and flimsily constructed. It is cold, 
 damp, and dirty inside, and is without a Com- 
 munion-table. In fact, I am the first clergyman 
 who has been regularly appointed to this place. 
 Am told that I shall have some trouble with the 
 people, who are very sore at having, after build- 
 ing a church, to remain so long without a 
 minister. I do not at all despair, for I find that 
 in nine cases out of ten, quarrels between clergy- 
 men and their parishioners arise from want of 
 judgment, and tact, and conciliatory manners on 
 the part of the former. From St. Paul's, the 
 name of the White Hills Church, I rode to St. 
 Peter's, the Patterson's Plains Church, crossing 
 the foaming torrent of the Esk on a very pic-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 49 
 
 turesque and very insecure bridge. Close to St. 
 Peter's is a fine house, called Mount Esk, now 
 partly inhabited by a wealthy yeoman. It has a 
 fine garden, and overlooks the river most charm- 
 ingly. Here I have arranged to fix my abode. 
 
 Oct. 18. — A bright, transparent day, with a 
 sun darting red-hot beams, and a keen, piercing, 
 searching wind. Attended Divine Service at 
 Trinity Church, one of the two churches in 
 Launceston. It is St. Luke's Day, and the Fes- 
 tivals are always observed in this church. Walked 
 to the Roman Catholic Cemetery — a beautiful 
 spot, very much neglected. 
 
 Oct. 19. — Bought a mare: induced to do so 
 by the fact that she had just been brought from 
 Hobarton, a distance of 120 miles, in two days, 
 having been one day driven, the other ridden. 
 
 Oct. 20 {Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity). — 
 Began active service in my new cure. Had Morn- 
 ing Service at St. Peter's, Patterson's Plains. As 
 I was something new, a good many came. There 
 was a very well-conducted ladies' school, which 
 filled up much ; also a neighbouring magistrate 
 with his family ; also some people who ordinarily 
 frequent the Wesleyan Chapel close by. Some 
 neighbouring farmers and farm-servants com- 
 pleted a congregation which was much more 
 numerous than I expected. All behaved most 
 admirably, and, there luckily being no clerk, 
 
 E
 
 50 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 responded perfectly well. Dined at the hospitable 
 table of the magistrate to whom I have just re- 
 ferred, and then rode over to take the Evensong 
 Service at the White Hills. As I anticipated, 
 things were not so satisfactory at St. Paul's as 
 at St. Peter's. All looked cold and neglected. 
 Few came, and some of those behaved as if they 
 had never been at church before in their lives. 
 A woman brought her child to be publicly bap- 
 tized without sponsors. Of course I refused to 
 baptize the child, which discontented her very 
 much, as she had prepared some little feast for 
 her neighbours. I was chagrined at being ob- 
 liged to make my ddbut under such an unfavour- 
 able light among a set of people rather awkward 
 to deal with, but I always find, that when pal- 
 pable right and palpable wrong are laid before 
 us for choice, it is our best policy, leaving alone 
 all higher considerations, to boldly choose the 
 right, regardless of all seeming consequences. 
 
 Oct. 23. — Rode over part of my district, and 
 called on some of the inhabitants. Some of these 
 were old settlers, who had been induced by the 
 cheapness of land and labour to choose Van 
 Diemen's Land for their home ; others had left 
 their country against their will, but having taken 
 more healthy views of their responsibility as 
 members of the great human family, had become 
 respectable small fanners, anxious to promote the
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 51 
 
 moral aud religious well-being of their families 
 by every means in their power. 
 
 Oct. 24. — Called on the most extraordinary 
 person in my district, a small landowner, of the 
 
 name of Dr. . I had been warned to be 
 
 careful with him, if I wished to make the slightest 
 impression. Some call him an Atheist — others 
 an astrologer — others a madman. It is certain 
 that he refuses to attend a place of worship, and 
 that he is not complimentary to the clergy. As 
 he is a very old man, I thought it my duty to 
 try what I could do with him ; so I rode down 
 to his house. As I approached the domicile of 
 the old Doctor, I heard an unmeasured barking 
 of dogs ; and when I entered the barton, not 
 without spurring my unwilling mare, I found 
 myself almost surrounded by six huge, furious 
 mastiffs, whose houses were stationed in a sort 
 of semicircle in front of the house, and who were 
 rearing in the air, hanging on their chains, fran- 
 tically barking. By and by there came to the 
 door a lean, withered, very old man, miserably 
 dressed in a shabby paletot, with a white cotton 
 nightcap for his head-gear. At sight of him 
 the six mastiffs slunk into their dens, exhaling 
 smothered growls, amidst much rattling and 
 trailing of chains. He welcomed me very cor- 
 dially, and took me up-stairs to a wretched, dark 
 little room, poorly furnished. Then he sat down;
 
 52 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 and, during the space of one hour, poured forth 
 the strangest jargon I ever heard; through which, 
 every now and then, gleamed very shrewd and 
 sensible remarks. He talked about the sun and 
 moon, the stars and clouds; gave them fantastic 
 names, mixed them up with heathen mythology ; 
 and gave vent to some strange notions about the 
 Deity. He told me he was eighty years old, 
 was the son of an archdeacon, the brother of an 
 English beneficed clergyman, and that he had 
 been in the colony forty-six years. He showed 
 me the genealogical tree of his family, but did 
 not seem to have much communication with his 
 relations. He was very garrulous; and had a 
 sour, disagreeable eye. I sat an hour listening 
 to him, and scarcely saying a word ; and when I 
 rose to go, he said 1 had made him very happy 
 by my visit, and requested that I would soon 
 call again. I am anxious about this poor old 
 man, thus living by himself, at the mercy of his 
 servants. Some say he is rich ; others, that he 
 is poor; others, that he is bad; all, that he is 
 half mad. His case requires careful handling, 
 and a long course of spiritual medicine admi- 
 nistered in infinitesimal doses. Too premature 
 a zeal will spoil all. 
 
 Ocl. 25. — Rose early, and rode to Longford, 
 a substantial country town, with an excellent inn 
 in it, called the Blenheim. It is of common
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 53 
 
 occurrence for the prisoners here to start an inn 
 as soon as they have acquired their freedom, and 
 amassed some property. And these inns, with 
 their stabling and tap, are the exact counterparts 
 of substantial English inns, and are kept with 
 every regard to cleanliness and comfort. As the 
 landlords hold land, they make the farm help the 
 inn. I am not aware that these hotels are very 
 profitable : on the contrary, I have been told that 
 these establishments are kept more for amuse- 
 ment than anything else. The masters take a 
 pride in them. They remind them of old days 
 in the old country, when they, too, much yearned 
 after the public-house, and thus got into trouble. 
 Called on Dr. Davies, the excellent archdeacon 
 of Launceston, who is the incumbent of Long- 
 ford. He took me over his church, which is very 
 large, cost a great deal, and presents few points 
 of interest. The foundation has lately been dis- 
 covered to be defective. One thing interested 
 me very much ; and that is, a magnificent east 
 window of the finest stained glass, made by 
 Wales of Newcastle. My way home in the 
 evening lay partly through a pine-forest, and the 
 trees exhaled their delicious perfume. It is diffi- 
 cult to enjoy a more agreeable emotion than that 
 of riding rapidly through the sandy soil of a 
 pine-forest, just when the shades of evening are
 
 54 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 closing in, thus rendering surrounding objects 
 uncertain and indistinct. 
 
 Oct. 26. — A hot sun, with a violent cold wind 
 blowing from the north-west. The climate is 
 said to be most healthy; but this mixture of 
 glaring sun, and keen, penetrating wind, is most 
 trying to rheumatic constitutions, and is pro- 
 ductive of neuralgic pains. Called on several of 
 my poorer parishioners. Many of them have 
 been convicts, or (according to the appellation 
 which they prefer) prisoners of the crown. When 
 giving an account of themselves, they generally 
 say that they were sent out for poaching. They 
 received me very cordially, and seemed particu- 
 larly anxious that their children should be brought 
 up morally and religiously. 
 
 Oct. 27 (Sunday). — Took the Morning Service 
 at Patterson's Plains. Congregation remarkably 
 attentive. Gave warning for the celebration of 
 the Holy Communion next Sunday. Head the 
 exhortation all through. I shall always do that; 
 for, like everything in our Prayer-book, it em- 
 bodies a marvellous amount of spiritual teaching 
 in a very few words. The cleverest divines of 
 the present day cannot come near a style, which 
 unites lucidity with terseness, and infuses im- 
 mense vigour of expression into the most rhyth- 
 mical periods. Took Afternoon Service at the
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 55 
 
 White Hills ; a better congregation than on last 
 Sunday, but affairs still flat. I do not wish 
 things to go on too swimmingly at first: the 
 stronger the plant is, the slower it grows. Spoke 
 to some young girls about the Confirmation, 
 which the Bishop intends to hold here shortly. 
 
 Oct. 28. — Held a churchwarden's meeting, at 
 which everything passed off satisfactorily. After- 
 wards rode in company with the Archdeacon to 
 Evandale, and was introduced to the good-natured 
 pastor thereof. Evandale is a dull country town, 
 with a church, one or two chapels, and plenty of 
 public-houses. Went on to Longford to sleep. 
 The roads I find very good; but the absence of 
 hedge-rows, and the want of green fields and 
 green trees, render travelling much less pleasant 
 than in England. The land is inclosed by a 
 strong fence of posts and rails, which have more 
 utility than grace. 
 
 Oct. 29. — A scorching sun and wind, dispen- 
 sing rheumatism to the rheumatic. There is, 
 if I may so express myself, a want of solidity in 
 the atmosphere here, which irritates the nerves. 
 When one breathes, one fills the lungs with a 
 cold, dry air, which keeps life going, and that is 
 all. One feels no satisfaction in a gulp of air. 
 After breakfast, the Archdeacon drove me to 
 Christ Church College, which the Bishop, after 
 great difficulties, has founded and raised to its
 
 00 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 present admirable state. It is intended to be a 
 place of education for youths whose parents may 
 wish them brought up on strict Church-of-Eng- 
 land principles. Here an excellent education, 
 on the model of the home Universities, together 
 with board, and two excellent rooms, is given for 
 the trifling sum of 35/. per annum. The warden 
 is a graduate of Christ Church, Oxford. He is, 
 
 1 believe, clever, and does everything he can to 
 win the confidence of the pupils and forward the 
 interests of the institution. 
 
 Oct. 31. — Called on three respectable women, 
 sisters-in-law, whose husbands have gone to Cali- 
 fornia in search of gold. The young men have 
 written to say that the climate of San Francisco 
 is execrable; that a thick, damp fog, enwraps 
 the city at sun-down, and remains till about 
 eight or nine the next morning; that it then 
 suddenly clears away, and is succeeded by a 
 burning sun and cloudless sky, which lasts till 
 evening. Thus people get severe colds. Hear 
 that this country of Tasmania abounds with very 
 venomous snakes — such as the black snake and 
 the diamond snake — whose bite, unless the part 
 bitten be instantly cauterised, will cause certain, 
 speedy death. 
 
 Nov. 3 (Sunday). — A tremendous, un warming 
 sun, scorching the skin, and yet leaving a chilly 
 feeling. Administered the Holy Communion to
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 57 
 
 ten persons. The communion plate is very 
 handsome : it was presented to the church by a 
 wealthy neighbouring clergyman, a Tasmanian, 
 who was educated at Cambridge. Hear that 
 there is to be a meeting at White Hills to- 
 morrow, about church matters. This shows a 
 
 little awakening. Called on old Dr. A , who 
 
 talked his insane rant about wind-steeds and 
 cloud-chaos, like a Shelley run mad, but he was 
 adroit enough to slip out of any religious con- 
 versation ; so I must have patience. My mere 
 presence, sitting by his side, may be of some 
 service to him. 
 
 Nov. 4. — As I was riding through Launceston 
 I saw a gang of convicts clad in a hideous yellow- 
 dress, dragging an enormous road-roller after 
 them. Their very forbidding look was, I believe, 
 mainly owing to their dress, particularly their 
 cap, and the way they wear it. The convicts, 
 after being subjected for a certain period, which 
 varies according to their behaviour, to prison dis- 
 cipline, are released with a ticket-of-leave, and 
 allowed to earn their bread at large within the 
 island, until their term of transportation be 
 expired. When that comes about, they consider 
 themselves quits with society, and they ostenta- 
 tiously assert it. These ticket-of-leave men are 
 spread over the island, some in service, and some 
 practising trades. My servant has a ticket. He
 
 58 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 has no peculiarities, except that he is dirty, and 
 that on Sunday, when he lays the dinner-table, 
 he crosses my knife and fork. He says he was 
 sent out for poaching, but I believe he got into 
 trouble for something very much worse than that. 
 We are all quite safe in the hands of those 
 persons; but I fear that the neighbourhood of 
 so much crime has a bad effect on the moral 
 atmosphere around. In old times a different 
 system was pursued. As soon as the convicts 
 arrived they were let out to masters for a certain 
 term, who treated them like slaves, got as much 
 work out of them as they possibly could, and 
 sometimes treated them with great severity. For 
 a very little fault they were flogged. I hear that 
 when a master was dissatisfied with a servant, it 
 was not uncommon to send him to the nearest 
 Police Magistrate with a turkey, and a note to 
 
 the following effect : " Mr. presents his 
 
 compliments to Mr. and begs him to accept 
 
 the accompanying turkey. He will thank him 
 to give the bearer three dozen for misbehaviour 
 and send him back as soon as possible." This 
 harsh discipline, however, produced capital serv- 
 ants, who could turn their hands to anything, and 
 who when their time was up would settle down 
 and make steady fathers of families, capable of 
 being depended on in everything except absti- 
 nence from drink. Now, things are altered.
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 59 
 
 Those who come out are better educated, and are 
 good for nothing as far as general usefulness is 
 concerned. They are wonderful talkers, hate 
 hard work, can quote Scripture enough to dazzle 
 the clergyman, are clever at forgery and petty 
 larceny, are sober rather than otherwise, have no 
 sense of honour or gratitude, are wonderfully 
 plausible and soft in their manners, and corrupt 
 everything about them. The rough, old, brutal 
 convict, who was a very good fellow in his way, 
 is fast disappearing, having amalgamated with 
 surrounding society : the new style of people still 
 remain, serving their masters as ill as they can, 
 having no triangles and a three-dozen in the per- 
 spective. But the style of convicts most univer- 
 sally disliked by the gentry, and thoroughly hated 
 by the other prisoners, are those from Penton- 
 ville, called Penton -Villains. They are an exag- 
 geration of all the bad qualities I have just 
 enumerated. Most abominable hypocrites, one 
 is never sure of them. The other day I heard of 
 one who, if I recollect right, was landed at Mel- 
 bourne with his ticket of leave. I think that 
 some were foisted off on the unwilling colonists 
 there. However that may be, this youth travelled 
 up northward, crossed the Murray, and sought 
 for employment of a publican in an out-of-the- 
 way part of the country, away to the westward, 
 towards the Adelaide side. As there is a great
 
 60 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 prejudice against Penton -Villains everywhere, the 
 landlord at first refused to take him in, but as he 
 begged very hard, and wrote a beautiful hand, he 
 gave him employment as barman and keeper of 
 his accounts. For some time the youth served 
 his master exceedingly well, and was accordingly 
 treated with kindness and consideration. But 
 one day, the master hearing half-stifled cries pro- 
 ceeding from an outhouse near, found the servant 
 on the point of treating most infamously his 
 daughter, a pretty child, thirteen or fourteen 
 years old. The incensed father stripped him 
 naked, tied him to one of the posts of the veran- 
 dah, and flogged him till he fainted. He then 
 threw a bucket of water over him, to bring him 
 to his senses, and turned him out into the bush, 
 naked as he was. By the greatest good luck in 
 the world, he fell in with a tribe of blacks, who 
 fed him and gave him some skins to cover him. 
 With them he stayed some time, and then went 
 into service with a squatter, who ultimately 
 placed every confidence in him, and made him 
 storekeeper. I Jim he defrauded to a great 
 amount, and escaped to Sydney with three valu- 
 able horses which he had stolen. He sold these 
 horses, and went into the far bush, where, report 
 says, he is slill following the calling of horse- 
 stealing and horse-dealing. And he gets off with 
 impunity, for to follow a fraudulent person three
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 61 
 
 or four hundred miles in a country like Australia, 
 to prosecute him for the sake of a hundred 
 pounds, would be most prejudicial to one's in- 
 terests. Whilst on the subject of convicts I must 
 
 narrate what I have heard of *, said to be 
 
 the original of the character of Gabriel Varney, 
 the hero of the most disagreeable of Bulwer's 
 novels, "Lucretia, or the Children of the Night." 
 This wicked man, although he was very strongly 
 suspected of having poisoned several people, could 
 only be convicted of forgery, and he was sentenced 
 to be transported for life. He was landed with 
 other convicts at Hobarton, and in process of 
 time was allowed to leave the prison on ticket of 
 leave, and then followed the profession of portrait 
 painter. As he was very clever at this art, he was 
 much patronised by the first people in Hobarton 
 and the neighbourhood, and gained a very good 
 livelihood. He had long black hair, and piercing 
 dark eyes, and thin bloodless lips, and a hooked 
 nose, and his reputation was so bad, and 
 his manners so mysterious, that people were 
 afraid of him, although his behaviour out here 
 was apparently void of blame. After dinner he 
 would send for his landlady's little girl to give 
 her bonbons, and the poor woman was quite per- 
 turbed at letting her go to him, being divided 
 
 * By some accident I have lost the name, which I have 
 often heard mentioned.
 
 62 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 between fear of offending an excellent lodger, and 
 of having her child poisoned off, by way of expe- 
 riment, with some subtle poison. I heard a story 
 told of this man (it was told me by a clergyman), so 
 incredible for depravity that I cannot guarantee its 
 truth. As he was a clever surgeon and knew a 
 good deal about anatomy, he was employed, dur- 
 ing some part of his career — either as amateur or 
 paid servant, I do not know which — in the capa- 
 city of dresser in the prisoners' hospital at Hobar- 
 ton. Now in this hospital there lay a man on 
 his death-bed, who had incurred the hatred of 
 . When this poor fellow was in his death- 
 agony, having all his senses about him, that 
 wicked man glided up to his bedside, bent over 
 him and whispered, but not so low that he could 
 not be heard by the inmate of the neighbouring 
 bed, " I wish to say something to you before you 
 die." " What is it?" said the poor wretch. " In 
 five minutes your soul will be in hell flames, and 
 before the day is over I shall have my dissecting 
 knife in your body." And the poor creature 
 breathed his last sigh, staring with fright at the 
 glittering eye and satanic smile bent upon him. 
 I can hardly think that this story will bear sift- 
 ing; but yet I heard it from a good source. 
 This person died suddenly, not without strong 
 suspicions of having poisoned himself. 
 
 Nov. 7. — A small proprietor in the White
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 63 
 
 Hills district generously offered me a commu- 
 nion-table and a cloth for St. Paul's ; also a chair 
 for the vestry ; also one pound towards the liquid- 
 ation of the debt. Gladly accepted it all. Pre- 
 pared a young married and a young unmarried 
 woman for confirmation. Hear that towards Port 
 Sorell there are gigantic nettles, which will sting 
 a horse to death in a quarter of an hour, causing 
 lumps as big as one's fist, wherever they touch. 
 Heard of two cases in which horses, out hunting, 
 had leaped into them, and actually shrieked with 
 pain. One of these died directly; the other re- 
 covered by being bathed with very hot water for 
 several hours. 
 
 Nov. 8. — Received a memorial from the 
 White Hills people, claiming to have the Sunday 
 Morning Service alternated there with Patterson's 
 Plains. This is very satisfactory, for it shows 
 that a hitherto neglected district is beginning to 
 take an interest in church matters. Some one 
 told me that he had this morning put a large 
 scorpion into a nest of black ants as big as cock- 
 roaches. They soon killed him. These ants are 
 very venomous ; but not so venomous as an ant 
 which I saw yesterday, of the tint of a blue-bottle 
 fly. A bite from one of these, causes intense 
 agony for the moment, acting sharply on the 
 nervous system. 
 
 Nov. 10 (Sunday).^ At White Hills, before the
 
 64 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 sermon, I read an answer to the memorial in 
 regard to alternation of services according to the 
 request. I then passed it to the clerk, that it 
 might be read at leisure by the parishioners. 
 
 Nov. 14. — Called on some of my people in 
 the White Hills district. They are very civil, 
 and will do everything to please me. They have 
 filled up an ugly trench in the churchyard, and 
 rooted up the wattles. One of them told me 
 that he had this morning killed in the road a 
 diamond snake, five feet long. If people are 
 bitten by these reptiles when out shooting, their 
 best plan, if they wish to live, is to boldly cut out 
 the part bitten, fill the wound with gunpowder, 
 and then fire it. But no time should be lost. In 
 the evening I had a live centipede brought me 
 to look at. It was about four inches long, of a 
 light blue colour, with red legs. The bite of these 
 disgusting creatures is more venomous than the 
 sting of a scorpion. Hear that the male platypus 
 has spurs on the hind limbs, which, at certain 
 seasons, are venomous. A few days ago, a man 
 having wounded one, took the struggling creature 
 in his arms. It spurred out and scratched his 
 arm, and almost directly he became black in the 
 face and convulsed. Strong stimulants were 
 administered to him, and he recovered in about 
 two hours. These platypi abound in the rivers 
 in this district, and are often shot. My church-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 65 
 
 warden says that they are " oviviviparous." He 
 killed one last month with a very large quantity 
 of eggs in it. These creatures have many extra- 
 ordinary characteristics, which are not generally 
 known. 
 
 Nov. 19. — Had a Morning Service at St. Peter's, 
 Patterson's Plains, expressly to include, after the 
 second lesson, the baptism of a child of one of 
 my parishioners. To my surprise and pleasure, 
 although it was not a Feast day, thirty- five people 
 attended. The farther I proceed, the more do I 
 see grounds for encouragement. Afterwards I 
 was on horseback all day, visiting parts of my 
 immense district. One of the churchwardens 
 accompanied me, mounted on a Timor pony 
 of astonishing strength and endurance. These 
 creatures are about thirteen hands high, and have 
 an easy ambling pace of five to six miles an hour, 
 at which they will continue all day. Visited a 
 wretched family, occupying a small clearing in 
 the bush. The father was away ; the mother, an 
 unmarried woman, was in gaol for thieving. Two 
 children, one a dirty, stunted, half-naked little 
 girl, nine years old, and a baby, were the sole 
 occupants of the hovel. The girl was half-savage 
 in her ways, glaring about her like a tiger cat. 
 Of course she had never heard of God or Jesus 
 Christ. These people have a very bad character 
 among their neighbours.
 
 66 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 Nov. 26. — Was on horseback nearly the whole 
 day, visiting from house to house. Called at the 
 "White Hills school, and heard three children say 
 their Catechism. If we well consider the matter, 
 we cannot fail to see in the Anglican Catechism 
 a most admirable compendium of theology, 
 combining brevity and lucidity and catholic 
 orthodoxy. Not a phrase is there too much, not 
 a phrase is there that could be spared. Every 
 high Christian doctrine is set forth there, all 
 Christian practice is inculcated there. Thus the 
 child who has got it thoroughly by heart has 
 always, during his after life, with its cares, follies, 
 and labours, some religious recollection, some 
 spiritual fortress, some, if I may so say, " wan- 
 dering witchnote of a distant spell," on which he 
 may fall back and cling to. When young, we 
 learn it by rote, understanding comparatively 
 little of it ; we, in fact, swallow it without 
 mastication : as age creeps on, and we discover 
 that life is not perpetual sunshine, we bring up 
 from the depths of memory little detached 
 passages, to be meditated on at our leisure ; and 
 then, during this process of after-digestion, we 
 discover that, unknown to ourselves, we have 
 been the possessors of every word of a religious 
 creed, and of a code of morals which have been 
 appointed as our guide through life, even as the 
 pillar of fire acted as a night guide to the Israelites
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 67 
 
 in the desert of the Red Sea. I consider the 
 inculcation of this admirable embodiment of 
 Christian doctrine and practice in the youthful 
 minds of our children to be one of the chief causes 
 of that high sense of honour and morality which 
 certainly characterises the English to a greater 
 degree than other nations. Let the seed once be 
 sown and there it remains, ready for practical 
 development in after life, according as God in his 
 own good time shall see fit. Walked in my 
 churchwarden's garden. Saw a native myrtle. 
 Find that it is the custom here to grow thyme 
 borders to the beds instead of box. 
 
 Nov. 30. — Visited a wealthy clergyman at 
 Entally, in whose park a return cricket-match 
 has been played to-day between the students of 
 Ch. Ch. College and a Launceston eleven. The 
 finest park in the island belongs to a Mr. Cox of 
 Clarendon. It is spacious and well stocked with 
 deer. This gentleman is sufficiently wealthy to 
 drive four horses in his carriage. 
 
 Dec. 1 {First Sunday in Advent). — Was driven 
 to Morning Service at White Hills in a gig with 
 a vicious, lunging horse. Had a very satis- 
 factory congregation of forty-five. Some singers 
 from the neighbourhood having volunteered their 
 services I accepted them, although I have a great 
 dislike to these amateur perambulating performers, 
 who, in fact, by their bellowing destroy all
 
 68 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 congregational singing, and are very often im- 
 pertinent to boot. But White Hills affairs 
 being in rather a crude state, and there being 
 none of the congregation who could lead, I gave 
 them permission to perform, requesting them to 
 sing the Glorias and the Versicles between the 
 Commandments. They got on more subduedly 
 than I expected, except that they alleluiaed most 
 uproariously. So far so good. But whilst I was 
 taking the afternoon service at Patterson's Plains, 
 where ninety people of a more refined stamp than 
 the St. Paul's congregation were assembled, and 
 quiet congregational singing had been organised, 
 at this juncture, to my great dismay, in walked 
 my White Hills singers, who doubtless thought 
 to do me a great favour by coming. Now in 
 St. Peter's, at that moment, were a good sprinkling 
 of Wesleyaus belonging to the neighbouring 
 chapel, so that I had about me the elements of 
 very imposing melody. But I did not anticipate 
 what followed. After the third Collect, for Aid 
 against all Perils, I gave out a psalm that had 
 previously been agreed upon between myself and 
 my worthy churchwarden, who, with his family 
 of young ladies, had kindly taken in hand the 
 musical part of the Service. My good friend had 
 hardly sung five notes of a quiet church tune, 
 followed by the lady part of the congregation, 
 when the White Hills choir struck up a jaunting
 
 IN AUSTRALIA. AND TASMANIA. 69 
 
 Wesleyan air with tremendous power, in which, 
 of course, they were joined by the members 
 present of the chapel. The effect was electric, 
 for one half of the congregation were singing at 
 the top of their voice — and such a voice! — 
 against the other half, and all with the best 
 intentions in the world. The charivari was such 
 as to equal Rousseau's first debut as a maestro. 
 My little friend looked round on the rebellant 
 crew, with vexation depicted on his countenance. 
 He put me in mind of Hogarth's enraged 
 musician. Some of the people tittered, some 
 laughed outright, others looked disgusted, others 
 frightened; but the " cattivo coro," went on 
 sereuely singing all the same, thundering forth a 
 succession of alleluias at the end of each verse. 
 And we suffered, too, from treachery from within, 
 for the Wesleyans, who were sitting mixed up 
 with the regular attendants, ardently joined them. 
 Thus tranquil, easy-going orthodoxy, was strangled 
 by the zeal and noise of the heterodox, for the 
 opposition had it all their own way. Of course 
 the decorum of the rest of the service was broken 
 in upon : so, after all was over, I had these men 
 down to my house, gave them two bottles of wine, 
 thanked them for taking so long a walk for the 
 sake of assisting at the singing, and begged them 
 for the future to confine their talents to the 
 White Hills district, as the church was already
 
 70 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 provided for here. So I hope to be rid of them 
 in future. Probably all these men have been 
 prisoners. 
 
 Dec. 5. — Went in a carriage to Bishopsbourne, 
 passing by Entally. The road was excellent, as, 
 indeed, are all the roads. There was a com- 
 memoration at Christ Church College previous to 
 the vacation, and all the relations and friends of 
 the students were invited. The Warden made a 
 Latin oration, enumerating the occurrences of 
 the past year. Archdeacon Marriott spoke, — 
 and spoke well, too. Archdeacon Davies gave a 
 poor account of the finances. A very good feast 
 ended all. This college seems a most admirable 
 establishment, and well calculated to bring up a 
 young colonial gentleman to talk and think of 
 something else than "of bullocks." Yet it is 
 not as popular in the island as it deserves to be, 
 having incurred the opposition of a class of hard- 
 mouthed, influential individuals in Hobarton, 
 who do not assist the bishop in his designs as 
 much as he deserves. 
 
 Dec. 6. — Called on Mr. Rose, a Scotch gentle- 
 man, who is a great breeder of thorough-bred 
 horses. He showed me an English race-horse 
 called Jersey, which he had imported. 
 
 Dec. 9. — Had a meeting at the Patterson's 
 Plains school-room about a schoolmaster. Had 
 nine children guaranteed for one year. I am
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 71 
 
 obliged to make the parents sign a paper to that 
 effect, otherwise they would keep the children at 
 home on every little excuse, and the poor school- 
 master would be deprived of his miserable daily 
 pittance. I find, however, that ignorant parents 
 are sufficiently anxious that their children should 
 receive education, though they will not make 
 any sacrifices to obtain it for them. But there 
 is no doubt that it is the duty of a Government 
 to provide for the compulsory instruction of all 
 members of the commonwealth in the rudiments 
 of knowledge, such as reading, writing, and the 
 four rules of arithmetic. This foundation once 
 laid, the clever will, even in spite of all obstacles, 
 advance onwards in the path of knowledge. 
 
 Dec. 16. — Was introduced to Dr. Nixon, the 
 Bishop of Tasmania, who received me with great 
 goodnature, and talked much and well on many 
 subjects. Dr. Nixon is by no means an ordinary 
 character. Gifted with great impromptu elo- 
 quence, he is a sound divine, for he has published 
 a standard work on our Catechism, the best that 
 we have. He plays the organ admirably, and 
 can compose music. He is an excellent painter 
 in oils and water-colours, and sketches beau- 
 tifully. He is a good scholar, and is inde- 
 fatigable in his pastoral labours. Yet this 
 excellent prelate has very many enemies in his 
 diocese, of whom some, I am sorry to say, call
 
 72 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 themselves Church-people. He is a firm friend 
 to all his right-thinking clergy, and supports 
 them to the uttermost in carrying out that which 
 he conceives conducive to the interests of the 
 Church. 
 
 Dec. 18. — Was on horseback from nine until 
 seven, making a round of visits in my two 
 districts. Visited the White Hills school and 
 catechised the children. Heard a story of a 
 young lady of the north of the island, who not 
 long ago was married to a respectable farmer. 
 Her husband took her for a wedding-trip, and on 
 their return introduced her to her future home, 
 where was a table nicely laid for supper, and two 
 excellent mould-candles burning. She had no 
 sooner entered the room than she burst into 
 tears ; her husband, who was a very good fellow, 
 was alarmed at her hysterical sobbing, and 
 begged her to explain herself. At last, after 
 sedatives had been administered to her, she gave 
 vent to her agitated feelings, and pumping up 
 her words at intervals, said, " I didn't think, when 
 I left a comfortable home and took you for my 
 husband, that I had married into mutton fats/' 
 The fact was that the young lady, who probably 
 was the daughter of a convict, was chagrined at 
 finding mould candles, instead of wax or sperm, 
 on the table. 
 
 Dec. 19. — The usual weather — a scorching
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 73 
 
 sun and a withering wind. Went to a Clergy 
 meeting at Longford, at which the Bishop pre- 
 sided. Prayers were read in the church at eleven, 
 and then we retired to the vestry, where his 
 lordship gave us a very interesting address con- 
 cerning the doings of the six bishops at Sydney, 
 whence he is just returned. These six bishops 
 were the Bishops of Sydney, of Newcastle, of 
 Melbourne, of Adelaide, of Tasmania, and of 
 New Zealand. The Bishop of Sydney presided 
 as Metropolitan (by courtesy). During their 
 various meetings they cordially, and with the 
 greatest harmony, interchanged their experiences 
 as chief pastors of dioceses remote one from 
 another, and there is no doubt that the Colonial 
 Church will benefit greatly thereby. They were 
 all unanimous, with the exception of Dr. Perry, 
 the Bishop of Melbourne, on the doctrine of 
 regeneration by baptism. That prelate, in the 
 minutes of the Sydney Conference, protested 
 against their views of the question, although 
 towards the end of his rather long protest he 
 states that it is more charitable to suppose that 
 children are made regenerate by baptism, or 
 words to that effect. 
 
 Dec. 20. — Distributed prizes to the children 
 of the White Hills school. 
 
 Dec. 22. — Held Matin-Service at White Hills; 
 Even-Song at Patterson's Plains. It being Christ-
 
 74 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 mas time, the people are beginning to get drunk, 
 and very drunk too. Only twenty assisted at 
 the Morning Service, and I could not have 
 singing, because my choir-leader had been sent 
 to the treadmill for two months. The clerk, 
 too, if he was not tipsy, resembled a tipsy man 
 very much. He made the responses with a most 
 startling fervour. 
 
 Dec. 25 (Christmas Day). — Rose at five, and 
 went into the garden to cull roses and lilies for 
 the altar at St. Peter's : " Manibus date lilia 
 plenis" Made up three beautiful bouquets. I 
 had Morning Service at St. Paul's, White Hills, 
 at ten, a.m. My schoolmaster, who acts as clerk, 
 came to church so drunk that I was obliged to 
 turn him out. He had this time advanced be- 
 yond fervour, and got into the realms of inarti- 
 culation and partial inanition. Thirty attended, 
 of which a great portion were orderly and well- 
 behaved children ; and in the afternoon, at Pat- 
 terson's Plains, thirty-seven were present. Christ- 
 inas time is quite a saturnalia here, and drunken- 
 ness abounds. 
 
 Dec. 27. — Presided at a meeting for choosing 
 churchwardens. Began it with prayer, and closed 
 it with the blessing. Three churchwardens were 
 chosen, and three trustees, — all people of great 
 respectability. There arc nine more seats taken 
 than last year.
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 75 
 
 Dec. 29 (Sunday). — Opened the Sunday-school. 
 About twenty children came, and two or three 
 families of young ladies from the neighbourhood 
 came as teachers. My White Hills clerk never 
 came to the service ] he is still drunk, I fear. 
 
 Dec. 31. — Hot and cold together — weather 
 that stirs all rheumatism to the depths. Pre- 
 sided at a churchwardens' meeting in the White 
 Hills district. Had a very satisfactory attend- 
 ance of neighbouring farmers, who seem now to 
 take a great interest in Church matters in this 
 hitherto neglected locality. Let nine seats, at 
 the rate of 3s. a sitting. Many people paid 
 up their arrears, so that the church received 
 71. 5s. in cash, and 4/. Is. in I. 0. UVs. Three 
 substantial landowners were chosen wardens, and 
 three others trustees. All these officers have 
 been hitherto quasi in abeyance. Now all is re- 
 organised ; the church debt is in a fair way of 
 getting paid, and people are in great good- 
 humour. This is a cause of great thankfulness 
 to me, because I had been led to apprehend that 
 I should meet with nothing but dogged oppo- 
 sition in this district. I have found that quarrels 
 between clergy and laity often take their rise 
 from some little want of straightforwardness, 
 often unintentional on the part of the former, 
 and that if a clergyman behaves to his flock with 
 thorough single-miudedness, he can have his
 
 76 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 own way with them. The harmony with which 
 we all parted is an excellent closing scene of this 
 year, and makes a good augury for the next. 
 
 Jan. 5, 1851. — At Patterson's Plains Church 
 I preached a sermon on the subject of Circum- 
 cision being the type of Baptism. Some of the 
 people affixed their names to a petition for con- 
 secration of the churchyard, which has hitherto 
 been delayed, chiefly for want of a resident 
 minister. 
 
 Jan. 6. — To-day was appointed for the Con- 
 firmation, and Consecration of the Churchyard. 
 The Bishop, the Archdeacon of Launceston, and 
 one or two of the neighbouring clergy, breakfasted 
 with me. At eleven o'clock Divine Service began, 
 the church being crowded. I read the prayers ; 
 the chief clergyman of Launceston, the Lessons 
 and Epistle. After the Nicene Creed, the con- 
 firmation began, and was conducted in a most 
 impressive manner by the Bishop. The candi- 
 dates numbered thirteen, two males and eleven 
 females, and were of the respective ages of 21, 19, 
 16, 14, 18, 17, 21, 16, 14, 13 and 9 months, 20, 
 19, 19. These young people, children of neigh- 
 bouring gentry and farmers, behaved most be- 
 comingly, as if fully impressed with the quasi- 
 sacramental nature of the rite of Confirmation, 
 that coping-stone of the edifice of Baptism. The 
 girls all wore white dresses, and most of them
 
 IX AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 77 
 
 long white veils. The Bishop gave two most elo- 
 quent extempore addresses, one immediately be- 
 fore the Confirmation, the other immediately after 
 it. These addresses, dwelling forcibly on Baptism 
 and its pendent, Confirmation, seemed to make 
 a very serious impression on the congregation, 
 The offertory amounted to 6/. 4s. Afterwards the 
 Bishop consecrated the churchyard. Thus every- 
 thing passed off most satisfactorily. All was a 
 reproduction of the old country. 
 
 Jan. 9. — On horseback nearly ten hours, mak- 
 ing visits in the White Hills district. 
 
 Jan. 12 (Sunday). — Had Morning Service at 
 Patterson's Plains, and commenced the bi-monthly 
 offertory. The collection was 8s. l\d. Was at 
 the Sunday-school an hour previously. At the 
 White Hills Evening Service I had a good con- 
 gregation of fifty-five persons. Examined the 
 children there in their Catechism. 
 
 Jan. 14. — The gaol-chaplain in Launceston 
 took me to the gaol, where he is preparing for 
 eternity three poor fellows who are condemned to 
 be hung for deeds of violence and robbery. One 
 killed his rival in a fit of jealousy. The others, I 
 think, were highway-robbers. They seemed very 
 penitent. 
 
 Jan. 18. — Rode about twenty miles, and 
 called on fourteen people, all farmers. People 
 like very much to be called on by their clergy-
 
 78 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 man. Whether it is that they are anxious to im- 
 bibe religious knowledge from his mouth, or 
 whether they take it as a personal compliment, 
 certain it is that a clergyman can make more way 
 with his people by house-to-house visitation than 
 by pulpit eloquence. 
 
 Jan. 22. — Just after I had risen in the morn- 
 ing I felt something cold crawling rapidly up 
 my foot. I stamped, and the thing fell off. 
 Turned quickly round and saw a centipede, 
 two and a half inches long, running away at a 
 great pace. 
 
 Jan. 25 (Saturday : Conversion of St. Paul). — 
 Had Morning Prayers and gave a short sermon 
 at Patterson's Plains. Two neighbouring families 
 attended. 
 
 Jan. 28. — Visited some of my people at the 
 further extremity of the White Hills district, quite 
 in the bush. Found a great many children, dirty, 
 untidy, ignorant, and healthy. They had all been 
 baptized. Rode for about ten miles through forest 
 land. Discarding the track, we rode by the sun. 
 The leaves of the gigantic trees overhead sighed, 
 stirred by the soft wind. These trees seemed con- 
 versing together in fitful whispers. Many of their 
 brothers had fallen, blasted by thunderbolts, and 
 impeded our way. Their withered, leafless bran- 
 ches could not join in the conversation. In the 
 midst of the forest a strange incident occurred.
 
 IN AUSTRALIA. AND TASMANIA. 79 
 
 A black snake, ten feet long, disturbed by our 
 approach, undulated gracefully towards some long 
 grass near. Now it happened that my companion, 
 a young Tasmanian gentleman, was one of the 
 most modest, taciturn people I had ever met. But 
 when he saw the great reptile gliding off to his 
 hole, his nostrils dilated, his eyes glared, the veins 
 of his forehead stood out, and his whole nature 
 seemed changed. " Hold my horse, sir ! hold my 
 horse V he cried with a voice, half frantic, half 
 dictatorial; "let me kill the beast. " So saying he 
 jumped off, and followed the snake. And then it 
 was curious to see his immense excitement and 
 his evident fear, and in spite of that, the fascina- 
 tion, which drew him on to the creature's cover. 
 For a considerable time he showered great sticks 
 and stones at the serpent, one of which lighting 
 on his head, killed him. And then there were 
 great exclamations of triumph. But I was not 
 allowed to approach till the beast's head was 
 smashed into an undistinguishable mass. Having 
 contemplated the object of his victory for some 
 time in utter silence, the placidity and taciturnity 
 of my companion returned; he mounted his horse 
 and resumed his journey, silent as before. The 
 fact is, that all the snakes in this country are 
 highly venomous, their bite quickly destroying 
 life, unless immediate aid be at hand; and there- 
 fore the people of the country, though very much
 
 80 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 afraid of them, think it their bounden duty and a 
 point of honour to kill them whenever they see 
 them. It is strange, that we are all so moved 
 with disgust at the sight of a serpent, whether it 
 be venomous or not ; for, indeed, a snake, glis- 
 tering with its many colours in the morning sun, 
 rolling along with head erect through the dew- 
 spangled grass, is a beautiful object. It must be 
 a traditional terror which we feel, I suppose, en- 
 grafted in us from the time when "the spirited 
 sly snake " worked our common mother's fall. 
 
 Jan. 30. — Bought sufficient red cloth of a 
 tradesman in Lauuceston for an altar-cloth. I 
 intend it for White Hills Church. 
 
 Feb. 6. — Rode into Launceston and back. The 
 heat was intense, and there was a fog in the after- 
 noon, like a London November fog. People left 
 off work two hours before their time, thinking it 
 was sun-down. 
 
 Feb. 9 (Sunday). — Administered the Sacrament 
 at St. Peter's to twelve communicants. Used a 
 new white cloth, which has had a beautiful fringe 
 crochctted for it by the ladies of the district. Took 
 the new crimson altar-cloth to the White Hills 
 Church. The people were much pleased with it. 
 They had never seen one before. 
 
 Feb. 12. — To-day took place a great cricket- 
 match between the gentlemen of Port Phillip and 
 those of Tasmania. The Port Phillipians have
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 81 
 
 come over expressly, and are of course treated 
 by the Van Diemonians with great consideration 
 and hospitality. The islanders beat those of the 
 continent, with three wickets to go down. 
 
 Feb. 17. — The Victoria cricketers left the 
 Launceston wharf in the " Shamrock " steamer, 
 amid much shouting and noisy adieux. 
 
 Feb. 20. — One of my people, a respectable 
 small farmer and father of a family, met me on 
 the road, grasped my mare's bridle, and fran- 
 tically waved a letter before my face. It was a 
 dirty valentine, containing an ugly caricature, 
 which he had received by the post. He suspected 
 that certain relations, thoughtless young girls, 
 had sent it him. Hinc furor. I promised him I 
 would use my influence that the insult should 
 not be repeated. I could hardly help laughing 
 when I saw it first. If I had laughed, it is 
 probable that the Wesleyans would have gained 
 a very decent family. 
 
 Feb. 21. — Fished all the morning, and caught 
 one (so-called) herring, and three dozen (so- 
 called) trout. The fish here are soft, and require 
 soaking a night in salt and water, or water with 
 vinegar, previous to cooking. Dreadful details 
 are reaching us of the great bush fires which 
 took place at Port Phillip on the 6th of this 
 month. It was the smoke which caused the 
 thickness of atmosphere here on that day, 
 
 G
 
 82 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 although the seat of the fire was 150 miles away, 
 and Basses Straits lay between. This great fire, 
 caused by the imprudence or carelessness of some 
 camping bullock-drivers, devastated, with the 
 rapidity of lightning, a great part of the western 
 portion of the province of Port Phillip. It ran 
 along the dry grass of the plains with incredible 
 swiftness, destroying the stock. When it reached 
 a forest, the fiery hurricane leaped from tree top 
 to tree top faster than the speed of a galloping 
 horse, forming a terrible roof for the affrighted 
 traveller, whilst slower fires burned downwards, 
 and completed the devastation of the trees. The 
 occupants of sheep-stations and shepherds' huts 
 could only save themselves by precipitate flight, 
 leaving the folded sheep to their inevitable fate. 
 In one instance the devouring, insatiable element, 
 rushed on so fast, that the inhabitant of a cottage 
 had barely time to jump up to his neck in a 
 water-hole, whence he saw, without a possibility 
 of assisting them, his shrieking wife and six 
 children consumed. The loss of human life, of 
 sheep, of cattle, of houses, of pasture, has been 
 terrible, and many families have been reduced to 
 utter ruin. Already it would seem that the 
 appellation of " Black Thursday " has been 
 given to the Gth February, 1851, for it was on 
 that day that the fires raged with the greatest 
 fury.
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 83 
 
 Feb. 22. — Read the following " Pensees de 
 Pascal/' which seem to have a happy con- 
 nexion. 
 
 " II est dangereux de trop faire voir a l'homme 
 combien il est egal aux betes, sans lui montrer 
 sa grandeur. II est encore dangereux de lui 
 faire trop voir sa grandeur sans sa bassesse. II 
 est encore plus dangereux de lui laisser ignorer 
 Fun et l'autre. Mais il est tres avantageux de 
 lui representer Fun et l'autre." 
 
 Now he show's man's bassesse : — 
 
 " Voila notre etat veritable. C'est ce qui 
 resserre nos connaissances en de certaines bornes 
 que nous ne passons pas, incapables de savoir 
 tout, et d'ignorer tout absolument. Nous sommes 
 sur un milieu vaste, toujours incertains, et flot- 
 tants entre l'ignorance et la connaissance ; et, si 
 nous pensons aller plus avant, notre objet branle 
 et echappe a nos prises; il se derobe et fuit d'une 
 fuite eternelle : rien ne peut l'arreter. C'est 
 notre condition naturelle, et toutefois la plus 
 contraire a notre inclination. Nous brulons du 
 desir d'approfondir tout, et d'edifier une tour qui 
 s'eleve jusqu'a Pinfini. Mais tout notre edifice 
 craque, et la terre s'ouvre jusqu'aux abimes." 
 
 Sad enough. Now for the more exalted side, 
 the grandeur' : — 
 
 " L'homme est si grand, que sa grandeur 
 parait meme en ce qu'il se connait miserable. Un
 
 84 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 arbre ne se connait pas miserable. II est vrai 
 que c'est etre miserable que de se connaitre 
 miserable; mais aussi c'est etre grand que de 
 connaitre qu'on est miserable. Ainsi toutes ces 
 miseres prouvent sa grandeur. Ce sont miseres 
 de grand seigneur, miseres d'un roi depossede." 
 
 Thus, then, does the great writer first lay 
 before us our bassesse, and then our grandeur. 
 
 March 2 (Sunday). — Service at White Hills 
 Church in the morning. Some incendiary has 
 burnt 300 bushels of wheat and 19 tons of hay 
 in the close vicinity of the church. A great 
 many Methodists assisted at the Evening Service 
 at Patterson's Plains. 
 
 March 5 (Ash- Wednesday). — Rode to White 
 Hills and read the Commination Service to nine 
 children and four adults. A gentleman, a squat- 
 ter of the Edward River district, in the province 
 of New South Wales, called upon me, and of 
 himself, and in the name of his neighbours, 
 begged me to act as chaplain to the sparse and 
 isolated white population of those remote parts. 
 He candidly told me that the country was not 
 very inviting, being subject to great heats in 
 summer and heavy rains in winter; but that the 
 people there, chiefly consisting of shepherds and 
 hut-keepers, were sadly in want of pastoral super- 
 intendence, which, until now, they had not been 
 able to obtain. No clergyman had as yet been
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 85 
 
 found, he said, to undertake the arduous charge. 
 I determined to go there, thinking that there is a 
 greater want of a clergyman in such a district 
 than in such a settled and orderly diocese as 
 Tasmania. 
 
 March 12. — Wished a great many of my 
 parishioners good-by. Had a fine stuffed male 
 platypus given me, which had been caught in a 
 river of my district. 
 
 March 16 (Sunday). — Read the Prayers at 
 Trinity Church, Launceston. The Bishop preached 
 a very excellent sermon on baptismal regene- 
 ration. In the evening the Bishop read Prayers, 
 and I preached. 
 
 March 17. — Breakfasted with the Bishop, at 
 the house of a mutual friend. Afterwards I 
 explained to his lordship that I was anxious to 
 enter upon a sphere of labour more arduous than 
 that of a parish in Tasmania ; that a gentleman 
 from the remote district of the Edward River had 
 entreated me to undertake a very difficult charge 
 in those regions, which no one else could be 
 found to undertake, and that I had decided to go 
 there, and do my best in a country which, in an 
 ecclesiastical sense, seemed as unpromising as any 
 I could weil have chosen. The Bishop expressed 
 his regrets for the decision I had made, and 
 wished me every success in my new undertaking. 
 Thus finished my interview with one of the most
 
 86 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 worthy and talented bishops which the Anglican 
 Church possesses. Afterwards I rode back into 
 the country, and took affectionate farewells of 
 several of my late parishioners. 
 
 March 18. — Left the Launceston Wharf in 
 the " Shamrock" steamer, and steamed down to 
 George Town at the mouth of the Tamar, where 
 we anchored for the night. 
 
 March 19. — All day at sea, but hugging the 
 land. We have between thirty and forty cuddy 
 passengers aboard, and one hundred and thirty 
 steerage. At sunset we arrived at Circular Head, 
 a promontory to the extreme north of Tasmania, 
 where we landed some of our passengers. 
 
 March 20. — All day at sea, traversing Bass's 
 Straits. At noon arrived in the soft, delicious 
 Australian atmosphere. At three we entered 
 Port Phillip Heads, and in the evening anchored 
 at Hobson's Bay, under a bright moon's rays. 
 
 March 21. — Weighed anchor early. Steamed 
 up the Yarra with its thousand smells, and at 
 seven debarked at the Melbourne Wharf. 
 
 April 4. — A gentleman here, who is an enthu- 
 siastic believer of all the marvels of animal mag- 
 netism, begged me to pass the evening with him, 
 that I might see a black from the Murray ex- 
 perimented on. This gentleman, I hear, con- 
 ceives that animal magnetism acts as a valuable 
 substitute for all revealed religion ; and that
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 87 
 
 Christ becomes a dead letter by the side of 
 Mesrner. The Murray boy when magnetised 
 went through a number of wonderful feats, which 
 could hardly have been the result of collusion 
 with my host, who is a man of character. For 
 instance, the operator drew an imaginary circle 
 round him, and he tried in vain to overstep it. 
 His limbs were rendered cataleptic, and were held 
 motionless for a longtime in strained and painful 
 positions. The science of phrenology was brought 
 into play, too. When his organ of combativeness 
 was touched, he wanted to fight everybody : the 
 operator's finger on the bump of benevolence 
 caused him, with the rapidity of lightning, to 
 commence divesting himself of his clothes to give 
 tbem away, which display was effectually stopped 
 by the finger being shifted to secretiveness or 
 acquisitiveness ; and so on. I could hardly doubt 
 that it was a bond fide transaction. In the per- 
 formance of the evening I saw nothing to con- 
 vince me that Christianity is in danger from 
 mesmerism, but I saw sufficient to convince me 
 that mesmerism is a science which might easily 
 perplex superficial and unstable minds. Mesrner, 
 I find, was born in 1734; in Vienna, it is be- 
 lieved. In 1766 he took his degree of Doctor 
 of Medicine in Vienna. The subject of his thesis 
 on that occasion was, " The influence of planets 
 on the human body." The conclusion he arrived
 
 88 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 at in this theme was, that as the planets act the 
 one on the other, as the sun and moon act on 
 our atmosphere and on our seas, so these great 
 bodies act on animated bodies, especially on the 
 nervous system, by means of a very subtle, all- 
 penetrating fluid. And also, that as under this 
 influence there exists in the sea the perpetual 
 operation of a flux and reflux, so also in animated 
 bodies there is a tension and relaxation, just like 
 the tides. This subtle fluid, the general agent in 
 these changes, resembles very much the magnet 
 in its properties ; consequently its name should 
 be Animal Magnetism. 
 
 April 13 {Sunday in Passion Week). — Heard a 
 very good sermon from the Bishop of Melbourne. 
 
 April 1 8 ( Good-Friday). — The terrible drought 
 still continues drying up all the feed for the stock. 
 In the neighbourhood of Melbourne, oxen are 
 dropping down in the yoke from starvation. 
 Witnessed a wonderfully beautiful sunset from 
 the Botanical Gardens. 
 
 Aprils. — Rode to St. Kilda, and then along 
 the beach to Brighton. The day was most trans- 
 lucent; the bay like a tranquil lake; and to the 
 westward, the mountain called Station Peak 
 stood out bold and sharp against the clear blue 
 sky. Saw the carcases of bullocks dead of star- 
 vation lying about ; and on the banks of the 
 Yarra there arc numberless carcases to be seen.
 
 TN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 89 
 
 Weak with hunger, the poor beasts stagger down 
 to the river to drink, get bogged in the mud, 
 are unable to disengage themselves, and so die 
 lingeringly. And very piteous it is to see them 
 thus dying by inches, all helpless and mute. 
 
 May 1. — Received a letter from the Bishop of 
 Sydney, licensing me to the Edward River dis- 
 trict. 
 
 May 15. — Started with my friends into the 
 interior, to take possession of my pastoral charge. 
 We lunched first, and did not get away till four 
 in the afternoon. I find it is the custom of the 
 settlers here, when undertaking a long journey, 
 to make a short spell on the evening of the first 
 day. Two of my companions drove a tandem ; 
 another and myself rode together on horseback, 
 each leading a horse. If a horse is well trained 
 to follow, this leading is pleasant enough, for 
 two horses travel together better than one, but 
 if a led horse jibs or shies, he makes himself very 
 troublesome and uncomfortable. After dark we 
 arrived at Keilor, where there is a good inn. 
 These country inns are becoming very valuable 
 property. Five days ago the inn at Seymour was 
 sold for 4900/. The quantity of spirits sold at 
 the bar is great, and an immense profit is made 
 somehow by that which is sold. 
 
 May 16. — Rode to Carlsruhe, a distance of 
 about forty miles, where we arrived nearly be-
 
 90 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 nighted, very tired, and very cold. The ride 
 through the Black Forest was wet and dreary. 
 
 May 17. — Rode through a fertile, undulating 
 country, for thirty miles, and slept at FarreFs 
 inn. 
 
 May 1 8. — Lunched at Mr. E 's station, and 
 
 by nightfall arrived, after a forty-mile ride, at an 
 excellent inn, called the Campaspie inn, kept by 
 a most respectable man of the name of Barrow. 
 On the table in the sitting-room were a quantity 
 of books, among which I noticed the " Penny 
 Magazine," some of Chambers' Works, and Bul- 
 vver's. A few yards from the doors were savages 
 sleeping around their watchfires. Strange mixture 
 of barbarism and civilisation ! 
 
 May 19. — Still continued our course north- 
 ward, over fertile plains devoted to sheep pas- 
 tures. Lunched at Mr. Sims's station, and ar- 
 rived at Hopwood's inn, on the Murray, at night- 
 fall, after a ride of thirty-five miles. Having 
 crossed the Murray, I am no longer in the Port 
 Phillip province, but in that of New South Wales, 
 the capital of which is Sydney. I now enter on 
 my clerical duties. 
 
 May 20. — Rested all day, and was hospitably 
 
 entertained by a Mr. S , who has a boiliog- 
 
 down establishment in the immediate neighbour- 
 hood. Baptized a child. Held Divine Service in 
 the wool-shed. Twenty persons attended, chiefly
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 91 
 
 people employed by Mr. S . Although it 
 
 was not Sunday, they dressed for the occasion, 
 and behaved most decorously, making the re- 
 sponses with an aptitude which would shame 
 the old " Parson-and-Clerk" system of some 
 churches in England. They are a very rough 
 lot though, induced by a restless spirit, or per- 
 haps something worse, to come into this remote 
 district. The inn where I slept is nothing but a 
 large weather-board hut, with three or four bed- 
 rooms and a sitting-room ; but it is clean and 
 comfortable, and has some entertaining books in 
 the sitting-room ; such as Bulwer's " Godolphin," 
 the u Penny Magazine/' Chambers, and Gifford's 
 translation of " Juvenal and Persius." It is 
 almost entirely supported by the bar business. 
 The Murray just here is about eighty or a hun- 
 dred yards across, running between high banks. 
 The depth is about fifteen to twenty-five feet. It 
 never dries up, like most of the Australian rivers, 
 but is navigable, save at certain periods of the 
 year, from Albury to the sea. Thus, to compare 
 very small things with very great, it may be 
 called the Mississippi of Australia. It must here- 
 after act a great part in developing the internal 
 resources of Australia. 
 
 May 21. — Although the days are very fine 
 the nights and eai'ly mornings are intensely cold, 
 so that we were not very much surprised at seeing
 
 92 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 the horses, which had been out in a paddock all 
 night, look very much tucked up. Started early, 
 and passed through a dismal tract of country, 
 consisting of ungrassy plains, lugubrious gum- 
 trees, and stunted bushes, called salt-bush. I 
 am told that these salt-bushes afford a most suc- 
 culent nourishment for the sheep, when there is 
 no grass. Lunched from provisions we had with 
 us around a fire which we made. We then left 
 the beaten track, and plunged into a forest of 
 thick brushwood, travelling by the sun. After a 
 long and weary ride in the dark, we arrived at 
 a Mr. C 's station. The horses, after travel- 
 ling thirty -six miles without baiting, were put 
 into a paddock with no grass in it. I under- 
 stand that, in this country, horses can travel very 
 far on very little nourishment. 
 
 May 22. — Baptized the female child of my 
 host, and travelled for sixteen miles through a 
 thickly -wooded country to a small hut, where 
 we slept on the floor. We should have had no- 
 thing for supper if we had not killed a poor old 
 hen, who was unconsciously roosting on the roof 
 of the hut. 
 
 May 23. — Started at daybreak, and travelled 
 till long after dark. A most uninteresting coun- 
 try, consisting of grassless plains, studded with 
 the withered-looking salt-bush, and bounded by 
 forests of the gum-tree, with its foliage of faded
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 93 
 
 green. Had no food at all till two in the after- 
 noon. Late in the evening arrived at a township 
 on the Edward River, called Moolamon, wearied 
 out, having ridden forty-six miles at least. This 
 locality, consisting of an inn, a store, a court- 
 house, and two sheep-stations, and a few other 
 miserable wooden huts, must be considered, I 
 suppose, the chief place of my district. 
 
 May 24. — Bi'eakfasted with an Australian 
 gentleman, a squatter here, and afterwards rode 
 for twenty-two miles along the banks of the 
 Edward River, until I came to a station called 
 Moolpar, which, for the present, I am to make 
 my head-quarters and home. I am very glad to 
 have done with travelling; for I am quite tired, 
 having, since the lcth of this month, ridden 280 
 miles. 
 
 May 25 (Sunday). — Before breakfast read one 
 of the admirable Family Prayers of Bishop Blom- 
 field. At eleven the servants of the home-station 
 were called in, and I read the Litany and 
 preached a sei-mon. All were very attentive. 
 Before going to bed I read the Evening Prayers, 
 and preached a second sermon. 
 
 May 26. — Strolled about the environs of the 
 station, and, by means of a small bit of tobacco, 
 made friends with an intelligent black fellow, 
 named Charley. Tried to get out of him some 
 definite information about a wonderful creature,
 
 94 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 much talked of here, called the bunyip. Some 
 say it is an amphibious animal, which makes its 
 home at the bottom of deep water-holes in the 
 beds of rivers, and which draws down blacks, 
 whilst bathing, to devour them ; sometimes even 
 pursuing them on the banks. Others assert that 
 it is a beast, like a small hippopotamus, which 
 lives among the reeds in the marshes by the side 
 of rivers, and which causes great harm and loss 
 to the indigenes, by sallying out at night and 
 destroying the apparatus for catching fish : others 
 declare that it is a gigantic, blood-thirsty otter, 
 that eats children when it can catch them. When 
 I asked Charley to portray me one on the dust 
 with the point of my stick, he drew a great bird. 
 I suspect that this creature does not exist now, 
 even if it has once existed. The savages, how- 
 ever, unanimously declare that some voracious 
 animal exists in or about their rivers, and they 
 have a great dread of it. It may be a tradition 
 that they have, just as we have of dragons. 
 
 May 27. — Took a survey of the sheep-station 
 where I live, and its position. It stands on the 
 north bank of the Edward River, which is an 
 offshoot of the Murray, on the verge of an exten- 
 sive plain, which reaches to the Murrumbidgce 
 River. Close by it is an extensive paddock, in 
 which are kept visitors' horses, and those horses 
 of the establishment which are required for im-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 95 
 
 mediate service. There is also a piece of land 
 laid down with oats, which, for the last three 
 years, have grown up very well, and just when 
 ready to be cut have been blasted by the furnace- 
 like north wind. The station itself is a large 
 cottage, partly constructed of weather-board and 
 partly of rough planks, fitting into grooves, top 
 and bottom, which are cut in the main timbers. 
 A large apartment, with an immense fire-hearth, 
 serves as the living-room, whilst around are con- 
 structed five or six little dens, which serve as 
 bedrooms. The out-buildings consist of a store 
 — where are kept the flour and other provisions 
 of the establishment — a stable and a dray-shed. 
 Farther off is a small paddock, called a stock- 
 yard, inclosed by a high, strong rail, into which 
 the horse and cattle stock are driven for inspection 
 or otherwise. The Edward River partakes of the 
 nature of most of the Australian streams. At 
 times it is full to overflowing; at times entirely 
 dried up; but contains, at intervals, deep ponds 
 or water-holes, of fresh, clear water, which seldom 
 or never dry up, and which alone render this 
 country habitable. It is now so empty of all 
 moisture, that I can hardly picture it to myself 
 as what it must be when the great rains com- 
 mence. Close to the head-station is a camp of 
 the natives, consisting of fifty or sixty men, 
 women, and children, and innumerable mongrel,
 
 96 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 mangy dogs. These poor people pick up what 
 they can get, and make themselves useful in 
 many ways. But they like their wild life, and 
 cannot be prevailed on to enter into regular 
 service. 
 
 June 1 {Sunday). — Rode into the township of 
 Moolamon to hold Divine Service. It is a dis- 
 tance of about twenty-two miles, and the road 
 lies through forest and plain, by river-side and 
 over sand-hill. These sand-hills are studded over 
 the vast plains of the district, and are thickly 
 planted with pine-trees, which at early morning 
 and at evening send forth a most grateful fra- 
 grancy. And most refreshing is it, after tra- 
 versing in the drought season dreary wastes, 
 barren of all verdure, to enter the domains of a 
 sand-hill, standing like an oasis in the desert, 
 with its green grass and its innumerable shade- 
 giving pines. How they came here no one seems 
 to know ; perhaps they were caused by the eddies 
 of a great flood, which might some time have 
 swept over the face of the country. When I 
 arrived at Moolamon I found a congregation 
 of about thirty people, chiefly women and chil- 
 dren, waiting for me in a log- building, called 
 the Court-House. After the second lesson I 
 baptized three children, to see which ceremony 
 numbers of blacks crowded the door. My chief 
 supporter here — an Australian gentleman — could
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. ( J7 
 
 not attend, being laid up by that curse of 
 Australia, ophthalmia, or sandy blight. His eyes 
 are bandaged over, and he is suffering excruci- 
 ating pain. Got back to my station by dusk. 
 
 Jane 3. — Tried to find out a neighbouring 
 station by compass, but could not. Experienced 
 bush men say that a compass rather perplexes 
 them than otherwise. They guide themselves in 
 day-time by the sun, and by the Southern Cross 
 at night. Was present at the slaughtering of 
 a beast for home consumption. A large lot of 
 cattle had been driven from the plains into the 
 stock-yard, and there the creatures were huddled, 
 all in confusion, and looking very wild, lowing, 
 butting one another, and making short runs, 
 trying to find a way of exit. The superintendent 
 came with a fowling-piece loaded with ball, picked 
 out a likely beast to kill, and aimed at the 
 centre of his forehead, wishing to kill him at one 
 shot ; but the creature would not stand steady, 
 and shifted his position continually : then he 
 picked out another, but neither would he stand 
 steady ; and then, tired of waiting, and out of 
 temper, he aimed at a steady old cow, great with 
 calf, and shot her dead. In a moment the rails 
 of the entrance to the stock-yard were thrown 
 on the ground, and all the herd rushed furiously 
 out, and galloped towards the plains, — all save the 
 defunct animal, which lay dead. Her throat was 
 
 ii
 
 98 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 then cut, and she was hoisted up with tackling, 
 and skinned and quartered in an incredibly short 
 space of time. Then the blacks, with great glee, 
 gathered round, and carried off the head, the 
 feet, the heart, liver, &c, in immense triumph to 
 their camp ; and, joy of joys to them, the calf 
 was nearly full-grown, and its poor little carcase 
 was trailed along the ground, followed by an 
 infinity of dogs, all licking it. Although it has 
 been said that we are all of us at heart only 
 savages dressed up, I must confess that this was 
 a sufficiently disagreeable sight to me, and I 
 never wish to witness the slaughtering of a beast 
 again. 
 
 June 4. — On horseback from eleven until six, 
 visiting the out-stations. These stations are in- 
 habited by two men, — the one, a shepherd, who 
 takes care of the sheep by clay ; the other, a hut- 
 keeper, who cooks for his mate, and is responsible 
 for the sheep by night. The hut is rudely built 
 of logs or planks, has a large chimney also of 
 wood, and contains two stretchers and a few 
 utensils. At the fire is a pannikin of tea always 
 to be found. Far away in the plains, at a dis- 
 tance of perhaps twenty miles from the head- 
 station, do these poor exiles stupidly vegetate, 
 tending stupid sheep, for sheep are the most 
 stupid of animals. Now and then some blacks 
 puss by. Once a- week they get their rations from
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 99 
 
 the head-station. At times the superintendent 
 rides over to see how the stock is getting on. 
 With these exceptions, their life floats by them 
 like a lazy dream. The sheep here run in flocks 
 of from 1500 to 3000, and if the shepherd is worth 
 anything, he ought to keep them moving gently, 
 so to eat clown the run fairly. But very often 
 it happens that he goes to sleep, or leaves them, 
 whilst he idles at the hut, and so the sheep loiter, 
 and do not get well pastured, for a sheep is a most 
 uninstinctive beast, and must not be left to itself : 
 it is, as a young shepherd once remarked to me, 
 " the most spooney of animals, I assui-e you, 
 sir." The shepherds about here are many of 
 them old convicts from the Sydney side, many 
 of them fugitives from the sea-board for some 
 crime, but nearly all of them have brought on a 
 premature old age from early excesses, and are 
 suffering from various chronic diseases. One of 
 the men whom I visited to-day is, I am assured, 
 so accustomed to take corrosive sublimate, that 
 he will lick it up from the palm of his hand : his 
 name is Mulligan, and he is an excellent shep- 
 herd. At the end of their year's engagement 
 they go to the home -station to get their wages, 
 which amount to between 18/. and 25/. Then 
 comes a fierce change, from fasting in the desert 
 for a year on salted meat and tea and un- 
 leavened bread. They take their wages to the
 
 100 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 nearest public-house, and begin eating and drink- 
 ing furiously. I have heard of a man eating two 
 bottles of pickles without stirring from the spot. 
 And as to drinking, it is really frightful. They 
 will drink all sorts of liquors till they get 
 delirium tremens, whilst the whole vicinity of the 
 public-house resounds with drunken impreca 
 tions. By and by they awake from the sick 
 lethargy into which they have fallen, and find 
 that all their earnings have melted away in ale 
 and porter, wine and rum. They then sadly and 
 slowly wend their way to their solitary hut in the 
 plains, to resume for another year their deaden- 
 ing life of petrifaction. I believe that all the 
 liquors sold at the " publics " are terribly adul- 
 terated, the rum with tobacco especially ; and it 
 is this adulteration which induces delirium tre- 
 mens. To-day I have seen seven or eight shep- 
 herds and hut -keepers, of whom two are old " lags" 
 (so convicts are called), and two from Pentonville, 
 or as they arc called here, " Penton-Villains." 
 They were all very civil and teachable. I tried 
 to impress on them that I took a personal interest 
 in their welfare, and that they might look upon 
 me not so much in the light of a paid Minister 
 as of a personal friend. There is no feeling so 
 demoralising to a man as that of being alienated 
 from all surrounding human sympathies. Such a 
 Jceling with some produces recklessness {iucuria),
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 101 
 
 with others despair. The former, among the 
 lower classes, sometimes leads to terrible results. 
 Their hand is against every man. If a clergyman 
 would bear in mind that great truth propounded 
 by Rochefoucault, that self-love is the spring 
 of all men's actions and determinations, he would 
 make personal appeals to his flock in private, 
 rather than appeal to them in the mass from his 
 pulpit ; for there is nothing that we like so much 
 as being taken notice of by our superiors : it 
 touches our self-love. That which I endeavoured 
 chiefly to persuade these poor men was, that they 
 should not spend their wages in those horrible 
 drinking-bouts, but save them until they could 
 get sufficient to establish themselves in some 
 more lucrative mode of life ; but they answered, 
 " Ah, sir, if you lived here by yourself a whole 
 twelvemonth, with nothing but salt rations and 
 that raking green tea, you would like a change 
 sometimes." And I can believe them, for my 
 food is coarse enough, and I have nothing to 
 drink but coarse green tea, tasting strongly of 
 copper, mixed with coarse brown-black sugar, 
 flavoured with the perambulations of large, strong- 
 smelling, red ants. This tea, which for the most 
 part is drunk without milk, owing to their indo- 
 lence in not breaking in cows for milking, costs 
 only Is. a pound in Melbourne, and is as near 
 poison as can be : the sugar alone renders it
 
 102 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 endurable. As for eating, I have salt beef, fatless 
 (for they always slaughter the poorest beasts for 
 home consumption), hot for dinner and cold for 
 breakfast. Vegetables are rarely seen in these 
 quarters, and the bread is of coarse flour, and 
 unleavened. I rejoined, that this miserable fare 
 was the very reason why they should get into 
 another mode of life as soon as they could save 
 a little money, and entreated them to consider 
 their responsibilities as Christian men. I told 
 them that their master took as much interest 
 in their spiritual welfare as I did, and that he 
 would willingly keep their money for them. I 
 gave them some books to read, and so went my 
 way, they thanking me very cordially, I said 
 very little to them on religious matters, this 
 being my first interview with them, for there 
 is nothing that the lower orders of English 
 dislike so much as having, as they term it, re- 
 ligion thrust down their throats by a person who 
 is strange to them. Let us, clergymen, show our 
 people that we have their welfare at heart, and 
 they will submit to as much exhortation and 
 reproof as we like to give them. Rode through 
 a forest of short trees, consisting of innumerable 
 stripling trunks springing from one root. This 
 is called Malice scrub, or Eucalyptus Dumosa, 
 and is almost impenetrable to man and horse. 
 1'iisscd over vast grassless plains, of a light clayey
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 103 
 
 soil, thickly variegated by sickly-looking prickly 
 brush. In the distance I saw careering a mob of 
 five emu, with the speed of a race-horse. The 
 grass not having sprung up yet, the whole 
 country has a most miserable aspect; but yet 
 the sheep are looking admirably, owing to the 
 succulent verdure of the salt-bush which grows 
 on the plains. It is this shrub which makes this 
 hot district, which is called the India of Australia, 
 so valuable. The saline succulence of the salt- 
 bush is meat and drink to the sheep during the 
 greatest droughts. Although our horses had 
 been out seven hours in a hot sun, without 
 refreshment of any sort, they showed no fatigue ; 
 owing, I suppose, to the dryness and elasticity of 
 the air. 
 
 June 9. — Heavy rain from morning until night. 
 Find that the blacks construct their shelters so as 
 to be impervious to wet. They have no huts, but 
 support pieces of bark in a sloping position on 
 sticks. As the wind shifts, they shift their bark. 
 They lie with their heads and shoulders inside, 
 and their feet towards the entrance, where a fire 
 is kept up. Last night a black woman was de- 
 livered of a half-caste child. I sent her some 
 gruel, but found that she shared it with all around 
 her. She talks of killing (he child, but I hope, 
 by threats and bribery, to dissuade her from so 
 great a sin. I am told that probably she will not
 
 104 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 do it now, but will let it grow even until it attain 
 the age of four, five, or six years, and then it will 
 mysteriously disappear. She will deny that it has 
 been killed, and on being questioned, will coolly 
 remark that it was taken ill and died suddenly. 
 This conduct probably arises from the fear that 
 if the half-castes were permitted to live, they 
 would obtain too great an influence in their re- 
 spective tribes. 
 
 June 11. — Went fishing with Charley the 
 black, but was unsuccessful. He used a spear, 
 and watched motionless until fish should pass, 
 that he might pierce them ; but none came. 
 Charley does not seem to have an idea of a good 
 creative Spirit, but has much fear of a bad de- 
 structive spirit, whom he calls debil-debil. But 
 the error of devil-worship is not peculiar to the 
 Australian indigenes. Went on the plains to 
 gather mushrooms, which have sprung up in great 
 abundance during the late rain. They have an 
 excellent taste. The blacks, however, prefer a 
 poisonous -looking, disgusting, yellow fungus. 
 They are very odd in their tastes. They will not 
 touch salt ; and they think delicious, wild-fowls' 
 eggs, when the chicks are near ready to be 
 hatched. 
 
 June 13. — During the last two days, and to- 
 day, the rain has descended in torrents. I have 
 employed a considerable portion of to-day in ex-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 105 
 
 amining a map of the country which the Bishop 
 of Sydney has allotted to me for my pastoral 
 labours. I find that between the Adelaide bound- 
 ary westward, to Albury, eastward, there are six 
 degrees of longitude ; and that from the Murray, 
 at the junction of the Campaspie, south, to the 
 Murrumhidgee, at the junction of the Lachlan, 
 north, there intervenes a degree and a half of 
 latitude. My district, then, is comprised between 
 141° and 147° east longitude, and between about 
 34° and 36° south latitude. All this vast country 
 lies in the interior, at the back of the colony of Port 
 Phillip, or Australia Felix, as it is appropriately 
 called, and has, I believe, been penetrated and 
 taken up by squatters only within the last six or 
 seven years. The Government map chai*acterises 
 it as consisting of " table land," " supposed 
 hilly country," " dense mallee scrub/' " exten- 
 sive open plains," " polygonum scrub," " low, 
 level, timbered country," "forest and scrubby 
 country," " barren country," " open forest coun- 
 try;" whilst towards the east exist ''granitic 
 ranges." It is copiously watered, and during a 
 portion of the year flooded, by the rivers Mur- 
 ray, Murrumbidgee, Lachlan, Darling, Edward, 
 Neimur, and Wakool, which three last are 
 nothing more than branches of the Murray, 
 leaving the parent river through the channels of 
 what are called the Gulpha and Tuppal Creeks,
 
 106 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 meandering in tortuous windings through a hun- 
 dred miles of country in a westerly direction, and 
 uniting in one common stream called the Logan, 
 through the bed of which the errant waters 
 hasten to rejoin their long-abandoned parent. 
 Two other small water-courses, called creeks,* 
 the Yanko and the Billebong, at one period of 
 the year dry, at another full of water, serve, the 
 one to connect the Murrumbidgee with the Ed- 
 ward, the other to render habitable a large tract 
 of arid country. To the westward is the Golgol 
 Creek, containing backwater from the Murray; 
 also the Bengallow. Several lakes, too, exist in 
 this vast district, such as Benanee, Paika, Tala, 
 Yanga ; but they get very dry during the 
 droughts. The s;eneral characteristics of this 
 country are, I am told, immense plains, bounded 
 by belts of forest land, in which the gum-tree 
 predominates, but which also contain the sheacke 
 and the box, the polygonum scrub, and the tea- 
 tree. Here and there are to be seen sand-hills, 
 covered with innumerable pine-trees. The plains 
 would be unfit for the pasture of sheep during a 
 great portion of the year, if it were not for the 
 salt-bush, prickly bush, and pig-face, which stud 
 them thickly over, and fatten sheep where not a 
 blade of grass is to be seen. Over the country 
 
 * Creek is a term used by the early explorers, to denote the 
 smaller interior streams, cither tributary or independent.
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 107 
 
 which I have been just endeavouring to describe 
 are distributed eighty to a hundred squatters, who 
 all pasture sheep or cattle, and who rent from the 
 Government large tracts of land, thoroughly use- 
 less for any other purpose. Some of these reside 
 on their stations, some are absentees ; some are 
 small stockholders, having their thousand or two 
 thousand sheep, or their four or five hundred head 
 of cattle ; whilst others have their twenty or thirty 
 thousand sheep, or their four thousand head of 
 cattle. Of these squatters many are educated 
 gentlemen, many are enterprising Scotchmen; 
 all are intelligent persons, well calculated to cope 
 with the difficulties which surround them. Many 
 of them began life as prodigals, and have now 
 tamed down into wealthy proprietors. This dis- 
 trict is thinly populated by innumerable small 
 tribes of blacks, whom some call Malays, others 
 Australian negroes. To those poor savages the 
 arts and sciences are quite unknown. Strongly 
 gifted with the perceptive, entirely wanting in the 
 reflective faculty, they pass their time living on 
 the precarious tenure of the chase, too idle to till 
 the ground, and too careless even to construct 
 huts. The kangaroo, the emu, the wild turkey, 
 the opossum, and fish, afford them food, and 
 these they kill with the spear and the boomerang, 
 for they have not arrived even at the art of 
 making bows and arrows, nor are fish-nets by any
 
 108 DIARY OP A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 means general amongst them. The}' are divided 
 into small tribes or clans, to which tradition has 
 appropriated a certain district, which is never 
 overpassed with impunity, unless by a friendly 
 tribe. Each clan has a nominal chief, who is 
 expected to head them in their fights; but he, 
 with the rest, is subject to a senate, which is 
 composed of the old men ; who, in their turn, can 
 only act on the usages established among them 
 from time immemorial. Whether their chieftain- 
 ship is elective or hereditary I cannot learn. I 
 suspect that it is hereditary, with exceptions in 
 certain cases. With regard to religion, they come 
 up to my idea of pure Atheism, for they have no 
 idea of a God, no name for him, no worship of any 
 sort — not even idol-worship. They have no definite 
 idea of an evil spirit, nor have they any idea of 
 an after-life ; though, for some time after the death 
 of one of their tribe, they have a perfect horror 
 of the dark, and on no account mention the 
 name of the deceased. This they carry to such 
 an extent, that should the dead person bear the 
 name of any object, animate or inanimate, that 
 name is immediately changed. In morals they 
 are Socialists, and Socialists to the most ex- 
 aggerated extent. I cannot repeat all that I 
 have heard on this subject. AVith regard to 
 their wives, a man has seldom more than two, 
 and the second is rarely taken until the first is
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 109 
 
 old and worn out. The new wife then acts as 
 handmaid to the other. If a wife is discovered 
 to be unfaithful to her husband, which is not a 
 common occurrence, she receives a good beating 
 from him, and the affair passes. Infidelity, how- 
 ever, with a white, is esteemed an honour to the 
 tribe ; and, considering their ugliness and filthy 
 habits, not without reason, one would imagine. 
 The poor creatures have much perceptive intelli- 
 gence : shoot well, ride well, make excellent 
 mounted police, are very honest, not addicted to 
 pilfering, great newsmongers, wonderful mimics, 
 and pick up our language very rapidly : but they 
 cannot count ; they can relate no traditions of 
 the past, and seem utterly impervious to all 
 religious teaching : not that they resist it at all; 
 they are delighted with the honour done to them, 
 especially when the doctrine is accompanied by 
 tobacco ; but it all passes through their heads 
 and hearts as water through a sieve. Each tribe 
 has an individual who is set apart to perform the 
 functions of medical man and magician. Him 
 they call " Doc-doc," and he is expected to cure 
 diseases, which he sometimes does by a mesmeric 
 process, to charm down rain, or to curse the 
 unruly members of the tribe. These things he 
 does at the request of the old men, whose tool he 
 is. So that, alter all, their form of government
 
 110 DIARY Of A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 is nothing new. Other nations, not calling them- 
 selves barbarous, have, and have had in times 
 past, their nominal chief, their oligarchy, and 
 their established church. The men and women 
 go entirely naked in summer ; in winter they wear 
 opossum-skins. This, then, is my district, and 
 it is my duty to visit from station to station, to 
 hold morning and evening prayers, and to endea- 
 vour to impart spiritual knowledge and religious 
 consolation to the white people scattered up and 
 down in this wilderness. May God grant me 
 power to do it as I should ! I am not sent as 
 missionary to the blacks, but I will study their 
 character closely, and prevent the publicans from 
 giving them fermented and spirituous liquors. 
 
 June 15 [Trinity Sunday). — Rode to the Poon 
 Boon station, belonging to the Royal Bank 
 Company, where there are no less than 35,000 
 
 sheep. A Mr. M , a very gentlemanlike 
 
 young man, is superintendent of this important 
 property. He is evidently anxious to forward 
 my views in every way that he can. As he was 
 not certain of my coming to-day, he could only 
 get together a congregation of ten. There are 
 two unbaptized children in the neighbourhood, 
 whose parents defer baptism under various flimsy 
 pretexts. Returned to my head-quarters to a 
 seven-o'clock dinner, after a fatiguing ride over
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. Ill 
 
 boggy plains, with difficulty fording the Wakool 
 river, and had evening service before going to 
 bed. 
 
 June 18. — Received letters and newspapers 
 from Melbourne, which last are full of accounts 
 of the discovery of gold in New South Wales. 
 This discovery is occasioning immeasurable ex- 
 citement. 
 
 June 19 — Rode to a small station about twenty 
 miles away, on the right bank of the Logan. The 
 track lay through extensive plains, rendered soft 
 by the late rains. The host and hostess were hard- 
 working, aud in every way respectable Scotch 
 people, of the Presbyterian persuasion, who re- 
 ceived us most hospitably. On the river's bank 
 near there, a solitary rock of red sandstone seems 
 to have grown up like a plant, and protrudes 
 far into the river's course. Before retiring for 
 the night I read the Lessons for the evening, 
 expounding as I read, and some of the prayers. 
 My accommodation for the night was coarse, but 
 the hearty welcome refined everything. 
 
 June 22 (Su?iday). — Had Divine Service at the 
 Court- House, Moolamon. Thirty-five were pre- 
 sent. Baptized two children after the Second 
 Lesson. The blacks, as before, crowded the 
 door; and I understand, on account of the part 
 I take in this ceremony, they have given me the
 
 112 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 title of " Maker of children to the white men." 
 They also call me " White man's Doc-doc." 
 
 June 24. — Commenced a visitation in the 
 eastern part of my district. Commenced by 
 having the horses swum over a creek : then sad- 
 dled them, and proceeded due east on the north 
 bank of the Edward. Our journey was extremely 
 fatiguing, for the heavy rains which had fallen 
 had saturated the clayey soil, so that at times the 
 horses' going was a succession of plunges. In 
 places, too, the river had overflooded its banks, 
 so that we had to wade through water for miles. 
 It was chiefly low forest-land where the floods 
 were, and the ragged-looking gum-trees, with 
 their withered or broken limbs, had a most lu- 
 gubrious aspect under the threatening sky, sur- 
 rounded as they were by the seemingly inter- 
 minable flood. After thirty-two miles of this 
 wearisome riding I arrived at a large wood hut, 
 which was a public-house kept by a Scotchman. 
 The good landlady gave me an excellent bed. 
 
 June 25. — Whilst paying my bill to the land- 
 lady, she told me that the men, when drunk, use 
 the most horrible language, and she feared her 
 children would become corrupted. She said (so 
 I understood) that she paid 250/. a-year rent for 
 this road-side inn; and I suppose that these 
 enormous rents force the innkeepers to adulterate
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 113 
 
 their liquors. Gave her some advice about keep- 
 ing her family away from the influence of the 
 tap, and at eve prosecuted my journey. Found 
 travelling a repetition of yesterday — saturated 
 clayey plains, and flooded forest-land at the river- 
 side. Came to a station where I was warmly 
 received by three ferocious bull-dogs and coolly 
 received by the master, so I rode on through the 
 slush in the midst of a mournful silence, which 
 seems characteristic of nature here. Called at a 
 hut where lived a woman with several daugh- 
 ters ; she was an Irish Romanist, and very bi- 
 goted. Came up with the postman, who was 
 riding a Timor pony of thirteen hands, or less ; 
 these little creatures have a peculiar run of about 
 "five and a-half miles an hour, which they can keep 
 up, I hear, for eighty miles, with scarce a stop- 
 page. They are highly valued on account of 
 their hardy, indefatigable habits. Just at sunset 
 we lost our track in a most dismal swarrfp, from 
 which I thought we never should have emerged. 
 After much difficulty we arrived at the Sand Hills 
 public-house at Deniliquin, having waded, as it 
 were, our horses for thirty-five miles. 
 
 June 26. — Rested a 'little. Called on a sur- 
 geon who is settled in this district. He seems 
 a quiet, gentleman-like man, and people say that 
 he is clever. Conversed with a poor fellow suf- 
 fering from ophthalmia, commonly called sandy 
 
 i
 
 114 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 blight. He told me that the pain was intense, 
 especially at night ; and I could well believe him, 
 for his eyes were covered with a purulent dis- 
 charge. This painful disease is very prevalent 
 here. It weakens the organs of sight very much, 
 and the first attack renders them sensitive and 
 more obnoxious to successive visitations. People 
 are by no means agreed as to how it is caused. 
 Some say it is the bite of a fly ; others, grains of 
 sand blown by the wind; others, heat of blood, 
 and fever thereupon ensuing. To this last ex- 
 planation I am disposed to incline. The best 
 course to be adopted during an attack is to stay 
 quiet, living very temperately indeed, and taking 
 daily small doses of cooling medicine, not for- 
 getting to bathe the eye with a mild lotion of 
 sulphate of zinc. This being done, the malady 
 must be patiently allowed to have its course ; 
 which may occupy one week, or may occupy four, 
 as the case may be. 
 
 June 28. — The mornings and evenings are cold, 
 although the weather from ten to four is, beyond 
 all expression, elastic and enjoyable. Called on a 
 sawyer's wife; distributed tracts; baptized three 
 children; tried an old entire horse, which is to be 
 lent me for my excursion up the Billibong. He 
 is a cream-coloured Arab, and is rather stiff in 
 the joints. My companion, who also wants a 
 fresh horse, cannot get one. It is the custom
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 1 1 i ~) 
 
 here, when horses are not immediately wanted, 
 to turn them out on the vast plains. So long as 
 you do not require their services, you are sure 
 to see them every now and then either hovering 
 about the station or coming into the river to 
 drink. But if one wants them particularly for 
 some special and urgent service, the perverse 
 animals, as if moved by some special instinct of 
 contrariness, are never to be found ; and per- 
 haps one has to wait a week to catch a glimpse 
 of a horse, which but a few days ago was always 
 in sight. 
 
 June 29 {Sunday). — Rode to one of Mr. B 's 
 
 stations, which is on the Edward. Was most 
 hospitably received by two steady and intelligent 
 
 young Australians of the name of H , but in 
 
 consequence of all hands being employed lambing 
 at the out-stations, could only get together a con- 
 gregation of seven. To these I read the Prayers 
 and Litany and preached, and afterwards bap- 
 tized a child. Find many Romanist families all 
 about, but they will in no wise avail themselves 
 of my ministry. Their nearest clergyman is at 
 Kilmore, forty miles from Melbourne. Rode back 
 to Warbreccan, and read the Evening Service to 
 nine persons. 
 
 June 30. — Started on a journey of fifty or sixty 
 miles, along the banks of Billibong Creek, to visit 
 three or four home-stations. The morning was
 
 116 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 intensely cold, in consequence of the sharp night- 
 frost ; but when the sun exerted his power, all 
 thawed, and the road became a channel of half- 
 solid glue. The scenery, as usual, grassless plains 
 skirted by belts of timber. Overtook a Billibong 
 squatter, struggling homewards through the mire 
 with his wife and family, in two carriages, each 
 drawn by three horses. He was returning from 
 Melbourne. He told us that he could not lend 
 us horses on to the next station after his ; so we 
 turned back, I resolving to visit this district at 
 
 a more favourable season. Returned to B 's 
 
 station, after a ride of four-and-twenty miles, 
 dined, and before going to rest had in eight or 
 nine of the servants, to whom I read and ex- 
 pounded the Lessons of the day, and afterwards 
 availed myself of the Bishop of London's Prayers. 
 July 2. — My mare came in from the plains 
 dead lame. This is a most provoking and disap- 
 pointing country for locomotion. Horses are 
 numerous as the leaves on the trees, and yet never 
 to hand ; 
 
 " Water, water everywhere, 
 And not a drop to drink." 
 
 Either they are lame, or in foal, or out of condi- 
 tion, or they have sore backs, or they are out on 
 the plains ; there is always some hitch with these 
 indispensable animals. At last a horse was lent 
 me, and 1 rode across a vast plain covered with
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 117 
 
 tufts of prickly bush, and admirably adapted for 
 pasturage. Rested for the night at a most hos- 
 pitable station, the lady of which is a Uoman 
 Catholic. Had prayers at eight p.m., and ex- 
 pounded the 15th chapter of St. Luke to eleven 
 persons, including servants. 
 
 July 3. — Had prayers non pr&ter solitum, before 
 breakfast, and baptized a child immediately after 
 breakfast. My kind host lent me a strong grey 
 horse, and offered me pasturage for my lame 
 mare, and then I rode twenty-five miles to the 
 station of a Mr. L , one of the most intelli- 
 gent and right-thinking men whom I have yet 
 met in this country. He was busily engaged in 
 painting his hut when I rode up, and did not give 
 me a particularly warm reception at first, which 
 is often the case with downright, sterling people. 
 But I soon learned to appreciate him. He is very 
 anxious to get up a National School at a Township 
 sixteen miles off, called Maiden's Punt, where is 
 an important ferry over the Murray. My friend 
 knows Shakspeare almost by heart ; for often, in 
 times past, when keeping sheep in the wilderness, 
 has he sat in a rude log-hut, round which the un- 
 reclaimed savage was sleeping and the wild-dog 
 howling, and kept himself awake during the 
 anxious night by reading at the light of a half- 
 extinguished fire the grand philosophy of the 
 " o'erthrown mind " of Hamlet, the eccentricities
 
 118 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 of Launce and his " cruel-hearted cur/' Crab, or 
 the inextricable woes of " the gentle lady married 
 to the Moor." Before going to bed, I gave 
 prayers and explication to a congregation of ten. 
 
 July 4. — After Morning Prayers baptized a 
 child. Saw a young half-caste, who had none of 
 the Malay features. Hear that the indigenes here 
 prefer lending their daughters to the white people 
 to marrying them to their black comrades. If 
 that be the case, the race must soon disappear, 
 for the half-caste children are all eventually put 
 out of the way. 
 
 July 5. — Rode to Maiden's Punt, where an 
 enterprising individual from the Sydney side has 
 arranged a ferry over the Murray, and started 
 a very good inn. Here is already formed, or will 
 shortly be formed, a Township. The hamlet now 
 consists of an inn and about eight or ten huts, with 
 a population of about thirty persons, of whom half 
 are children, all very much neglected. 
 
 July 6 (Sunday). — Visited the people. Find 
 only one Romanist family of four children. About 
 twelve persons attended Divine Service at the inn. 
 Baptized two children. The mother of one, a 
 Romanist, made a great resistance, but the hus- 
 band — a stanch Protestant — doggedly insisted 
 on the Sacrament taking place. 1 did not inter- 
 fere in the slightest degree, but let them arrange 
 it between themselves. I hope gradually to do
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 119 
 
 something in this wild district ; but I foresee that 
 all progress will be very gradual. I shall not 
 see this progress myself, but I pray that my suc- 
 cessor may. 
 
 July 7. — Rode to a station belonging to Messrs. 
 
 H and B , who are both lately married, 
 
 and who have everything very nice about them. 
 Had family prayers in the evening. One of the 
 ladies had been used to attend St. Paul's, Knights- 
 bridge. 
 
 July 9. — Travelled to Mr. L 's, on my 
 
 return to the Edward. 
 
 July 10. — After a ride of twenty-five miles of 
 intricate steering through the bush, arrived at 
 Mr. B 'a, where I found my mare sound. 
 
 July 11. — Arrived at the Edward River. 
 
 July 15. — Travelled to M 's public-house, 
 
 a distance of thirty-five miles. Was subjected to 
 most disgusting noises all night. There were 
 dogs barking; babies crying; mothers making 
 even more noise by endeavouring to tranquillise 
 them ; drunkards blaspheming ; — all this was 
 going on in a room or rooms contiguous to mine. 
 
 July 16. — Rode on in the wet to Moolamon, a 
 distance of forty miles. The creek there being 
 swollen, my poor mare had to be swum across it 
 before her heavy day's work was done. I was 
 kept awake a great pai't of the night at the public- 
 house by the most horrible blasphemies, uttered
 
 120 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 by drunken men. To swear by " the Holy 
 Ghost " seems very much the custom here. But 
 all my experience in swearing sinks into insigni- 
 ficance in the face of what I heard to-night. 
 
 July 17. — Summoned the landlord, and asked 
 him how he could permit such language as I heard 
 last night, and at so late an hour. He apologised, 
 and assured me that the man who was the chief 
 offender in the disgusting scene of the previous 
 evening was a shepherd in the employ of a neigh- 
 bouring squatter, and that he had the reputation 
 of being a steady respectable man when sober, 
 but that, when drunk, he was outrageous. 1 told 
 him that it was impossible that the utterer of such 
 language could ever be respectable. Two reflec- 
 tions crossed my mind : one is, that rum adulte- 
 rated with tobacco is the most infernal brewage 
 that can be, for it makes men demons when under 
 its influence, and brings on delirium tremens in a 
 very short space of time; the other is, that if we 
 are not directly responsible for our words and 
 actions during the temporary madness of intoxi- 
 cation, we are equally responsible indirectly for all 
 this by departing from the strict line of sobriety. 
 Every man knows the peculiar influence that liquor 
 has on him, and therefore, at the first departure 
 from sobriety, he becomes responsible for all the 
 moral phenomena which may become apparent 
 during his sequent ebfiety. The wretched sinner
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 121 
 
 of last night is as amenable to the punishment of 
 God for his dreadful blasphemies as if he had 
 uttered them when perfectly sober, because he was 
 well aware that excess of liquor had always that 
 peculiar effect on him. Often had he been drunk 
 before, and as often had he uttered this frightful 
 language. 
 
 July 20 (Sunday). — Had Morning Service at 
 the Court-House; thirty were present. Exhorted 
 them against the sin of drunkenness. The Even- 
 ing Service I held at the house of the magistrate 
 of the district. Twenty-seven persons, nearly all 
 men, attended, and behaved most decorously. A 
 very satisfactory day altogether. 
 
 July 23. — Rode to my head-quarters on the 
 Edward River, having finished my first progress. 
 I feel convinced that it is absurd for any clergy- 
 man to undertake the pastoral charge of this dis- 
 trict, unless he be possessed of an iron consti- 
 tution and great patience ; and be cheered by 
 religious enthusiasm. He must combine physical 
 strength with moral determination, and above all, 
 he must look for approval to a higher Power than 
 his fellow-men. I am not aware that my motives 
 for living among the wild population of these 
 parts are as much appreciated as one would 
 imagine they would be. 
 
 July 24. — A part of to-day has been employed 
 in entering my Baptisms into the book. Received
 
 122 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 a very interesting letter from a young Australian, 
 who is a superintendent of a neighbouring im- 
 portant station. It runs thus : — 
 
 " Rev. and dear Sir, — Your request, that I 
 would read parts of the Scripture and a short 
 sermon to my household on each returning Sab- 
 bath, is highly becoming in one of your sacred 
 calling, and I hope I shall never live to doubt 
 the excellent effect of spending the Sabbath in 
 the manner you point out; although many trivial 
 causes, the whole of which put together would 
 not amount to anything like a reason, have 
 hitherto prevented me from doing so. The sub- 
 ject has often had my serious consideration, and 
 I once commenced to read prayers on Sunday, 
 but failed to carry it through, in what I thought 
 an acceptable manner, and so I dropped it alto- 
 gether. But I purpose, God willing, in accord- 
 ance with your request, to commence the practice 
 again. — I have the honour to be," &c. &c. 
 
 When I consider that this young man has not 
 had the advantages of an early education, but has 
 fairly worked himself into his present position by 
 his industry and steady good sense, with but 
 little time to improve his mind, I am the more 
 struck at the simple good taste, and something 
 more also, which dictated this letter. 
 
 July 25. — In the evening I witnessed a very
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 123 
 
 striking ceremonial among the blacks. A neigh- 
 bouring tribe has been, and is, in great trouble ; 
 for two of them, named Billy Button and Lon- 
 don, had killed a black boy, called Aladdin. For 
 this, another black had remonstrated with them, 
 and they actually killed him too, but not before 
 London had been pierced from behind with a 
 jagged-headed spear through the reins and groin. 
 All this occasioned immense scandal, as occurring 
 among people of the same tribe. I was visiting 
 London, examining his wound, which was mortal, 
 when all of a sudden some children rushed into 
 the camp, saying that some strange blacks were 
 approaching. In a moment all was bustle. The 
 men put on their opossum -cloaks, seized their 
 spears, and went out to meet the strangers. 
 These consisted of five of a friendly tribe, who 
 came to give them counsel and condolence. They 
 had their heads plastered over with white clay, 
 and their faces smeared with the same ; they 
 wore white blankets, carried spears, and looked 
 most hideously. On arriving within sight of the 
 camp, the group separated into two bands ; and 
 one band commenced an ululation, or wild howl of 
 woe, whilst the other took it up and prolonged it. 
 At an eminence within an arrow's flight of the 
 camp they stood still and waited until some fire 
 should be brought them, for it is a most import- 
 ant and indispensable custom among the Austra-
 
 124 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 lian indigenes, that an encampment should not 
 be approached by a visitor until he shall have 
 made a fire from fire brought out of the encamp- 
 ment. He must then wait by the side of it, until 
 the people come out to him. If they will not 
 bring fire, it is a sign of enmity. On this occa- 
 sion the hot embers were brought out, the fire 
 was kindled, and they sat, or rather crouched, 
 around it and about it for a full half hour, mo- 
 tionless and in absolute silence, with their heads 
 buried between their knees. It was an impres- 
 sive sight to see these crouching men, all be- 
 smeared with mud, sitting motionless as corpses, 
 in the midst of entire silence — a silence which 
 was responded to by all the tribe in the camp. 
 For thirty minutes at least, not a child cried, not 
 a dog barked. I could not prevent my mind 
 from reverting to the following verse or two in 
 Job : " Now when Job's three friends heard of 
 all this evil that was come upon him, they came 
 every one from his own place ; Eliphaz the Te- 
 manite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the 
 Naamathite . for they had made an appointment 
 together to come to mourn with him and to 
 comfort him. And when they lifted up their 
 eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up 
 their voice and wept ; and they rent every one his 
 mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads 
 towards heaven. So they sat down with him
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 125 
 
 upon the ground seven days and seven nights, 
 and none spake a word unto him : for they saw 
 that his grief was very great." By and by the 
 visitors broke through this dead silence, and 
 raised a long, plaintive, and not inharmonious 
 wail, which, after a momentary pause, was re- 
 sponded to and prolonged by the blacks in the 
 encampment. This was interpersed with sobs and 
 cries on the part of the women. During the 
 whole of the night, with short intervals, did this 
 wild ululation fill the glades of the surrounding 
 primeval forest; and some of the mourners made 
 gashes on their foreheads and backs with burn- 
 ing sticks, sharply pointed. 
 
 July 26. — Visited the blacks' camp. The 
 visitors of yesterday were gone. Not seeing 
 London, the wounded black, I was going to ask 
 for him, and had pronounced his name as far as 
 Lou — , when a naked old crone springing up 
 from the ground, put her hand on my mouth and 
 shook her head. This was an intimation that he 
 was dead, and that his name must no more be 
 spoken; for they believe, that a dead man's spirit 
 hovering about will highly resent the mention 
 of his name. Thus the word, whatever other idea 
 it may represent, must never more be spoken. As 
 is often the case in civilised countries, these poor 
 savages substitute unmeaning superstitions for 
 the rational worship of the living God. And yet,
 
 126 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 before we condemn all superstition in toto, we 
 must recollect that it is the sole restraining 
 power to which many savage natures can be sub- 
 jected. It is, in fact, religion in embryo. 
 
 July 27 (Sunday). — Had two Services. The 
 servants of the station attended. Walked out for 
 four miles on the plains in the afternoon, when I 
 saw a very great thunder-storm approaching. I 
 made up my mind to get very wet, when, by a 
 fortunate chance, I saw my mare, which had been 
 turned out on the plains, grazing within fifty 
 yards of me. I went up to her, jumped on her 
 back, and galloped home in an incredibly short 
 space of time, thus avoiding my wetting. But I 
 made the experience, that when a horse is out of 
 condition, as mine is, it is better to ride him with 
 a saddle than without. 
 
 July 30. — Am completely imprisoned, for my 
 mare is too thin for work, and I cannot walk, on 
 account of the country being saturated with wet. 
 
 Awj. 6. — Started to visit some of the western 
 portions of my district. Slept at the hut of a 
 small squatter, a Scotchman, who is so much 
 esteemed by his neighbours, that he is called 
 " Honest John/' 
 
 Aug. 7. — Rode on further fourteen miles, to 
 the hut of another small settler, who has been a 
 prisoner of the Crown, but who, by hard work 
 and good conduct, has amassed a little property.
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 127 
 
 I was received by him very cordially, as I always 
 have been by persons of his class, and I promised 
 
 to call again. Then I rode on to Messrs. P 
 
 and C 's important station on the Murrum- 
 
 bidgee, where Mr. P received me most cour- 
 teously and kindly. Mr. P is a very well- 
 educated man (I believe he is a graduate of 
 Trinity College, Dublin), and has the best poets 
 and prose-writers in his book-cases. In the 
 evening, before retiring to rest, I pursued my 
 usual course of reading, and expounding as I 
 read, the Lessons of the day, and then offering 
 up Bishop Blomfield's Prayers. 
 
 Aug. 8. — Made a pastoral visit to some of the 
 people about, and employed the rest of the day in 
 reading Cary's translation of Dante. Mr. Cary 
 has, with such marvellous accuracy, transfused 
 into his work both the letter and spirit of the 
 man who " bad seen hell;" his versification is so 
 harmonious, his language so original and incon- 
 ceivably majestic, that if we must not rank him 
 with the great Florentine himself, and the great- 
 est poets of the past, I know not in what circle 
 of poets he may be ranked. While I read the 
 translation with the original at my side, I seem 
 not to be reading a translation, but I fancy to 
 myself that, by the process of metempsychosis, 
 the soul of Dante has passed into the body of an 
 English clergyman, and that the Italian has re-
 
 128 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 written his " Divina Commedia" in the widely- 
 spread language of a more puissant nation, of a 
 people more capable of appreciating his divine 
 excellencies. 
 
 Aug. 9. — Rode to Kieta, a large station on the 
 Murrumbidgee, belonging to Mr. Wentworth of 
 Sydney, and managed by a shrewd, active, and 
 good-natured Scotchman. In the evening I ex- 
 pounded to twenty persons, whose behaviour was 
 most exemplary. There are no less than ten huts 
 about the chief hut, three of which are occupied 
 by married people. A large tribe of blacks, too, 
 are permanently encamped in the immediate 
 neighbourhood. 
 
 Aug. 10 (Sunday). — Held Divine Service at 
 Kieta, consisting of the two Lessons, Litany, and 
 a sermon : about twenty-five persons attended. 
 Churched a woman and baptized a child after the 
 second lesson. I then rode to Eanranald, a town- 
 ship, in which there are two inns, a court-house, 
 and five or six huts. I there read the full Evening 
 Service to twenty persons: baptized a child there 
 also. People very decorous. Distributed some 
 tracts among them before I left, and addressed 
 the eight or ten children whom I found there. 
 
 Then I rode back to Mr. P 's and had another 
 
 Service, at which ten or twelve attended. The 
 group of places which I have visited to-day 
 musters for me about fifty persons.
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 129 
 
 Aug. 11. — Strolled along the banks of the 
 muddy and rapid Murrumbidgee. Could not 
 help reflecting, how that the world is near 6000 
 years old, and that this river, and even the sea 
 into which it rolls, has only been known to civil- 
 ised man for comparatively a few years. This 
 river is now rolling a few yards from a hut con- 
 taining the intellectual emanations of ancient and 
 modern authors, who nearly all have thought and 
 written, totally unconscious that such a river 
 existed, or even the vast continent which it helps 
 to water. How gradual, and yet never ceasing, 
 are the developments of Providence ! 
 
 Aug. 15. — Rode to a station called Poon Boon. 
 Visited the blacks' camp there, and endeavoured to 
 explain who I was, but experienced great difficulty ; 
 for I find that the language of the tribe twenty 
 or thirty miles off, of which I know something, 
 is, in a great measure, unknown here. As, when 
 a black dies, his name must no more be uttered, 
 and as many blacks are named after surrounding 
 objects, such as tree, sun, moon, stars, water, it 
 follows that these objects are continually changing 
 their names. It is this which will always render 
 difficult missionary enterprises among these poor 
 people. And then it is sad to see how quickly a 
 tribe melts away after contact with civilisation. 
 Before the whites came they w T ere always un- 
 clothed; now they are clothed in our cast-off 
 
 K
 
 130 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 clothes half their time, and unclothed the other 
 half: so then they catch cold, and die of con- 
 sumption. And I find that they cease to repro- 
 duce. I have as yet scarce seen any babies or 
 very young children. I believe that they have a 
 sort of mysterious feeling that their time is come, 
 and that a superior race has fixed its dominion 
 over the ruins of theirs. With regard to the 
 difficulties which the anomalous state of their 
 language, combined with their transitory exist- 
 ence, has placed in the way of religious teaching, 
 I have heard recounted an anecdote concerning a 
 worthy minister of religion, on the Sydney side, 
 who, that he might humanise and christianise a 
 large tribe of indigenes in his neighbourhood, 
 began compiling a dictionary and grammar in 
 their language; but, unfortunately, either on 
 account of the worthy old gentleman's tardiness, 
 or unusual mortality among the poor blacks, it 
 came to pass, that by the time the ponderous 
 dictionary and grammar had gone to press, every 
 individual of the tribe had died off, save one very 
 very old woman, and she was blind and deaf. 
 The few words of the blacks' language with which 
 I have made myself acquainted, belong to a tribe 
 on the Edward River, and are the following : — 
 
 Nawhingee 
 
 . Sun. 
 
 Willangee 
 
 . Rain. 
 
 Bbckudo 
 
 . Moon. 
 
 Outungee 
 
 . Man. 
 
 katinru 
 
 . Water. 
 
 Murrain en 
 
 . Old Man
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 
 
 131 
 
 Kallou . 
 
 Old Woman. 
 
 Naraiigee 
 
 . Small. 
 
 Biipu . . 
 
 Child. 
 
 Guraniantu 
 
 • Big. 
 
 Outu . . 
 
 . Body. 
 
 Warrou . 
 
 . Bad. 
 
 Bourbii . 
 
 . Head. 
 
 Dalgo 
 
 . Good. 
 
 Mirmu . 
 
 Eyes. 
 
 Kokiana . 
 
 . To come. 
 
 Gintu . 
 
 . Nose. 
 
 Kanta 
 
 . To call. 
 
 Ouranu . 
 
 . Mouth. 
 
 Yanna 
 
 . To go. 
 
 Wimpulu 
 
 . Ears. 
 
 K um pa . 
 
 . To sleep. 
 
 Liantuk . 
 
 Teeth. 
 
 Wirana . 
 
 . To swim. 
 
 Nia-Bourbu 
 
 Hair. 
 
 Tanga 
 
 . To eat. 
 
 Munnanu 
 
 . Hand. 
 
 Kopa . . 
 
 . To drink. 
 
 Trattu . 
 
 Arm. 
 
 Okiana . 
 
 . To give. 
 
 Garru 
 
 Leg. 
 
 Wiripia . 
 
 . Good-day 
 
 Goumanu 
 
 Foot. 
 
 Warrigal . 
 
 . Wild Dog 
 
 Bano . . 
 
 Little. 
 
 Budge ree 
 
 . Beautiful. 
 
 But I cannot guarantee the exact correctness 
 of these words. In this camp at Poon Boon I 
 saw a case of leprosy on the hips and back of a 
 black girl : the natives call it " debil-debil." The 
 part affected was covered with hard pustules and 
 scales, of a very dingy white colour; she walked 
 lame, and was scratching herself in a way painful 
 to see. She told me that the only cure was the 
 kidney fat of a black of a hostile tribe. This she 
 said, because she considered herself the victim of 
 enchantment on the part of a " doc-doc/ 5 or 
 magician of a hostile tribe. Her brothers are 
 now looking out for some one on whom to exer- 
 cise their vengeance, and from whom to bring 
 deliverance for their sister. 
 
 Aug. 16. — An intensely hot day, with the mos- 
 quitoes very troublesome. Bode to Mr. P 's
 
 132 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 station at Swan Hill, on the Murray. The near- 
 est way was twenty miles, but we went ten miles 
 out of our way to look at a large lake eight miles 
 round. All the plains on our right were inun- 
 dated by the overflowing waters of the Murray. 
 The station is on a low sand-hill, rising out of 
 the plains, and has a most desolate appearance, 
 there being no timber near. The Murray is quite 
 close, though scarcely visible, winding as it does 
 through an extensive reedy flat: it has now 
 overflowed its banks, so that its exact course 
 is not to be distinguished. I understand that 
 these unfertile, reedy flats, extend for thirty 
 miles above and thirty miles below Swan Hill. 
 One of the routes from this part of the coun- 
 try to Melbourne passes by here : the distance is 
 210 miles. 
 
 This Murray is a much more important river 
 than I imagined. The sources of some of its tri- 
 butaries are within 200 miles of Moreton Bay, 
 on the east coast of the continent. At Albury it 
 becomes an important stream, aud is styled the 
 Murray, having before borne the name of the 
 Hume. From Albury it flows in a westerly 
 direction, bearing slightly northward, forming 
 the northern boundary of the province of Port 
 Phillip, and falls into Lake Alcxandrina, on the 
 south coast, in the province of S. Australia, which 
 lake is connected by a narrow channel with the
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 133 
 
 ocean at Encounter Bay. Taking its very nu- 
 merous windings into consideration, the course 
 of the Murray from Albury cannot, I hear, be 
 less than 2000 miles. But it is only at certain 
 periods of the year that the Murray can be called 
 a fine river, and be made available for navigation. 
 At the junction of the Darling, between 100 and 
 200 miles lower down than this place, its rise 
 usually commences in June, and it ordinarily 
 attains its highest level in October, after which it 
 begins falling, and. descends to its lowest point 
 about April, at which epoch it may, in numerous 
 places, be crossed on horseback. Thus, when 
 the Murray is full to overflowing, it is a magnifi- 
 cent stream ; but when low, comparatively insig- 
 nificant : for, indeed, at the entrance of Lake 
 Alexandrina, it cannot be less than 200 yards 
 wide and 10 fathoms deep ; thence to the junc- 
 tion of the Darling, the width averages from 100 
 to 150 yards, though, during great floods or 
 droughts, this average cannot of course be per- 
 mitted to hold good. The Murray, I conceive, 
 may be considered navigable up to the Darling 
 for eight months in the year, and as far as Swan 
 Hill for six months. As I was retiring to rest 
 for the night, I perceived a large hole in the 
 flooring of my room ; for this hut, unlike the 
 generality of the head-station huts in my district, 
 had a wooden flooring. " Do not be alarmed,"
 
 134 DIARY 01 A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 said the sonant who showed me to my bed- 
 chamber, *'*' if you should see a large black snake 
 come out ot' that hole in early morning, lie is 
 wry quiet if he is not disturbed, and merely 
 takes a turn round the room to pick up anything 
 lie can get ; that done, he retires to his hole."' I 
 asked if these reptiles were considered venomous, 
 and was answered that their bites caused certain 
 death in eight or ten hoars. I saw nothing of 
 him. however. And this puts me in mind of a 
 woman somewhere near here, who was bitten in 
 the ankle by a death adder at eight o'clock in the 
 evening. Being far from medical assistance, she 
 resigned herself to inevitable death. She called 
 her husband to her. recounted to him all the 
 business transactions which had taken place in 
 his absence (he was just returned from a jour: 
 gave advice as to his future management of his 
 family and stock, and after vainly attempting to 
 shake olY the drowsiness which oppressed her. 
 tranquilly yielded up her spirit in a deep sleep at 
 midnight. 
 
 Aug. \7 {Sunday). — Had service at Swan Hill 
 — the Lessons, Litany, and Sermon. Six only 
 were present. Afterwards rode back to Toon 
 ;. and read the Evening Service. I am sorry 
 I have no surplice with me. for I think that peo- 
 ple have a right to expect that the priestly func- 
 tions should be exercised in priestly robes ; but
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AXD TASMANIA. 135 
 
 it is impossible to carry a large starched vest- 
 ment in a horse valise. 
 
 Aug. 25. — Visited a poor shepherd, who is 
 lying in a miserable, helpless plight, suffering 
 from the effects of having caught cold on mer- 
 cury. The country is so healthy that, with the 
 exception of such a malady as this and ophthalmia, 
 illness is unknown. Found the following valu- 
 able specimen of French fine writing in ?\Iichelet's 
 " History of France," which I took from the 
 bookshelf of the hut. " Wool and flesh are the 
 primitive foundations of England and the Eng- 
 lish race. Ere becoming the world's manufac- 
 tory of hardware and tissue, England was a 
 victualling shop. From time immemorial they 
 were a breeding and pastoral people — a race 
 fatted on beef and mutton. Hence that freshness 
 of tint, that beauty and strength. Their greatest 
 man, Shakspeare, was originally a butcher.'" 
 
 Aug. 29. — Started alone for a station thirty- 
 five miles off. Owing to the track being faint, 
 I missed my way to' the public-house where I 
 wished to pass the night, and got at nightfall, 
 after riding fifty miles, into the middle of a forest- 
 swamp. In my confusion I forgot the direction 
 by which I had come, and felt very forlorn in- 
 deed, for the water was up to my horse's shoulders. 
 Darkness came on rapidly; and then I discovered 
 a dull, red light, on an eminence at a great dis-
 
 136 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 tance. Spurred my floundering beast towards 
 it, and found, to my great joy, that the light was 
 a pine-tree on a sand-hill, burning itself out. 
 The fire was devouring its interior, and burst 
 through the bark at intervals, and blazed up 
 through the top. Thus, when I had given my- 
 self up for lost, He who feeds the ravens gave 
 me a dry soil and a good fire, not the less accept- 
 able from my having been wet through several 
 times during the day. Soon after a shepherd, 
 who had lost his way, came up, also attracted by 
 the light, so that we sat upon a trunk of a tree 
 together all the night, as near the burning tree 
 as we could get, whilst my wearied horse, care- 
 fully hobbled, grazed near. As to any supper, it 
 was out of the question. Good bushmen never 
 think it necessary to take any food in their pockets 
 in the shape of lunch ; and I, who am not at all 
 a good bushman, had foolishly followed their ex- 
 ample. And the shepherd related to me his past 
 life, and told me how silly he had been, and how 
 bitterly he repented of his folly — which I have 
 no doubt was quite true, for he seemed miserable 
 enough; and how, if he had to live his life over 
 again, he would live it over in quite a different way 
 — which, I dare say, was not quite true, though 
 be believed it all at the time. And then I ex- 
 horted him to make good resolves for the future, 
 instead of regretting the past; and he said he
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 137 
 
 would try. But my exhortations were continu- 
 ally sliding down to mere worldly advice. Yet 
 this is a wrong course of action. I have often 
 found myself giving mere moral and worldly 
 advice to worldly people, instead of purely 
 spiritual exhortation, forgetting that these same 
 persons are themselves as capable, perhaps, of 
 doing that as I am. It is in practice where 
 the generality of people fail, not in theory; and 
 it is only religious considerations that will touch 
 that. 
 
 Aug. 29. — When day dawned I found the 
 right road, and after twelve miles' riding, heard 
 the crowing of cocks, and soon after the baying 
 of dogs; and then saw white buildings shining 
 among the trees in the early sun-beams ; and 
 then I entered the little room in the roadside 
 hostelry, and broke my twenty-four hours' fast. 
 The crow of a cock has in this country warned 
 many a lost traveller, faint with hunger, that he 
 was near human habitations. In the course of 
 the morning I baptized a baby, and then exa- 
 mined my hostess's children in Scripture, writing, 
 and arithmetic. They came off very well. I can 
 hardly see; for last night I rode up in the dark 
 against a branch of a tree, with such force, striking 
 myself just under the eye,* that I was knocked 
 off my horse. I am, consequently, nearly blind 
 with the swelling. My landlady did her utmost
 
 138 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 to give me a good dinner, and she succeeded, for 
 she cooked admirably a wild goose. 
 
 Aug. 31 {Sunday). — Celebrated Morning and 
 Afternoon Service at the Court-House in Moola- 
 mon. As rain descended in torrents all day, and the 
 tracks are in a frightfully boggy state, few attended. 
 
 Sept. 2. — Could not catch my mare, which 
 is in the Government paddock, in bad, loose, un- 
 steady company. Horses, like men, learn bad 
 ways more quickly than good ones. Called at 
 the Moolamon Court-House, where petty sessions 
 are held to-day. Publicans' licenses are also re- 
 newed now. If a publican's license is refused 
 it is a very serious affair for him, and the fear 
 of such a loss alone keeps them in order. Owing 
 to the inebriety of the working population, these 
 people get rich too fast. Visited a poor, wretched 
 old fellow, who is at the last stage of life, from 
 general decomposition of blood, the fruit of past 
 errors. He is very poor, and seems very peni- 
 tent. From the side of his pallet I went to the 
 inn, which, owing to so much business going on 
 in the place, was full of people. I represented 
 the pitiful case to them, and begged them to do 
 something for the poor creature. They responded 
 in the affirmative very cheerfully. This occurred 
 at two in the afternoon ; and to my pleasurable 
 surprise I learned, at live, that 16/. lGs. 6d. had 
 been collected for him.
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 139 
 
 Sept. 5. — Went to a wool-shed to see the sheep- 
 shearing. The shearers finish off the sheep with 
 incredible alacrity; others fold the fleeces and 
 arrange them. The proprietor sits in the middle 
 to keep the men up to their work, and preserve 
 order. Some of the shearers earn very much in 
 the day, and drink their earnings as fast as they 
 make them. Hear that yesterday, at the wash- 
 ing, one of the washers was bitten on the foot 
 by a venomous water-snake, and that he suffered 
 intense agony for several hours. But it was not 
 a water-snake; it was a land-snake swimming 
 about in the river for his amusement, as the 
 snakes here are wont to do. The man is well, 
 I believe, to-day, though weak; but he cannot 
 be prevailed to go again into the water. 
 
 Sept. 7 (Sunday). — Had Service twice. The 
 shearers were very attentive. I exhorted them 
 not to dissipate their hardly-earned wages. Look- 
 ing accidentally into some of the books that the 
 station possesses, I alighted on two admirable 
 translations, one by Williams, of that portion of 
 Moschus' " Lament for Bion," which begins 
 with — 
 
 A", a", ra) f£ct\x-£cti ftzv Icrav Kara xa-Tav oXuvtcci. 
 
 " Ah ! mallows in the garden die, 
 Parsley, and blooming dill ; 
 Yet, wakened by the vernal sky, 
 Again their course fulfil.
 
 140 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 Whilst we, the wise, the strong, the brave, 
 
 Have no fresh spring in store ; 
 But silent in the hollow grave 
 
 Sleep on for evermore." 
 
 The other is : 
 
 " Alas ! alas ! when in a garden fair, 
 
 Mallows, crisp dill, or parsley yield to fate ; 
 These, with another year, regenerate : 
 But when of mortal life the bloom and crown, 
 
 The wise, the good, the valiant and the great, 
 Succumb to death, in hollow earth shut down, 
 We sleep, for ever sleep — for ever lie unknown." 
 
 The old pagans, with all their exquisite suscep- 
 tibilities and melodious thoughts, needed indeed 
 a great many chaplets of "late" roses and myrtle; 
 a great many goblets of grief-dispelling wine, to 
 smother such uncomfortable thoughts about the 
 dark future. Why ! it must have been like a 
 phantom at all their banquets. What an entirely 
 different tone of mind does our Christian notion 
 of the eternity of the soul engender ! How much 
 more healthy, fresh, and anti-morbid is our moral 
 atmosphere than theirs ! 
 
 Equally beautiful with the above lines, and far 
 more cheering, is the "Elegy on Lycidas," by him 
 who " soared with no middle flight above the 
 Aonian Mount :" 
 
 " Weep no more, woful shepherds, weep no more, 
 For Lycidas your sorrow is not dead, 
 Sunk though he be beneath the watery floor: 
 So sinks the day-star in the ocean-bed, 
 And yet anon repairs liis drooping head,
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 141 
 
 And tricks his beams, and with new-spangled ore 
 
 Flames in the forehead of the morning sky : 
 
 So Lycidas sunk low, but mounted high 
 
 Through the dear might of Him that walked the waves ; 
 
 And hears the unexpressive nuptial-song 
 
 In the blest kingdoms meek of joy and love. 
 
 There entertain him all the saints above, 
 
 In solemn troops and sweet societies, 
 
 That sing, and singing in their glory move, 
 
 And wipe the tears for ever from his eyes. 
 
 Now, Lycidas, the shepherds weep no more." 
 
 Sept. 8, 9, 10. — Hunting for my mare, which 
 has been hovering about close to the hut for 
 the last month. Now that she is wanted, the 
 aggravating animal has galloped off to the back 
 plains, and cannot be found. 
 
 Sept. 11. — Having found my horse, I rode to 
 Moolamon, the chief place of the district. Find 
 that the Edward is rising very rapidly, and that 
 all the tributary creeks are full to overflowing, 
 This is very bad news for me, as all my district is 
 full of creeks and rivers. Formed innumerable 
 plains for proceeding. 
 
 Sept. 12. — Charley, the black fellow, came to 
 me, humbly petitioning that I would persuade a 
 young girl to give herself up to him as his wife. 
 Lucy, it seems (for that was the girl's name), had 
 taken refuge in a hut belonging to a station 
 close by, and would not come out to Charley, al- 
 though by the laws of the blacks she justly be-
 
 142 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 longed to him, ber brother having taken Charley's 
 sister. Her reason for so acting I discovered, 
 was, that she abhorred submitting herself to some 
 impure rites which accompany the nuptials of the 
 savages. I therefore reminded Charley, that he 
 had a wife (Polly) already, and that he had better 
 give up all thoughts of Lucy. Then he became 
 excited, and said, that if she did not come out to 
 him he would kill her; but if she would, that 
 what she feared should not happen to her. I 
 told him, that it was not in his power to prevent 
 it; advised him to be content with Polly, who 
 was already, I heard, furiously jealous of the girl, 
 and threatened, that if harm came of his threat 
 it should be the worse for him. He was very 
 dissatisfied, and looked into the hut with the sa- 
 vage gaze of a panther at the poor girl, who was 
 crouching near the fire like a timid fawn. He 
 dared not enter, but he could watch until she 
 should come out ; and I left him, watching and 
 looking, as if he meant mischief.* 
 
 * I am grieved to add, that after staying in her refuge two 
 or three days, she darted out of the hut in the middle of the 
 night, during a terrihle tempest, and plunged into the Edward, 
 which flowed close by, with the intention of getting to her own 
 tribe, ten miles off, unseen by Charley; and that subsequently 
 her body was discovered in an adjoining forest. Her skull had 
 been clef! or battered by a waddy (tomahawk). Inquiry was 
 made as to who was the murderer ; but the natives have mys- 
 terious ways with them, and baffled all our endeavours to ob-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 143 
 
 Sept. 13. — Started up the river from Moola- 
 mon towards Deniliquin. Had the advantage of 
 society ; for the chief constable is escorting some 
 prisoners towards Goulburn, where they are to be 
 tried, and I was glad to go with the party for so^ 
 ciety ; s sake. We were seven in number : the 
 head constable and two aides, the clerk of the 
 bench, a clever and worthy man, and two prisoners. 
 One of these is aPenton-Villain, accused of forgery, 
 a pet crime of the rascals which Pentonville turns 
 out. The other is a very athletic, gloomy-browed 
 black savage, called Billy the Bull, who is accused 
 of murdering a white man. This wretched crea- 
 ture was conducted on horseback, carefully hand- 
 cuffed, for the blacks have such small bands and 
 
 tain sufficient, even circumstantial, evidence of anybody's guilt. 
 For my own part I have little doubt that Charley, after my 
 visit, never left entirely the neighbourhood of the hut, but re- 
 mained watching near, day and night, and that he, too, de- 
 tecting her flight, plunged into the dark waters of the rushing 
 river, and following the poor girl fleetly running, brained her 
 with his deadly weapon. When I saw him some time afterwards 
 he looked very foolish and guilty ; but when I asked him who 
 killed Lucy, declared that he had not the slightest idea. I am 
 not aware that, according to his laws, he had committed a 
 crime. Lucy had broken her laws by refusing to live with a 
 man whose property she legally was. He punished her, as we 
 might punish a refractory animal. Although Charley was a 
 decent fellow, and could make himself useful about a station, 
 I never could look on him with pleasure again, nor did I ever 
 give him any more clothes.
 
 144 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 wrists that few handcuffs are to be found which 
 they will not slip; and the bones of the murdered 
 man were hanging in a bag down one side of the 
 saddle, dangling against his leg. He has escaped 
 once, and I have little doubt will escape again, 
 before he gets to Goulburn. He looks very un- 
 comfortable on the horse, and being naked, with 
 the exception of some rug thrown over his shoul- 
 ders, has already galled himself very badly. On 
 leaving Moolamon, we found that the river had 
 overflowed its banks, consequently we had to wade 
 through a mile of water. After this we progressed 
 favourably, until we arrived at the Deep Creek, 
 which we found much swollen. We tried one of 
 our horses over it, and found that he was forced 
 to swim. At this juncture the clouds seemed to 
 burst over our heads and let down, not rain, so 
 much as volumes of water. This effectually cooled 
 our travelling ardour; we turned our horses' 
 heads all of us, and came back drenched and dis- 
 pirited, as fast as our horses could bring us, Billy 
 the Bull swaying about in his saddle, and bruis- 
 ing his shin against the murdered man's bones, 
 looking the picture of misery. I have little 
 doubt that the murder was fully avenged by his 
 miserable feelings on that morning. Thus ends 
 my second attempt at a progress in this difficult 
 country. 
 
 Sept. 18. — A bridge which has been thrown
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 145 
 
 over the Edward at the head-station, where I 
 reside, has been swept away by the force of the 
 floods. We hear, too, that there are great inun- 
 dations up the Murray. 
 
 Sept. 26. — Made a third attempt to get east- 
 ward. Accompanied by a barman of the inn at 
 Moolamon, I crossed the Billibong in a canoe, 
 or rather a little bark raft. It would only hold 
 one at a time, together with a black girl, who 
 managed the frail skiff. I had to kneel and keep 
 myself motionless, or there would have been an 
 inevitable upset. Every now and then the water 
 came trickling through the little clay barricade, 
 which alone rendered the raft tenable. I was 
 then necessitated to lean forward with great cau- 
 tion, and patch up the barricade. As it was, my 
 knees were quite wet with the encroaching water. 
 We then had a toilsome ride of forty miles across 
 the plains, scorched by the sun, and bitten very 
 badly indeed by the mosquitoes. My companion 
 related wonderful things of the customs and rites 
 of the blacks, connected with their arrival at the 
 age of puberty and their marriages. According 
 to him, and I have reason to believe that he was 
 not far wrong, their impurity is something fright- 
 ful, and cannot here be described — not even veiled 
 under another language. 
 
 Sept. 27. — Had another ride of forty miles, to 
 get to Deniliquin. The river was so flooded that 
 
 L
 
 146 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 we had to keep out six miles in the back plains. 
 At nightfall I arrived at my place of destination, 
 baked with the sun, my face seamed with mos- 
 quito bites, and with a large swelling behind each 
 ear from the same cause. Had Prayer and Ex- 
 position in the public room at the inn before re- 
 tiring for the night. 
 
 Sept. 28 {Sunday). — Had Divine Service at 
 the inn at Deniliquin. Seven or eight persons 
 attended. A forge w 7 as at work near, but I 
 stopped it. The people here are very careless 
 about religious observances. This is chiefly owing 
 to the irreligion of a person who is superintendent 
 of the Royal Bank sheep-station here. 1 went to 
 this station in the afternoon to hold Afternoon 
 Service : this person saw me coming, ordered his 
 horse, and galloped away from the back-door. 
 But I was very nicely received by his subalterns, 
 who welcomed me most courteously, and mustered 
 sixteen well-behaved people for my congregation 
 in the wool-shed. 
 
 Sept. 29. — As the height of the Murray and 
 Edward prevents the ferries from working, I 
 determined to visit two stations on the Billibong, 
 one belonging to two nephews of a late Lord 
 
 Chancellor, the other to a Mr. K . My 
 
 guide was a handsome black, called Simon, lie 
 swaggered up to me with a jaunty air at an early 
 hour, all prepared and equipped for his journey.
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 147 
 
 This preparation and equipment consisted — and 
 consisted alone — in somebody's cast-off old black 
 hat, without either crown or brim. For the rest 
 he was entirely naked. He was rather surprised 
 when I hinted to him that I considered his toilet 
 defective. I at last got something for him to 
 put on, and we started. For thirty-five miles 
 we kept on and off the Billibong Creek, or rather 
 river. This Billibong resolves itself into water- 
 holes in summer. It is now running bank high. 
 After passing through the usual succession of 
 gum-tree and box forest, and seemingly intermin- 
 able plain, my sable guide and I arrived at the 
 
 Messrs. B 's station, called Kurrabungainum, 
 
 where I was cordially received by the proprietors. 
 
 Oct. 1. — Rode twenty miles to Jareeldree, the 
 
 station of Mr. K , who, I am told, has lost 
 
 10,000 sheep by catarrh this year. I was most 
 kindly and hospitably received by the gentle- 
 men and Mrs. K and her daughters. Their 
 
 style of living is superior to anything I have yet 
 seen in this country, and their house has an 
 excellent flower-garden, and also a kitchen-garden, 
 attached to it. 
 
 Oct. 2. — Rested to-day. The heat and mos- 
 quitoes are insupportable. Walked to see an 
 Irishwoman, and at her request baptized her 
 child, although she professes Romanism. She 
 told me that no Romanist clergyman had ever
 
 148 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 been in that district. At this station there are 
 two half-caste young people, who talk of making 
 a marriage between them. Conversed with 
 Selina, the young woman, about religious matters, 
 for I should object to marry them until they had 
 been baptized. 
 
 Oct. 3.— Rode back to Mr. B 's. The 
 
 plains are entirely covered with a thick, coarse 
 herbage, which is in full flower, and my horse 
 had to wade for miles and miles through beautiful 
 wild-flowers, yellow, white, crimson, lilac, and 
 purple, with yellow predominating. From an 
 eminence to behold the interminable plains thus 
 veiled with this wondrous mosaic was a sight never 
 
 to be forgotten. At Mr. B 's a quantity of 
 
 bottles of water, covered with wet flannel, are kept 
 constantly hung out in the sun. Thus they have 
 always deliciously cool water ready. 
 
 Oct. 4. — Returned to Deniliquin, quite scarred 
 from mosquito bites. 
 
 Oct. 5 {Sunday). — Married a man and woman 
 at the inn. I only had notice of it last Sunday, 
 and I wished the marriage to be delayed for a 
 week or two ; but the mother, with tears in her 
 eyes, implored me, now that the man was in a 
 humour for the marriage, not to delay enabling 
 him to make an honest woman of her daughter. 
 I then catechised some children. After that I 
 rode over to the wool-shed of the Company's
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 149 
 
 station. Found that the chief superintendent 
 had left in the morning, hearing that I was 
 coming, and had advised his people to bring up a 
 large flock of weaning ewes close to the wool-shed 
 as soon as I should begin the Service, so that 
 their bleating might prevent my being heard. 
 This is the man who is appointed chief manager 
 of by far the most important stations in my 
 district. Close by the wool-shed I found all the 
 washers and shearers amusing themselves with 
 horse-racing, and I had to wait until two or 
 three heats were over before they would come in 
 to Prayers. After the Service was over I rode 
 back to the inn, and found a mob of men savagely 
 drunk. On seeing me they dispersed, and I gave 
 a second Service to a few steady people. This 
 unsatisfactory state of things entirely arises from 
 the great man of the place being an immoral, 
 irreligious character. At my friend's station on 
 the Edward, the washers and shearers behaved 
 in the most orderly manner. 
 
 Oct. 6. — Crossed the Edward with my two 
 horses; but first I had to swim them across the 
 creek close to the inn. A black rode one, leading 
 the other. As soon as the mare got out of her 
 depth she reared up in the water and threw the 
 man off, who, after swimming a stroke or two, 
 adroitly caught hold of her tail, and so was towed 
 ashore. But the black would not undertake to
 
 150 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 guide them across the river, and the consequence 
 was that one of them was carried too low down 
 by the force of the current, and with the greatest 
 difficulty, exhausted as it was, could crawl up the 
 precipitous banks. I gave him up as certainly 
 lost. I crossed on a frail bit of bark in a kneeling 
 posture, ferried over by a black girl. When I 
 considered how wide and deep the river was, and 
 how strong the current ran, I considered I had 
 great canse for thankfulness in getting safely over. 
 Continued my journey to Ward's Inn on the 
 Gulpha Creek, where, previous to retiring, I had 
 Prayers and Exposition. 
 
 Oct. 7. — Rode to Maiden's Inn on the Murray, 
 where I received letters which w.ill cause me to 
 ride down to Melbourne directly. 
 
 Oct. 8. — Swam my horse over the swollen Mur- 
 ray. Owing to the inundations, the punt, as the 
 great ferry-boat is called, has ceased to work for 
 five or six weeks. My horse was towed behind a 
 boat, and in the middle of the river, getting entan- 
 gled with the branches of an uprooted floating tree, 
 was very nearly drowned. I went round in another 
 boat a distance of two miles. On the Melbourne 
 side saw a great number of drays camped, await- 
 ing the resumption of the ferry, ltode to Bar- 
 row's Inn over thirty-five miles of well-grassc d 
 plains. My horse is an old Sydney horse, with 
 a great deal of Arab blood in him, and very much
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 151 
 
 addicted to stumbling. In fact, he fell with me 
 once in the journey. 
 
 Oct. 9. — Accompanied by a friend, who was 
 going to Kilmore, I rode to the Mac Ivor inn, a 
 distance of forty miles, through a rich and pic- 
 turesque country. 
 
 Oct. 10. — Starting early, I rode to Kilmore, a 
 distance of twenty-six miles, to breakfast, through 
 a most beautiful country, combining granitic 
 ranges, conical, volcanic, well -wooded hills, 
 smiling valleys, and park-like tracts of country. 
 Found that a party of twenty-five had left this 
 place yesterday for the diggings at Ballarat. The 
 land about Kilmore is of black loam, and is con- 
 sidered eminently fertile. At one in the after- 
 noon I started from Kilmore, and by dint of per- 
 severing and steady riding reached Melbourne, 
 a distance of over forty miles, by eight in the 
 evening. Thus I accomplished about seventy 
 miles with one horse, on the third day of a jour- 
 ney of a hundred and fifty miles. To-day, as it 
 was a long way, I stopped to rest and bait for two 
 hours. The other days I adopted the custom 
 here, and did not stop at all during the journey. 
 But I allowed the horse, hot as he might be, to 
 drink as often as he liked. Horses can drink 
 when warm in this country, without rendering 
 themselves liable to inflammation. The great 
 secret of riding horses long journeys is to ride
 
 152 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 them steadily, and not to keep tbem too long at 
 the same pace. My journeys average a pace of 
 six miles an hour. 
 
 Oct. 11. — Walked about Melbourne, which, 
 owing to the auri sacra fames, has quite a de- 
 serted appearance. Many of the shops are shut, 
 the occupants having given up sure and pro- 
 fitable trades that they may have a chance of 
 getting rich suddenly. 
 
 Oct. 23. — People mad about the Mount Alex- 
 ander Diggings. Four hundred Van-Diemonians 
 have just arrived from Tasmania, on their way to 
 
 them. Dined with a Mr. B , one of the first 
 
 merchants here. He is a well-disposed, charitable 
 man, and a great supporter of the Bishop of Mel- 
 bourne. He takes a great interest in the religious 
 and social progress of my district, and highly 
 approved of my scheme of making every im- 
 portant head sheep-station a nucleus from which 
 religious knowledge might be diffused. 
 
 Nov. 1. — On my way back to my district rode 
 through the Black Forest to Kyneton, where the 
 large inn is full of people going to and returning 
 from the diggings, eighteen miles off. People 
 drinking and making a noise all night. No talk 
 but of gold, and of the great yield of the mines. 
 The maid-servant, an Irish girl, as savage as the 
 surrounding aborigines, pulled out of her dirty 
 pocket three or four nuggets of gold to show me,
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 153 
 
 worth, at least, 12/., which a digger had given 
 her. 
 
 Nov. 3. — Visited the Mount Alexander Dig- 
 gings, accompanied by a mounted policeman. 
 Ilode along a mountainous road until we came to 
 the locality where the gold was found. In a 
 narrow valley between two ranges of lofty vol- 
 canic-looking hills were assembled, on the borders 
 of a nearly exhausted stream, about three thou- 
 sand men, some digging earth from pits eight 
 feet square; others washing this earth in what 
 are called "cradles;" and others washing the 
 bottoms of the contents of the cradles in tin 
 dishes. In the back-ground, away from the 
 stream, were an infinite number of tents and 
 shelters of every description. Looking by chance 
 into one of the numerous pits I recognised a 
 friend of mine, a young gentleman from Tas- 
 mania, who, with five others, were come here, 
 hoping to make their fortune. After digging 
 through four feet of gravel they had come to a 
 stratum of decomposed slate, which they were 
 washing to great advantage. I saw my friend 
 pick with his penknife into a tin box from the 
 sides of the pit a great number of small bits of 
 very pure gold, about four times as large as a 
 pin's head. On Friday last they got two ounces; 
 on Saturday, three ; and to-day they had already 
 got five, when I was there. It is a very exciting
 
 154 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 occupation. The sight of a quantity of rich 
 virgin gold just taken from the surrounding 
 mould agitates the nerves strangely. 
 
 Nov. 8. — Arrived in my district across the 
 Murray. Found a mob of drunken men and a 
 conjurer in the public room at Maiden's Inn. 
 This vice of drunkenness prevails to a frightful 
 extent everywhere here. And thus it comes to 
 pass. It is rarely the custom to keep wines, or 
 beer, or spirits at the sheep-stations. So people 
 when at home, whether masters at the chief hut, 
 or shepherds at the remote outstanding hut, 
 drink nothing but raking green tea, which I be- 
 lieve would be poisonous, if the effects of the 
 copperas were not neutralised by an enormous 
 quantity of sugar. Drinking several times in the 
 day of this liquid, they get their stomachs into 
 such a nervous, sensitive state, that when they 
 have occasion to visit a public-house, requiring 
 some tonic, they drink madly of spirituous and 
 fermented liquors. And to drink moderately of 
 wholesome drink would be advantageous to them, 
 but as the rum is strongly tinctured with to- 
 bacco, the beer embittered with strychnia, and 
 the wine is some odious fabrication into which 
 juice of the grape enters not, those who drink 
 with comparative sobriety earn a headache, those 
 who drink to excess subject themselves to delirium 
 tremens.
 
 JN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 155 
 
 Nov. 12. — After a solitary ride of fifty-two 
 miles, churching a woman on the way, I arrived 
 at Moolamon, the township nearest to my head- 
 quarters. These long journeys ridden com- 
 panionless are very disagreeable to me. For the 
 people, by not entering into sufficiently minute 
 details with regard to my route, often mislead 
 me, although unintentionally. And not having 
 confidence in their directions, I am often in a state 
 of great uncertainty for six or seven hours as to 
 whether I am going right or not ; whether my 
 road may take me into some inundated tract of 
 country, or may turn out to be a mere cattle- 
 track, leading nowhere. In spring-time, when the 
 verdure is abundant, it is difficult to trace out a 
 comparatively frequented road, whilst all vestiges 
 of secondary tracks are grown over with grass; 
 and to lose one's self in this district is a serious 
 matter. About three weeks ago a shepherd, 
 having occasion to go about forty miles on horse- 
 back, lost his way from the floods having covered 
 the usual track j he left his master's station on 
 Monday morning after breakfast, and he obtained 
 no food or shelter of any description until Wed- 
 nesday night late. He managed to lose his horse, 
 too. I hear of many accidents and disasters 
 which have occurred in my district during my 
 short absence in Melbourne. At Maiden's Punt 
 a child had been drowned. Also a man fell on
 
 156 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 to the fire in a state of drunkenness, and burned 
 himself very severely; and then, after he had been 
 put to bed and his wounds had been dressed, he 
 tore off the dressings from irritation, and then the 
 flies got at him, and he became fly-blown, and so 
 died. At Deniliquin a sawyer's wife has been 
 drowned; and at the Yarra Creek, the chief 
 superintendent of the Royal Bank stations, to 
 whom I have before alluded, has lost his life. 
 
 Although this creek was much swollen. Mr. , 
 
 who was in a dog-cart drawn by two fine horses, 
 one in the shafts, the other as outrigger, rashly 
 drove into it at the usual place of crossing, 
 although warned against such a step. And I 
 believe that he might have crossed it, if the 
 horses had not become entangled in the limbs of 
 a tree lying under water. It is supposed that he 
 got out to disengage the horses, and received a 
 kick on the forehead which stunned him, so that 
 he fell senseless under water and was drowned. 
 The horses, which were noble animals, unfortu- 
 nately perished with him. 
 
 Nov. 13. — To-day, has been held at Moolamon 
 a Government sale of allotments in the townships 
 of Moama (Maiden's Punt) and of Moolamon. 
 The latter sold miserably ; the former remark- 
 ably well. Maiden himself was the great buyer. 
 
 Nov. 27. — A black speared a platypus as it 
 was swimming in the river close to where I was.
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 157 
 
 It requires great cunning and dexterity to do 
 this. 
 
 Dec. 1. — A sirocco, which caused the thermo- 
 meter in the sitting-room to stand at 85° all day. 
 Caught enough fish for our dinner. We have 
 what is called cod, which is sometimes found 
 from sixty to eighty pounds weight, and a black 
 fish from one to two pounds, and a fish about as 
 large as a herring. They are all so soft and 
 pappy, that unless they are boiled with a little 
 vinegar in the water, they are disagreeable. 
 With every care in cooking, they are not very 
 appetising. 
 
 Dec. 6. — Thermometer in the shade 95°. 
 Rode to a neighbouring station, the superin- 
 tendent of which recounted to me how he once 
 saved a man who was lost on the plains. My 
 informant related, that he was some years ago 
 managing a sheep-and-cattle station on the Syd- 
 ney side, which comprised some vast plains. He 
 was one evening returning tired to his hut, after 
 a long fruitless search after stray cattle, when by 
 the last gleams of daylight he saw at a great dis- 
 tance some birds circling in the air over a certain 
 spot. His first impulse was to go on without 
 taking notice of this, but afterwards he reflected, 
 that probably it might be the carcase of one of 
 the lost cattle, over which carrion crows were 
 hovering. He accordingly urged his horse to-
 
 158 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 wards the spot, and to his great surprise saw a 
 man reeling along, every now and then tumbling 
 down, and faintly endeavouring with his arms to 
 ward off the strokes which the carrion crows, 
 wheeling around him, were giving him on the 
 head with their wings. He at first thought he 
 must be intoxicated, and called to him, but re- 
 ceived no answer. He called again, but still 
 there was no answer. He rode close up to him, 
 and saw a miserable sight. It was a man, deli- 
 rious through hunger and thirst, on the point of 
 dropping on the ground, and becoming, ere quite 
 dead, the prey of the voracious crows. He was 
 frightfully attenuated ; his eyes were glazed, a 
 black foam was oozing from his livid lips. 
 Sounds, not human, were gurgled up from his 
 parched throat. My informant, a most estimable 
 young man, lifted him up across his horse some- 
 how, and thus conducted him to his hut. Then 
 he had a difficulty in opening his teeth, for they 
 were fast clenched; and then he could not, at first, 
 get some tea down his parched throat. These 
 difficulties surmounted, the poor fellow took some 
 nourishment, and was left to sleep through the 
 night. In the morning he was sufficiently reco- 
 vered to recount to them that he was one of the 
 Pentonville people, and that he was proceeding 
 direct from the coast to take a place as shepherd 
 at some neighbouring sheep-station ) that having
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 159 
 
 to cross on foot a forty-mile plain, he had been 
 advised at the public-house to wait for some one 
 to go with him, as he was quite a fresh hand; 
 that, anxious to get to his work as soon as pos- 
 sible, he set off by himself; that night came on, 
 and, there being no track, he had taken the pre- 
 caution, as he thought, to lie down to rest, with 
 his feet pointing in the direction in which, at the 
 morning's dawn, he was to continue his course ; 
 that in his sleep he must have shifted his body, 
 so that when he awoke he pursued his journey 
 in a wrong direction. And thus he lost himself, 
 and continued, as persons do, when they lose 
 themselves, ti'avelling in a circle. For six days 
 was this young man wandering about without 
 food and (I think I understood my informant) 
 without water. He said, that he bore up very 
 well for three days : then he got weak ; then a 
 swimming of the head came on; then supervened 
 delirium and total unconsciousness, until my 
 friend was providentially sent to his deliverance. 
 Dec. 8. — Hear that Melbourne is gold-mad. 
 Half-a-ton has been taken down there in one 
 week. A man and his wife came to the station 
 as servants at the wages of 50/. per annum, These 
 wages are, of course, exclusive of a most generous 
 system of rations. The gold-fury has so seized 
 on the minds of the working classes, that the 
 master thinks himself very lucky in getting these
 
 160 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 people. The thermometer to-day is 94° in the 
 sitting-room. 
 
 Dec. 16. — Arrived at Deniliquin, having em- 
 ployed yesterday and to-day in travelling on 
 horseback from Moolamon, a distance of seventy 
 miles. Found all in confusion at the inn : the 
 landlord and landlady are in bed ill ; the ostler is 
 tipsy ; the whole population seems to be on the 
 point of leaving for the diggings. And it is not 
 to be wondered at ; for I know to a certainty, 
 that a labouring man, one of a party at the dig- 
 gings, has gained for his share twenty ounces of 
 gold in eight days. Baptized a child of a shep- 
 herd. He wanted to pay me a fee. I thanked 
 him, but told him that our Church did not sell 
 the Sacraments, and that I should be liable to 
 severe Ecclesiastical censure if I took anything 
 from him. He seemed much surprised and dis- 
 appointed. Perhaps he thought, that that which 
 is cheaply obtained is worth little. After many 
 pourparlers I consented to take something from 
 him on behalf of the Church Fund ; whereupon 
 he gave me nine and sixpence, lleceived a letter 
 from Dr. Broughton, the bishop of Sydney, say- 
 ing that he was travelling rapidly towards the 
 Edward River to meet me. 
 
 Dec. 18., — As a large drinking-party is ex- 
 pected at the inn at Deniliquin, I went over to 
 the neighbouring Royal Bank station to sleep. A
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 161 
 
 Mr. is acting as storekeeper. He is in 
 
 very bad health, having broken a blood-vessel 
 when in California, and has an incessant hard 
 cough, nearly as painful to those about him as 
 to himself. His history, as he recounted it to 
 me, is singularly interesting, and full of warning. 
 He told me that he was the son of a Scotch 
 Clergyman, and was entered at the Glasgow Uni- 
 versity, preparatory to following his father's pro- 
 fession: but that having taken to extravagant 
 courses and habits of dissipation, which his pa- 
 rents neither could nor would suffer, he had to 
 take his name off the books, and give up all 
 thoughts of entering the Ministry. He then ob- 
 tained a commission in the Cape Rifles, and re- 
 mained some time in active service at the Cape : 
 but he had not sufficient moral courage to shake 
 off his evil genius; his vicious ways still stuck 
 by him. So he sold his commission, and em- 
 barked for the diggings in California. When 
 there he worked beyond his strength, and drank 
 beyond his strength, and ultimately broke one of 
 the vessels of the lungs, which laid him up for 
 two months. On his partial recovery he came to 
 Sydney, and the doctors there advised him to 
 come up to the Edward River district, for the 
 sake of its very dry atmosphere. He then got 
 the situation of storekeeper at one of the Royal 
 Bank stations, where I found him. He exclaims 
 
 M
 
 162 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 against the climate as being too dry for his ma- 
 lady, and as causing his chest infinite irritation. 
 He is peevish, despairing, has a presentiment that 
 he shall die soon, and utters as his sole consola- 
 tion the not very consolatory Italian words, " Che 
 sara sara." I felt great sympathy for him ; for 
 he is evidently an educated person, and of acute 
 sensibility, and now, owing to his recklessness, he 
 has brought himself down to be a storekeeper in 
 this miserable country. I expressed myself so to 
 him ; but his only answer between his fits of 
 coughing was, " Che sara sara." I told him 
 that, if it pleased God to save his life, so as to 
 enable him to get a situation near the sea-coast 
 (where he wished to go, the air being moister), 
 I prayed that the grace of God would enable him 
 to form healthy resolves for the future. His an- 
 swer, and his only answer, was : " My dear sir, 
 the half of man's life is spent in making good re- 
 solves, the other half in breaking them — Che 
 sara sara." 
 
 N.B. — About a year after the above was 
 
 written I heard of the death of Mr. , under 
 
 very lamentable circumstances. He got away from 
 the Edward, and obtained a capital situation in 
 one of the banks at Gcelong, one of the healthiest 
 cities in the world. But he could not resist ad- 
 dicting himself to stimulants. At last he con- 
 sumed daily two bottles of port wine, which was
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 163 
 
 far too much for a person of his frail nature. 
 He then took to drinking brandy and water in 
 addition to this, and soon died, thoroughly worn 
 out with past fatigues and excesses. 
 
 Dec. 19. — The Bishop of Sydney has decided 
 not to come down to the Edward River, but to 
 
 give me a meeting at Jareeldree, Mr. K 's 
 
 station on the Billibong, sixty miles from here 
 (Deniliquin) ; so this evening, at six, I started 
 on horseback for my first stage, thirty-five miles. 
 Rode it in five hours. My companion was an 
 Australian gentleman, accustomed to night-riding 
 through timber. As I am not well versed in this 
 art, and as our pace was by no means slow, con- 
 sidering the darkness of the night, I ran some 
 risk of being knocked off my horse by some 
 withered limb of a gum-tree, the branches of 
 which grow remarkably near the ground. After, 
 however, two very narrow escapes, I arrived at 
 Mr. B 's station at eleven o'clock. 
 
 Dec. 20. — A most intensely suffocating day. 
 I could neither stand, sit, nor lie ; but I roamed 
 restlessly about within the narrow limits of the 
 hut. I found it cooler, when on horseback in 
 
 the sun, riding to Mr. K 's. On my arrival 
 
 at Jareeldree I was announced to Dr. Brough- 
 ton, bishop of Sydney. This most excellent and 
 worthy prelate has travelled from Sydney — a dis- 
 tance of six hundred miles, I should think — in
 
 164 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 an old caleche, drawn by two lean horses. On 
 Wednesday night he was out in the bush. For 
 a fortnight past his nourishment has been de- 
 fective, and at this station he has got some milk, 
 for the first time for a week. I strongly advised 
 him not to come on any further, but to turn his 
 horses' heads homewards, during these frightful 
 heats. We conversed on many points, and I 
 received some admirable advice from this truly 
 Christian bishop. I mentioned to him a plan 
 on which I had often meditated for extending the 
 Church in the colonies, and which he did me 
 the honour entirely to approve. It was, that 
 young clergymen of distinguished talents, of 
 wealth, or of family, should, after leaving the 
 University, instead of settling down in curacies at 
 home, until the college living, or the purchased 
 living, or the family living, should become vacant, 
 place their services entirely at the disposal of 
 some Colonial Bishop, with a promise to remain 
 unmarried and serve the Church in his diocese for 
 a certain number of years — three, four, or five, as 
 the case might be. At the expiration of that period 
 they would return to their sphere of labour in the 
 mother-country, laden with experience, divested 
 of their prejudices, possessing the satisfaction of 
 having laboured in a distant vineyard, where la- 
 bour was more wanted than at home, and of 
 having contributed to the Church abroad services
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 165 
 
 which the Church at home can well spare. This 
 is a much more practical mode of serving a 
 clerical apprenticeship than striving to become a 
 popular preacher, or engaging in ecclesiastical 
 polemics. 
 
 Dec. 21 {Sunday). — I read Prayers, and the 
 Bishop preached. 
 
 Dec. 22. — Took leave at daybreak of the 
 Bishop of Sydney, who started towards Albury 
 on his return to Sydney. I then bathed in the 
 Billibong. Whilst in the water I felt an unusual 
 irritation of the skiu, which I could not then 
 account for. At the end of ten minutes, emerging 
 from the mud-coloured stream, I found all my 
 body festooned with lively, vigorous leeches, all 
 sucking away with great appetite : 1 think I 
 must have had two dozen on me. Of course, 
 dressing immediately was out of the question, 
 for these ministers of health had left on me san- 
 guinary traces of their presence. Their inten- 
 tions, no doubt, were excellent ; but as I wished 
 to start directly, their visitation was ill-timed. 
 
 Slept at Mr. B 'a. 
 
 Postscript. — I subsequently learned that, owing 
 to the floods being on, the Bishop lost his way 
 two or three days after we parted ; that he was 
 out on the burning plains, without food or water, 
 for two days and a night ; and that when he got 
 to a station his tongue was so dry he could scarce
 
 166 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 articulate Of two dozen little paroquets that he 
 was taking home with him, twenty died from thirst. 
 
 Dec. 23. — During my thirty-five miles to the 
 banks of the Edward River, I experienced greater 
 inconvenience from heat and fatigue than I had 
 ever done before. My horse panted and sobbed, 
 although proceeding at only a foot pace. On the 
 burning plains no water could be had. A uni- 
 versal stillness reigned around. Twice I was 
 forced to get off to rest under a bush. On the 
 way I met three drays, and the oxen were panting, 
 with their tongues lolling out of their mouths. 
 With a very parched throat I arrived at the inn, 
 and could hardly stand when I dismounted. The 
 thermometer has stood all day at 106° in the 
 shade. Received a letter from the superinten- 
 dent of the neighbouring station, begging me 
 not to sleep there, as the men were all furiously 
 drunk : so, in the cool of the evening, I went 
 on three or four miles farther to a sheep-station 
 called Warbreccan. 
 
 Christmas Day. — Held Service at the Moira 
 station, with the thermometer at 95° in- doors. Few 
 attended, for all are gone or going to the diggings. 
 Everything is turned upside down. A shepherd 
 has come up from Mount Alexander with 107/. 
 the fruit of nine days' labour, lie is now drink- 
 ing it away at the public-house. 
 
 Dec. 31. — Having suffered from inflammation
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 167 
 
 of the eyes for some days, I applied to a medical 
 man for advice, who tells me that I am attacked 
 by ophthalmia, vulgarly called the " gravelly 
 blight." The feeling is as if two burning coals 
 were throbbing about in my eye-sockets ; an in- 
 cessant purulent discharge has supervened, and 
 the slightest light occasions me agonies. I be- 
 lieve I brought it on by my ride on the 23d. 
 As I cannot lay up where I am, I thought it 
 advisable to go to a quiet inn, ten miles off, for 
 that purpose ; so, having previously bandaged 
 my eyes carefully, and placed a green veil over 
 all, I mounted on horseback, and was conducted 
 to where I wished to go, by my good friend the 
 doctor. The pain, as night sets in, is ex- 
 ceedingly racking, but I am cheered by hearing 
 that these attacks are rarely followed by loss of 
 sight. 
 
 Jan. 4, 1852. — I have been sitting these three 
 days in the arm-chair of the inn, blind and 
 solitary. The window has been carefully dark- 
 ened. Being very anxious to know if my sight 
 were seriously impaired, I gi'oped about for a 
 book, opened it at random, withdrew a little the 
 green baize that covered the window, lifted up 
 the coloured handkerchiefs with which I was 
 veiled, and took a nervous, hurried glance at the 
 book, to see if I could distinguish the print. 
 The book chanced to be Gifford's " Translation
 
 168 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 of Juvenal and Persius ;" the two lines which I 
 had fortuitously singled out, and, to my great 
 joy, could read, were these : — 
 
 " His blear eyes ran in gutters to his chin ; 
 His beard was stubble, and his cheeks were thin." 
 
 Overjoyed as I was at thus proving that I was 
 not blind, I could hardly but consider the allusion 
 personal. Hear that the landlord is laid up by 
 ophthalmia. A poor fellow has been brought 
 here to-day from one of the neighbouring out- 
 stations, more afflicted even than I am by this 
 most painful malady. 
 
 Jan. 5. — A neighbouring squatter kindly drove 
 me to his station, about thirty-five miles from 
 here. My eyes are still very sensitive to light, 
 but T trust that the force of the disease is past. 
 The mosquitoes, towards night, were very trou- 
 blesome. I was constrained to leave my bed 
 and walk in the garden during the greater part of 
 the night. 
 
 Jan. 11 {Sunday). — With the blessing of God 
 my eyes took me through the Service. They 
 ached, however, towards the end, and the print 
 seems dim to me. On the whole, the attack has 
 lasted sixteen days. At night, although the heat 
 was suffocating, I was obliged to sleep in my 
 boots, and partially dressed; to avoid the ferocious 
 attacks of the mosquitoes. 
 
 Jan. 14. — The servant of the house has in
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 169 
 
 former days been a convict, one of the old- 
 fashioned sort, — men who were whipped into 
 usefulness and discipline long before false notions 
 of humanity, or sentimental sympathies with 
 crime, completely altered for the worse the con- 
 vict system. He repays his master's confidence 
 with fidelity, and can turn his hand to every- 
 thing. He can cut hair and shave, break in 
 horses to ride and drive, bleed and physic them. 
 He can cook, make very good pastry, garden, 
 thatch, cut posts and rails, and put them up ; 
 and, moreover, acts as a very good clerk on 
 Sundays. But there is one important thing that 
 he cannot do — that is, abstain from drink; he 
 condemns his own failing, and told his master 
 when he was engaged that one of his reasons for 
 entering his service was, that the station was so 
 far from a public-house. " I will be a good 
 servant to you, sir, as long as you keep me from 
 drink; but if I once get to a 'public' I can't 
 answer for the consequences." He is so attentive 
 to me that I feel a great interest in him. 
 
 Postscript. — lam sorry to say, that about two 
 months after this was written his master, being 
 short of hands, sent him to the public-house for 
 his letters. He began drinking with a mob of 
 men on their way to the diggings, and in a 
 moment of inebriety consented to make one of
 
 170 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 the party. Thus an excellent master lost an 
 excellent servant. 
 
 Jan. 15. — To-day I asked a black fellow, 
 called Peacock, if he had ever eaten " black 
 fellow ?" As I said it laughingly, he was thrown 
 off his guard, and acknowledged that he had; 
 and from his look, the reminiscences of the fact 
 seemed to be rather pleasurable to him than 
 otherwise. " "What is the taste like?" I asked. 
 '' Like pig," he unhesitatingly replied. Then I 
 changed my manner, and asked him how he 
 could dare do so horrible a thing ? On this he 
 declared that what he had said was in jest, and 
 that he had never eaten man. This is the first 
 time I could ever get a confession of cannibalism 
 out of a native. I have been told that the blacks 
 cannot endure a white man's flesh. They say 
 that it tastes very salt, and is highly flavoured 
 with tobacco. 
 
 Jan. 20. — Having been recommended by my 
 doctor to go to the sea-side for change of air, 
 I started three days ago, and am now hospitably 
 
 entertained by Mr. M , a wealthy squatter, 
 
 about sixty miles from Melbourne. To-day I 
 have been watching the operation on sheeps* 
 feet for foot-rot. It must be very disgusting 
 work for the operator, for he has to hold the 
 sheep between his knees, and cut off the putrified
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 171 
 
 parts of the hoof, which emit a terrible stench. 
 As it is safer to cut too deep than not deep 
 enough, deep cutting is inflicted, and the blood 
 flows in abundance from the poor suffering 
 animal. After the unsound part has been well 
 cut away, the sheep is turned into a trough full 
 of water, strongly impregnated with corrosive 
 sublimate, and there made to stand for half an 
 hour. This, I believe, effects a perfect cure. 
 Many sheep-owners dress the diseased part with 
 mercurial ointment, but the mode I have been 
 describing is considered equally effective, and 
 more expeditious, easy, and economical. In the 
 evening we burnt a belt of herbage all round the 
 head-station ; for the heat of the weather and 
 dryness of the atmosphere is so great that the 
 proprietor is afraid of that terrible visitation, a 
 bush-fire. We set fire to the grass, and as the 
 fire came roaring on towards the premises, the 
 whole strength of the establishment, white and 
 black, man and master, were ready at a given 
 signal to extinguish it with huge boughs, and 
 with trampling on it. The chasm thus made is 
 about fifty yards. 
 
 Jan. 21. — Rode through the Black Forest. 
 The road resembled one of the great thorough- 
 fares out of London, so full was it of waggons, 
 drays, carts, gigs, equestrians and pedestrians, 
 proceeding to the diggings. And no wonder ; for
 
 172 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 a very common-looking person, who begged leave 
 to ride by my side, thinking, perhaps, that my 
 calling might be a protection to him, told me 
 that he and three others had dug up sixteen 
 hundred pounds worth of gold in nine weeks. 
 He had a hundred and fifty pounds worth about 
 his person then. He told me, that previous to 
 leaving England he had been helper in a stable 
 in Yorkshire. There was immense confusion and 
 drunkenness at the Bush Inn at Gisborne, where 
 I slept. At night the chambermaid advised me 
 to lock and barricade the door of my bed-room, 
 otherwise she thought I may be intruded upon 
 by drunken people ; and it was well I did so, for 
 during the night two men practised upon the 
 panels of the door for at least an hour, and 
 though they split them, they could not get in. 
 
 Jan. 2.2. — Stopping to bait at a roadside inn 
 near Melbourne, I spoke with a common labour- 
 ing man, who had just dug up 800/. of gold. 
 
 Jan. 25. — Went to the church at Richmond, 
 near Melbourne. The preacher styled angels 
 " the aboriginal inhabitants of heaven." 
 
 Jan. 26. — The gold excitement is fast increas- 
 ing. Seeing a crowd of people around a shop- 
 door, I found that there was on show inside a 
 lump of solid, purest gold, weighing twenty- 
 seven pounds eleven ounces. The men who 
 found it — four ill-looking persons — were in at-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 173 
 
 tendance, waiting to be paid for it. I heard 
 that they had sold it for 1.200/. The mass of 
 gold had a very bizarre form, looking something 
 like a Hindoo god. 
 
 Jan. 29. — The chief bookseller here complains 
 much of his not being able to make a living in 
 Melbourne. 
 
 Feb. 1 [Sunday). — Heard the Archdeacon of 
 Melbourne preach. 
 
 Feb. 3. — Rode to Brighton, and enjoyed the 
 balmy breeze of the sea. Find that, owing to 
 the gold discovery, land here has already risen to 
 the price of 50/. per acre. 
 
 Feb. 7. — Diggers are returning into Mel- 
 bourne in some numbers; many very discon- 
 tented. It is said that there are, at least, 40,000 
 at the diggings. 
 
 Feb. 24 (Shrove Tuesday). — A strong sirocco 
 in Melbourne. The thermometer is 113° in the 
 shade ; and yet so dry and elastic is the atmo- 
 sphere, that this heat does not affect one so much 
 as during a hot August day in London. 
 
 Feb. 26. — To have my horse shod has cost me 
 25s. This is one of the primitia of the gold 
 discovery. 
 
 Feb. 29 (Sunday). — Attended St. James's 
 Church, and heard the Bishop preach an ex- 
 cellent sermon on the vices of the people here. 
 The chief moral failings of the population are
 
 174 DIARY OP A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 drunkenness, swearing, and most intense sel6sh- 
 ness. All this exists in the mother-country, but 
 there the counterbalancing elements exist to a 
 greater extent than here. 
 
 March 11. — Gold is selling in Melbourne at 
 3/. the ounce. 
 
 March 18. — Took my first stage out of Mel- 
 bourne towards my district. At night the land- 
 lord and his wife, both very drunk, fought so 
 furiously, that I was obliged to separate them by 
 force. During the fray, all the little children 
 came clustering round the mother, taking her part. 
 One sturdy urchin boldly attacked his father, by 
 kicking his shins and the calves of his legs. 
 
 March 19. — Gave some serious advice to the 
 landlord about the scene of last night, and after- 
 wards rode to Kilmore to breakfast. Slept at 
 the Mac Ivor Inn, where I heard from one of 
 the Bendigo diggers that the goings on there 
 are lamentably immoral. 
 
 March 21 (Sunday). — Arrived at Maiden's 
 Punt on the Murray, after a ride of thirty-two 
 miles, in four hours and a half. Held Service 
 immediately, and then rode on ten miles farther 
 to another inn, lower down the Murray, and held 
 a second Service. 
 
 March 23. — Had a thirty-four miles' journey 
 to ride, and discovered at the last moment that 
 my new horse, bought in Melbourne, obstinately
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TA.SMA.NIA. 175 
 
 refused to lead. Time wore away in vainly en- 
 deavouring to conquer his obstinacy. The end 
 was that I had to mount the obstinate one, and 
 lead my other. I rode eighteen miles, under a 
 hot sun, in one hour and a half. Stopped half 
 an hour, and then rode the remaining sixteen 
 miles in one hour and twenty minutes. The 
 repugnance that I have of losing my way in this 
 country would cause me to make any sacrifice to 
 avoid being out after dark at night. 
 
 March 24. — Employed myself the greater part 
 of the day in teaching my obstinate animal of 
 yesterday to lead. 
 
 April 10. — Went with two magistrates and 
 the head constable of the district to examine the 
 corpse of a man, which has just been discovered 
 on the banks of the Edward River. As we ap- 
 proached the spot, we came upon a dog, who, on 
 seeing us, slunk into some bushes, frightened. 
 Immediately afterwards we saw the body lying 
 prone, with the head partially submerged in a 
 little pool of water. As it had been dragged 
 from a place some yards off, where two or three 
 people had been camping, I suggested that it 
 was possible there might have been foul play, 
 although the corpse was so placed as to give a 
 first impression that the man had, in the last 
 state of exhaustion from want of food, dragged 
 himself down to the water-side to chink, and
 
 176 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 there had died. On closely examining the body, 
 we found that part had been devoured — probably 
 by his glare-eyed, guilty-looking dog; and on 
 turning round the head, which was resting on 
 the arm, we discovered a tremendous fracture of 
 the right parietal bone of the skull. Thus it is 
 certain that a murder has been enacted here. 
 
 April 12. — Rode with a magistrate into Moo- 
 lamon, to hold an inquiry with regard to the 
 murdered man. We elicited the fact that, about 
 ten days ago, three men from the diggings had 
 passed the night here, and talked about having 
 a quantity of gold about them. In the morning 
 they went away together, accompanied by a dog, 
 in the direction in which the body was found. 
 We likewise were informed that the second day 
 afterwards two men on horseback, leading a third 
 horse, and having no dog with them, were seen 
 going at full speed across the spacious plain, 
 which extends to the Murrumbidgee. Thus it 
 is pretty evident that the three must have camped 
 by the side of the Edward ; and, during the night, 
 that the two murdered the one for his share of 
 the gold. They then arranged his body in a 
 studied attitude, to make it appear that he had 
 died of exhaustion ; and placed his head to rest 
 on his arm, so as to conceal the fracture. And 
 this deceit would have succeeded, if I had not 
 particularly requested that the head should be
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 177 
 
 lifted up. The murderers have, however, got 
 clean off; and in such a wild, unsettled country 
 as this, all researches will be useless. 
 
 April 20. — Hear that a hut-keeper, going 
 from one hut to another on this run, has lost 
 his way, and not been heard of. He started the 
 day before yesterday in the morning. 
 
 April 22. — As I was mounting a horse, lately 
 bought, he suddenly put his head between his 
 legs, so as almost to meet his tail, and bucked 
 his back up, so that I was shot off like an arrow 
 from a bow. Luckily, I broke no bones. I be- 
 lieve that an inveterate buck jumper can be cured 
 by slinging up one of the four legs, and lunging 
 him about severely in heavy ground on the three 
 legs. The action they must needs make use of 
 on such an occasion somewhat resembles the 
 action of bucking ; and after some severe trials 
 of that sort, they take a dislike to the whole style 
 of thing. An Irishman on the Murrumbidgee 
 is very clever at this schooling. It is called here 
 " turning a horse inside out/' No treatment 
 can be too severe for a horse addicted to this 
 abominable and incomprehensible vice. And 
 nearly all buckjumpers are good horses in other 
 respects, which makes the whole thing the more 
 provoking. Not long ago I witnessed a pro- 
 fessed jockey mount a very fine horse. He 
 mounted with great care, for many horses do 
 
 N
 
 178 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 their best to throw their riders before they can 
 put the right leg over the saddle. The horse 
 allowed him to get on, and then set off at a 
 furious gallop, stopping short every now and 
 then to buck. The man sat beautifully for some 
 minutes. But at length the furious beast made 
 the extraordinary movement of turning short 
 round to the left, bucking fearfully as he turned. 
 The consequence was, that the man had a most 
 tremendous throw ; and we all ran up, thinking 
 that he must be killed. To our surprise be got 
 up, and began, though reeling a little, to look 
 stedfastly for something on the ground. To our 
 questions, as to whether he was hurt, and what 
 he wanted, he coolly replied that he was looking 
 about for his pipe, which he had dropped in the 
 fall. The longer a rider sits a horse when he 
 bucks, the worse it is for him when he comes off. 
 April 26. — Went out with my friend to poison 
 his run. It is thus done. When a beast is 
 killed, a quantity of small bits are cut off the 
 carcase. By means of a sharp penknife little 
 holes are cut in these morsels, and into these 
 little holes pinches of strychnia are introduced. 
 These bits are put into a small bag and taken out 
 on the run. The acting person then, as he rides 
 or drives along, throws to the right and left this 
 meat. At night the wild dogs come, eat it all 
 up greedily, and ere long die. But the strychnia
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 179 
 
 has not yet done its work. Wild dogs eat one 
 another, and begin their repast with the entrails 
 of their brothers. Now the entrails of the dead 
 dogs contain the strychnia, which is so strong, 
 that after passing into the second dog it will kill 
 him too, and, as I have been informed, even a 
 third. Thus the poor sheep call poison to their 
 aid against their terrible enemies. 
 
 May 19. — The rain has fallen in torrents all 
 day, and my condition is wretched enough in such 
 a country, for there is no pastoral duty to attend 
 to, and study and privacy in a poor little wood 
 hut is next to impossible. 
 
 May 20. — Rode to Mr. L 's station, and 
 
 there I heard of a shocking murder which has 
 quite lately taken place in this neighbourhood. 
 The actors in this horrible tragedy were Edward 
 River blacks ; the victim a man of colour from 
 the United States, settled for some years as a 
 pastrycook in Sydney. This poor fellovv gave up 
 a remunerative business that he might go to the 
 Port Phillip gold diggings, and was travelling 
 this way in company with a white comrade. He 
 was unfortunately seen by some members of a 
 tribe of blacks belonging to this neighbourhood, 
 who followed him, chased him, and drove several 
 spears jagged with bits of glass through his back, 
 working them up and down in his body as he lay 
 on the ground. His comrade, insane with terror,
 
 180 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 ran, or rather flew, to the nearest station, the 
 blacks at first following him with his bundle which 
 he had dropped, and begging him to take it, as 
 they did not wish to hurt him. They then cut up 
 the corpse of their victim into three or four pieces, 
 buried them, and taking up his bundle, as well as 
 the bundie of his comrade, walked very uncon- 
 cernedly into the store at the Company's station, 
 and gave them up to the storekeeper, saying that 
 they had found them on the road. Now this 
 dreadful crime has arisen from a most lamentable 
 blunder. As I believe I have said before, all the 
 tribes or families of the indigenes which are 
 scattered over the whole face of the country, are 
 in a state of natural warfare with one another. 
 Sometimes alliances are concluded between them ; 
 but without such an alliance, every black who 
 ventures into another territory is liable to be 
 assassinated. Now these stupid blacks mistook 
 this poor American black for one of themselves, 
 and thus considered his life lawtully forfeited. 
 They disdained to touch his property. A black 
 expressed to me to-day great indignation at their 
 stupidity, saying, that they ought to have known 
 the difference between "black fellow" and " white 
 man's black fellow." It may be supposed that 
 the whole country is much excited about this 
 occurrence. The mounted police have been gal- 
 loping about shooting the wrong people, and
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 181 
 
 letting the guilty authors of the outrage escape. 
 They have shot a lame old woman, I believe. 
 
 May 23. — Held Divine Service at the Doctor's 
 hut at Maiden's Punt. Ten adults and fifteen 
 children attended — quite a refreshing number, in 
 comparison with the very few which usually 
 attend my ministrations. 
 
 May 27. — After three or four days of heavy 
 travelling over boggy ground, the horses having 
 scarce anything to eat, I arrived at a station on 
 the Barratta Creek, where I had a fine black swan 
 served up for dinner, stewed. It ate very like 
 rather tough fricasseed rabbit. 
 
 May 28. — After crossing the Edward River in 
 a frail canoe of bark, and swimming my horse 
 over two or three deep creeks, I arrived at the 
 hospitable and superior head -station of Mr. 
 G . 
 
 June 1, — My horses have strayed away, so 
 that I am doomed to remain here in a state of 
 inactivity. In the evening I attended a native 
 corrobery; or what would be called by the whites, 
 a soiree dansante. The old men sat and smoked, 
 the women drummed on skins, and the young 
 men enacted pantomimic dances. These ballets 
 were of diverse character : some were joyous, 
 others warlike, others licentious, whilst one was 
 funereal. According to their character, so the 
 women chanted. Naked and painted as the
 
 182 DIARY OP A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 dancers were, they looked like demons as they 
 flitted to and fro among the watchfires. These 
 ballets are not improvised, I find. They are 
 carefully concocted in some other district on the 
 Australian continent, and passed from tribe to 
 tribe until the popular taste gets tired of them ; 
 just as performances of a like description pass 
 from one European nation to another. I found 
 that all the dances I saw to-night had come from 
 the coast of South Australia. 
 
 June 10. — Still detained at Mr. G 's sta- 
 tion by the loss of my horses, studying the 
 " Memorable Relations" of that strange writer of 
 fiction, Count Swedenborg. A black fellow told me 
 that a carcase of that wonderful beast the bunyip 
 is lying rotting on a sand-hill nine miles off. On 
 further inquiries I find that the tremendous 
 floods now prevailing would render it impossible 
 for me to get there without much peril and 
 difficulty ; but if I were quite sure that the 
 statement were true I would go, nevertheless. I 
 also hear of a savage, voracious reptile, called the 
 " mindci," which is said to haunt the Billibong 
 plains. It is, so they say, about twenty feet long, 
 three feet in circumference, and has short legs. 
 
 June 15. — My horses came back of their own 
 accord, so that I was able to get on ; but the 
 weather is atrocious, and the roads of melted 
 caoutchouc. The longer 1 stay in this country,
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 183 
 
 the more hopeless does my position seem. The 
 floods in winter and the droughts in summer 
 render the life of a clergyman one of great diffi- 
 culty and self-denial. It must be recollected, that 
 riding a horse and leading another over boggy 
 ground for twenty-five miles, is quite as fatiguing 
 as walking ten. And the sole refreshment after 
 such a day's exercise consists of poisonous green 
 tea without milk, lean beef without vegetables, 
 and heavy damper. 
 
 June 17. — Arrived at my head- quarters on the 
 Edward. Hear of three men being drowned at 
 Deniliquin, and of the stock-keeper at Kieta being 
 drowned ; and of a woman with her three children, 
 who were bushed for three days and three nights. 
 I also hear that the blacks on the Darling, where 
 I hope to go as soon as I can, have become very 
 insolent lately, and have murdered some white 
 shepherds. The expression used by my informant 
 was, that they had become very "jolly" of late. 
 I see by the journals that an immense immigra- 
 tion is expected from England. 
 
 June 20. — Hear of some bushrangers on the 
 Sydney side who robbed a gentleman, stripped 
 him naked, and tied him across a nest of huge 
 black ants, which ate all the flesh off his bones. 
 He was their old master, who, by his severity, 
 had caused them to take to the bush. 
 
 June 21. — It having been always the object of
 
 184 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 my wishes to visit the confluence of the Darling 
 and the Murray, not only from being informed 
 that the visit of a Minister would be very accept- 
 able to the people of that district, but also on 
 account of various objects of interest to be seen 
 there, I started this morning at half-past nine 
 from my head-quarters on the Edward River for 
 the sheep-station of Canally, on the Murrum- 
 bidgee. Yet at the outset some difficulties oc- 
 curred which might have affected a sensitive mind. 
 My stipend is paid by a certain number of sub- 
 scribers, among whom the names of the Darling 
 squatters do not figure. My people then seem 
 not altogether well pleased that I should venture 
 a hundred miles away from the limits of the sub- 
 scription list, although they know that there must 
 be people to be married, children to be baptized, 
 women to be churched, and, above all, a popula- 
 tion growing up in a most far-off district, totally 
 destitute of clerical visiting or of religious minis- 
 trations. But as I know that my health will not 
 allow me to remain much longer in this extraor- 
 dinary country, and that after me no one pro- 
 bably will dare to come for a long time, I have 
 thought fit to set at defiance the half-smothered 
 remonstrances of the subscription list, and to do 
 the best 1 can for my neglected fellow-Christians 
 during the remainder of my stay here. Arriving 
 at the Lake Yauga, we turned to the left, and
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 185 
 
 found the road intricate and swampy. A cold wind 
 blew too, bringing with it showers of rain ; and 
 although we rode hard, we at one time almost 
 despaired of arriving at our hospitable resting- 
 place before nightfall. If we had not done so, we 
 should have had to bush it. Providentially we 
 regained the track which we had lost for a short 
 time, and leaving the " howling wilderness/'' with 
 its bleak plains and ragged forests of stunted 
 timber, arrived at six to receive a hearty welcome 
 from the kind-hearted and intelligent proprietor 
 of the run. 
 
 June 23. — It has rained without intermission 
 from morning to night. The superintendent has 
 promised to obtain for me against my return the 
 'upper jaw of some extraordinary animal, which 
 the blacks describe as a sort of bear or sloth. 
 Towards nightfall we swam our horses over the 
 Murrumbidgee, that we might be ready to start 
 early to-morrow morning. 
 
 June 24. — Raining in torrents, without inter- 
 mission, the whole of the day. Journey deferred 
 until to-morrow. 
 
 June 25. — I started from Canally at half-past 
 
 eight, and arrived at Mr. R 's station on the 
 
 Murray at three. The country we traversed is 
 very bad for stock, with the exception of some 
 small plains. Passed on my left a pretty lake of 
 about six miles in circumference, which is fed by
 
 186 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 the Murrumbidgee. Although it has never been 
 known to be dry since the discovery of the 
 country, fragments of salt-bush exist at its 
 bottom. The Murray here is at present 200 
 yards in width, and rolls at a majestic pace. 
 
 June 27 (Sunday). — Rode twenty-two miles to 
 Euston, a township consisting of four or five huts 
 and a public-house, situated on a pretty plain, 
 bounded on the north by forest land and on the 
 south by the Murray. We passed on our left 
 the Lakes Proa and Benanee, the latter very ex- 
 tensive, with bold banks all round. As we rode 
 rapidly along an excellent track, a flight of black 
 cockatoos flew past — precursors of rain. Saw 
 several shrubs unknown on the Edward River, 
 and indicative of a very hot climate. At Euston 
 I held Divine Service immediately on my arrival, 
 and had a very well-behaved congregation of 
 twenty persons. Three children of the publican 
 were baptized during the service. I was hospit- 
 ably entertained by Mr. Cole, the Government 
 Commissioner of Crown Lands for the district, 
 who has fixed his head-quarters at Euston, and 
 who has become justly renowned over the Austra- 
 lian world for his frank hospitality and his excel- 
 lent salads, in the fabrication of which he seems 
 to have attained a rare skill. And what renders 
 these salads objects of wonder as well as good 
 taste is, that no one can discover where the
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 187 
 
 vegetable portion of the ingredients comes from ; 
 for Euston is a country which I should conceive 
 would only produce salt-bush and coarse grass 
 one portion of the year, and sirocco and dust the 
 other. It is well not to pry into harmless mys- 
 teries. There lay the salad on his hospitable 
 board, in all its exquisite proportions of much 
 oil, little vinegar, hard eggs, anchovy sauce, 
 pepper, salt, &c. What grass or herb would not 
 pass current with such condiments ? Our dinner- 
 party consisted not only of myself and my two 
 friends, squatters, who have accompanied me 
 
 thus far, but also of Mr. L , who is on his 
 
 way to take his Commissionership of the Lower 
 Darling, to which he is just appointed, and a clever 
 young German, a medical man, who is on his 
 way from South Australia to the diggings. The 
 conversation at table was animated and instruc- 
 tive, and turned on many subjects. They dis- 
 coursed on a remarkable bird found in the 
 district, called the Looa, four of which, Gibbs, the 
 publican, is bringing up, and which I subse- 
 quently saw. These birds are every way like a 
 mixture of the pheasant and partridge, and are 
 very fair eating. But they do not hatch their 
 young in the ordinary way. They lay their eggs, 
 carefully arranged in a pyramidal form, placing 
 leaves and herbage between each layer. Then 
 comes rain, and afterwards sun, which causes
 
 18S DIARY OP A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 decomposition of the vegetable matter. The 
 young birds, then, are hatched by the intense 
 heat that ensues. It is a great boon for the 
 blacks and whites to find an egg magazine. One 
 heap will be composed of many hundreds, in all 
 stages of advancement. As the indigenes prefer 
 eggs with chicks in them, and the whites without, 
 a whole pyramid is soon devoured, and all parties 
 but the parent proprietors, satisfied. I heard 
 also evidence which goes far to prove that the 
 bunyip is but a large and voracious otter. 
 
 June 30 — At mid-day started westward, in 
 company with the new Commissioner for the 
 Lower Darling, another gentleman, and two 
 mounted troopers. We thought to strike a 
 sheep-station called Tapaulen by sun-down, but 
 somehow, after passing Mount Dispersion, we 
 missed our way, and travelled onward, onward, 
 until eight at night, without being able to find 
 our desired haven. The wind blew coolly, 
 showers of rain fell, and we would have been 
 content with a fire and some hot tea. But that 
 was not to be. We became entangled in a huge 
 bend ot the Murray, and were perfectly non- 
 plussed as to our whereabouts. By and by we 
 smelt fire, which was great joy; and after ten 
 minutes' riding in the direction of the smell, we 
 saw, by the light of the moon, smoke rising 
 among the forest trees A few minutes then
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 189 
 
 brought us into a blacks' camp, close to which 
 was a large flock of sheep put up for the night. 
 We soon discovered that we had long passed the 
 track leading to the sheep-station ; that if we 
 decided to go there, we should have to ride back 
 six miles, three miles of which would be deeply 
 covered with water, the Murray flood being out; 
 and, moreover, that as all the adult males of the 
 camp were away fishing, we should not be able to 
 obti.in a guide. Nothing, then, was left for us 
 but to unsaddle our horses, hobble them, let 
 them loose into the surrounding forest, arrange 
 the saddles for our pillows, and compose ourselves 
 to sleep supperless by the watch-fires of the 
 blacks. \Ye might have killed a sheep from the 
 flock, for they all belonged to our friend at the 
 station ; but the trouble would have been great, 
 the fresh meat would have been tough, and there 
 was no bread to eat with it : so we soon gave up 
 that design, and composed ourselves to rest as we 
 best could. This blacks' camp was arranged 
 more regularly than any I had yet seen. For 
 fifty yards extended in a straight direction large 
 pieces of bark, propped slantwise on poles, in 
 such a position that the whole of a human body, 
 except the feet, could find shelter under them. 
 Close to where the feet of the inmates would pro- 
 trude was a row of watch-fires. At either end of 
 the row were placed, at right angles, large huts
 
 190 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 (if such could be called huts), tenanted by the 
 old men of the tribe, who from their position 
 could survey all that passed in the row. This 
 tribe, it seemed, were not so savage but that they 
 were trusted to take care of a flock of sheep, now 
 that white labour, in consequence of the diggings, 
 was so very scarce. But our difficulty was to 
 find a spot where we could place ourselves 
 among the forty or fifty sleeping women and 
 children. Among them we must go, for to sleep 
 in the long wet grass was not to be thought of. 
 But the women themselves did not seem parti- 
 cularly anxious for an increase to their society. 
 They had composed themselves to sleep, and did 
 not wish to be disturbed. After walking down 
 the whole file, looking out for gaps where we 
 could niche ourselves, we espied here and there 
 crevices between the sleeping people. In these 
 crevices we ensconced ourselves, bribing our un- 
 willing entertainers with tobacco. The rest of 
 the night was one of torment to me. Pangs of 
 hunger, the gnawings of innumerable fleas, the 
 passionate outpourings of the youthful blacks, 
 the distant howl of the wild dog, the consequent 
 uneasiness of the two or three thousand sheep, 
 their occasional bleating too, the hissing of the 
 fires as the rain fell upon them, the noise insepa- 
 rable from seventy or eighty human creatures, 
 many of them children, congregated together,
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 191 
 
 'prevented my slumbers from being anything but 
 very transitory. And every now and then the 
 grim, dirty old woman, who was snatching a few 
 uneasy slumbers near me, would jump up, throw 
 off her only covering, an opossum rug, and trim 
 the fire, or throw a flaming brand with a shrill 
 cry among the uneasy and rushing sheep. And 
 then she would come to my side, and previous to 
 lying down, address a few grunts to me, kindly 
 intimating that she hoped I was comfortable. 
 Thus grimly articulating, she laid down, wrapped 
 her rug about her, and consigned herself to 
 slumber; alas! soon to be disturbed. During one 
 of the pauses in the old creature's activity, a 
 younger woman, who had a most diminutive 
 baby, inquired by signs if I were hungry. I re- 
 plied in the same language that I assuredly was. 
 She then took from under her head a netted bag, 
 which served her for a pillow, sat up, and began 
 taking out the contents. What these were, I 
 cannot say ; rags and dirt, and small morsels of 
 things, seemed the chief component parts. But 
 at the bottom there was a piece of flesh, black 
 and chaired from the effects of too-rapid cookery. 
 It had a peculiar smell — not that of decay — to 
 which I took an instant repugnance. With the 
 kindest expression and the most good-natured 
 smile she took it up, gave it to me, and pressed 
 me to eat it. I took it to the fire; looked at it;
 
 192 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 smelt it ; could make nothing of it ; returned to 
 her and asked her, what manner of flesh it was. 
 Was it sheep? no; was it ox ? no; was it kan- 
 garoo ? no. In fact, I named, or rather imitated 
 all the animals of the country, save one, and it 
 was not their flesh. So I returned it with many- 
 grateful acknowledgements. But she seemed so 
 hurt that I would not touch it, and used so many 
 amiable entreaties, that I thought of the touching 
 language of Mungo Park, and saw a fresh illus- 
 tration of the beautiful verses of our great novel- 
 ist, that woman is in our time of need a minister- 
 ing angel. The tribe were half starved ; the 
 return of the men was looked for with impatience; 
 this poor creature was half famished, and yet she 
 frankly and freely offered me, a stranger, her 
 mite — all that she had, whatever it was, and was 
 very chagrined that I took it not. 
 
 July 1. — Arose at sunrise from most un- 
 comfortable slumbers, and proceeded to find and 
 saddle my horses. Regaining the beaten track 
 we travelled on as fast as we could, every now 
 and then catching glimpses of the Murray 
 majestically rolling along. Sometimes we came 
 to fertile flats which the river, in times of great 
 floods, covers ; sometimes the road took us over 
 the brow of cliffs 150 feet high, overhanging the 
 w;ttcrs. From these eminences we could see the 
 impervious Malice scrub stretching away on our
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 193 
 
 right, into an unexplored country, as far as the 
 eye could reach. No signs of human beings met 
 our eye, no hut, no blacks' camp, no traces of 
 sheep or cattle. Once or twice, through an 
 opening in the glade, we saw large ponds fed by 
 the Murray, round which flocks of pelican were 
 disporting and washing themselves, with their 
 snow-white plumage glistering in the morning 
 sun. Seeing a black fishing in the river; we rode 
 up to him, hoping to change some tobacco against 
 his fish : but the poor fellow had caught none, 
 and looked as hungry as we did. After passing 
 the Golgol Creek, which is twenty-two miles 
 from the junction of the Darling, and having on 
 our right the Golgol mountains, which seemed to 
 me no more mountains than the Surrey hills are, 
 we turned to our left into an extensive bend of 
 the Murray, and arrived at four in the afternoon 
 
 opposite the head-station of Mr. J But it 
 
 was not yet given to us to enjoy the hospitality 
 of our worthy friend. The inmates of the hut 
 had to be summoned, blacks had to be shouted 
 for, and a canoe had to be procured and launched 
 upon the intervening waters. We were then 
 passed over the Murray one by one, the saddles, 
 bridles, and baggage last. So we sat down to 
 some green tea, bacon, and damper (nothing else 
 of any sort was at hand), four-and-twenty hours 
 after our time, having ridden eighteen hours since 
 
 o
 
 194 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 last breaking our fast. I should have felt the 
 inconvenience of this journey much more if one 
 of my companions, who had been an officer in 
 the Austrian army, had not recited to me at 
 intervals the wondrous ballads of Schiller, with 
 his own translations. 
 
 July 2. — I found the hut full of interesting 
 books, among which was Sismondi's " History of 
 European Literature," which I was delighted to 
 get. One of my companions i3 laid up with 
 dysentery, brought on by his being unaccustomed 
 to such severe exercise. Sent to a station on the 
 Darling, twenty-five miles off, for some calomel 
 and chalk for him. 
 
 July 4 (Sundaij). — Rode with my kind host 
 to a neighbouring station, where I held Divine 
 Service, and baptized no less than eight children. 
 Four married women were there, with numerous 
 families. The Service consisted of the Lessons, 
 Litany, the Communion Service, and a Sermon. 
 The reason of my finding so large a congregation 
 in this secluded district is, that many people are 
 passing by this route overland from South Aus- 
 tralia to the Port Phillip diggings, and many of 
 my attendants to-day were composed of these 
 searchers for gold. Among the children whom 
 I baptized were two belonging to an actor from 
 Adelaide, who was on his way to fulfil an engage- 
 ment at the Geelong Theatre. By an unaccount-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 195 
 
 able fatuity, this poor fellow chose to travel 
 overland, although his wife was near her confine- 
 ment, instead of making the voyage by sea. 
 He had been already seven weeks on the way; 
 his wife had brought forth a child; his mates had 
 basely deserted him, taking away the two horses; 
 and, as he assured me with tears in his eyes, for 
 many days he had yoked himself to his tilted 
 cart, and staggered along over the miry track, 
 drawing after him his sick, helpless wife, and his 
 three little children. His wife, too, had little or 
 nothing to give the baby, for she had scarce tasted 
 farinaceous food for a month, and was, conse- 
 quently, in poor health. Giving him as much as 
 I could afford to relieve his wants, I told him to 
 ask the mistress of the station, in my name, to 
 spare him a little flour at her own price. No one 
 would sell him any on the road, for every one 
 feared great scarcity, owing to the disorganisation 
 of all carrier communication. In a subsequent 
 conversation he told me that he, his wife, and 
 eldest girl, were to receive 71. a-week from the 
 manager of the Geelong Theatre, and that he 
 was very anxious to get there. I asked him 
 what his forte was, and he answered, brightening 
 up, " Why, sir, my forte, 1 may say, is high 
 tragedy. I am great in Richard the Third, in 
 Iago, and Shylock. I have also drawn very good 
 houses in genteel comedy ; and sometimes, on
 
 196 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 particular occasions, when hands are short, I play 
 clown." As he hesitated a little about giving 
 this last proof of the versatility of his talents, I 
 re-assured him by observing that I had heard 
 that Edmund Kean had played at Swansea, on the 
 same night, Richard III., Paul in " Paul and 
 Virginia," and Harlequin in the pantomime. 
 So, after a little, serious conversation, he pro- 
 mising me that his theatrical engagements should 
 not prevent him from accompanying his family 
 to church on Sundays, we parted. 
 
 July 6. — My friend measured the Murray, 
 and found it 160 yards across. Five mounted 
 policemen arrived. They are to be stationed here, 
 by order of the Victoria Government. 
 
 July 7. — Having procured a black guide, named 
 Mickey, I proceeded across fertile plains, inter- 
 sected by belts of timber, to Dr. F 's station, 
 
 twenty-five miles off, and then, to my great joy, 
 found myself on the banks of that Darling, which 
 I had so long desired to see. I found it a muddy 
 stream of the colour of milk, fifty to seventy 
 yards wide, floating sluggishly between high 
 clay banks — about as unpicturesque an object 
 as possible. It is here fifteen miles from the 
 Murray, and I hear that its present character- 
 istics are maintained for 150 miles upwards. 
 1 saw four Darling pigeons, which belong to 
 the young ladies of the house. These Darling
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 197 
 
 pigeons are extremely pretty doves, with lavender, 
 purple,, and gold feathers. I saw, too, a proof 
 that the blacks here are wilder than on the Ed- 
 ward. Visiting the blacks' camp near the hut, 
 I found the young unmarried women sitting 
 without clothing of any description. On the 
 Edward, married women go entirely nude, but 
 not girls. Saw also some wild tobacco grow- 
 ing. 
 
 July 8. — Had much conversation with the 
 Doctor, who is a clever, intelligent man. He 
 tells me that the blacks are very wild and trouble- 
 some 150 miles up the river, and also that about 
 that distance, or perhaps ten miles further, 
 mountain ranges form about the river. I am 
 also assured, that in these parts there is found 
 an owl which barks like a dog; also a carni- 
 vorous kangaroo. I hear, too, tales of the mindei, 
 or great snake with legs, which, as the blacks de- 
 clare, eats the sheep ; although I suspect it is 
 a stalwart black biped that kills and eats them. 
 The aborigines here, too, obstinately persist in 
 their belief of the existence of the monstrous 
 bunyip. I was also shown what was called the 
 blossom of the mistletoe, a delicate crimson 
 flower, like a very attenuated fuchsia. In the 
 course of the day, two gentlemen arrived from an 
 expedition 200 miles up the Darling. The blacks
 
 198 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 have become so saucy of late in those parts that 
 they went armed, but found no difficulty. They 
 tell me that Fort Bourke is 500 miles up. No one 
 from these parts has yet gone further, I believe. 
 At night I read the Church Prayers and gave an 
 Exposition to a large society. We slept four in 
 the room, for the hut was crowded with casual 
 visitors. There was some interesting conversation 
 among my l'oom-fellows, sturdy young bushmen, 
 before going to sleep. They talked of tribes of 
 indigenes in the interior, of different characteris- 
 tics from any blacks which we know. They are 
 poor, wretched creatures, of dwarfish proportions 
 and ill habit of body, who inhabit the dense re- 
 cesses of the Mallee scrub in the far interior, and 
 who live, or rather starve, upon dead bodies or 
 vermin; or, in fact, anything they can chew. They 
 have scarce any arms, and whatever they do 
 catch, they catch by means of springes. When 
 they are hard-pressed by hunger they devour 
 their children ; and as for water, they find it at the 
 roots of the Mallee. The other blacks have the 
 greatest abhorrence of them, and kill them when- 
 ever they find' them ; so the poor creatures retire 
 into their friendly impenetrable Mallee, and live 
 there. They arc of the same race with their 
 neighbours, but have physically degenerated from 
 persecution and starvation. None of my inform-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 199 
 
 ants had seen any of these unfortunate beings, 
 but they had conversed with blacks who had. 
 They also told me of a bushman, who from 
 the Adelaide side, striking the Darling about 
 300 miles up, had come upon a beautiful 
 valley, surrounded by lofty cliffs, and watered 
 by many streams, where the blacks told him 
 was plenty of the bright yellow metal of which 
 his watch-chain and seals were composed. But 
 he was so anxious to get on, that he stayed not 
 to search. And they told me that 150 miles up 
 the Darling there is a tree, something like the 
 ash, which has an extraordinary spotted bark 
 to it. Thus discoursing we fell asleep. 
 
 July 9. — Put into my valise two bulbs of the 
 beautiful Darling lily, and after bidding farewell 
 to my amiable and clever host and his wife and 
 sister, two sons and two daughters, who had all 
 treated me with so much kindness, I crossed the 
 Darling, and rode about fourteen miles to Mr. 
 
 W 's station, a settler on the Ana-branch of 
 
 the Darling. This is a part of the stream, which 
 abandons its parent ninety miles away and joins 
 it again near here. I found the poor man in 
 great grief, for he has lately lost his wife, and is 
 left with five young children. I scarcely know 
 how he will be enabled to get on at all now, 
 isolated as he is. I baptized the two youngest
 
 200 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 children. He told me that the Ana-branch of 
 the Darling has water six months in the year : 
 also that the blacks in his neighbourhood are 
 very wild and troublesome, killing the sheep and 
 spearing the cattle of the squatters. In the after- 
 noon I arrived, after a two-hours' ride, at the 
 Junction Inn, a comfortable public-house, situated 
 just below the junction of the Darling with the 
 Murray, and here I slept. I have now arrived at 
 the western confine of my journey, and to-morrow 
 must turn my horses' heads eastward. Not that 
 I have arrived at the Adelaide frontier: from that 
 I am still sixty miles away ; but the great floods, 
 which they say are rapidly coming down the 
 Murray, warn me to get to my head-quarters as 
 soon as possible. I am now 321 miles from 
 Maiden's Punt, the south-eastern point of my 
 district, according to the following distances : 
 From Maiden's Punt (Moama) on the Murray, 
 to Deniliquin on the Edward River, it is 
 fifty miles; from Deniliquin to Moolamon is 
 seventy miles; from Moolamon to Canally 
 station, on the Murrain bidgee, is sixty-two 
 miles; from Canally to Euston, on the Murray, 
 is fifty-seven miles; and from Euston to the 
 junction of the Darling with the Murray, eighty- 
 two miles. During the fatigues and anxieties in- 
 separable from so long a journey, I have been
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 201 
 
 cheered and encouraged by the good-natured 
 respect which has been paid to me, especially by 
 the lower classes. 
 
 July 10. — Before starting on my return, I 
 visited the confluence of the Darling with the 
 Murray. The former does not run into the 
 latter at right angles, but flows side by side 
 with its potent friend for a short space, as if 
 wishing to prove him before entering into his 
 society. At the confluence the Darling has 
 now a width of 160 yards, and the Murray 
 300 yards. This latter is very grand and 
 majestic, and capable, I should think, of float- 
 ing the largest ship in the world. It is 
 strange, that the only boats which plough its 
 waters should be ferry-boats and the frail bark- 
 canoe of the savage. Contemplating this grand 
 sight, the object of my wishes for so many years, 
 I came upon a blacks' camp. They asked me to 
 buy some delicate fishes, which were most artist- 
 ically arranged in leaves, and bound together with 
 osier twigs. These blacks seem an intelligent, 
 fine race, and calculate acutely the value of every- 
 thing of which they have to dispose. One of 
 them, named Moses, exactly resembles the type 
 of the Assyrian, as portrayed in the Nineveh 
 sculptures. In a few years these sons of the 
 Australian desert will have faded away, and the 
 grand-children of their successors will perhaps
 
 202 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 curiously search into the habits and customs of 
 those who held the soil before them. After 
 crossing my horses in the ferry-boat over the 
 
 Darling, I arrived at nightfall at Mr. J 's 
 
 station. 
 
 July 11 {Sunday). — Had Morning Service. 
 Among others were present three black police, 
 with a corporal and sergeant. These poor heathens 
 went through the dispositions of posture required 
 by our Service with military precision, although 
 they understand nothing of English, save the 
 words of command, and the few expressions min- 
 gled up with the lingua franca which forms our 
 only means of verbal communication with them. 
 The police service seems to be the only channel, 
 by which the natives can be made serviceable to 
 the social system which now surrounds them. 
 They make most excellent mounted police, 
 although it is necessary to restrain their ferocity 
 towards delinquents of their own people. To mis- 
 sionary enterprises, I fear, they are completely 
 impervious, on account of their having no reflec- 
 tive capacities. They, however, possess a sort of 
 conscience, which places them in some moral 
 relations above the level of many baptized 
 Christians. They do not every now and then 
 endeavour to subvert the form of government 
 which (however rude) is established amongst 
 them ; they do not steal ; they make an equal
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 203 
 
 division of whatever they have amongst one 
 another, so that there are none poorer than their 
 neighbours — no pariahs of society among them; 
 and most of them, ragged or naked as they may 
 be, have a certain rude dignity of carriage, which 
 entitles them to every benevolent feeling on our 
 part. 
 
 July 12. — Started for Euston, being a com- 
 pany of four persons with nine horses. After 
 travelling till nightfall, we made up our minds to 
 camp out; but we luckily came upon a shepherd's 
 hut, where we obtained shelter for the night. The 
 shepherd told us, that the Murray floods were 
 coming down so fast that by to-morrow night 
 the hut will be surrounded by the waters, conse- 
 quently this is his last night. 
 
 July 13. — Rode to Euston, having camped 
 and rested and lunched in the middle of the day ; 
 a thing I had never seen done before. 
 
 July 14. — A number of persons are crossing 
 their drays over the Murray. They tie empty 
 casks to them, to float them, and then tow them 
 to the opposite bank. The bullocks, of course, 
 swim. 
 
 July 17. — Turning over a box of worm-eaten 
 books, which I found in a hut on the bank of the 
 river, I discovered among others a translation of 
 Plato's "Timseus." I also found the second part 
 of the "Faust," translated by Reid — a most phan-
 
 201 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 tasmagoric sort of drama, in parts quite incompre- 
 hensible. 
 
 July 18. — Held Divine Service at the inn at 
 Euston, and baptized three children. A worthy- 
 squatter from the south bank of the Murray attended 
 Service. He has a most excellent kitchen-garden, 
 the produce of which is sure. But on this side, 
 nothing in the shape of garden vegetation is sure. 
 Just when everything looks in the best order and 
 ready for eating, the north wind will come on, 
 and, like the simoom of the desert, blast and 
 wither all before it. This is what, I fear, will 
 prevent a large population from ever settling on 
 the northern bank of the Murray. What the soil 
 will luxuriantly produce, the hot wind will de- 
 stroy. I heard to-day of the immense fatigue 
 and danger which the surveyors underwent who, 
 some years ago, surveyed and marked out the 
 boundary between the Adelaide and Victoria ter- 
 ritory. They drew a line from the Murray to the 
 sea at the mouth of the river Glenelg, following 
 the 141st degree of east longitude. A great por- 
 tion of the country surveyed, consists of dense 
 Mallee scrub. Through that, these intrepid en- 
 gineers had to cut their way, and many times 
 were on the point of perishing for want of 
 water. 
 
 July 21. — llode to Canally on the Murrum- 
 bidgee, in company with the proprietor of the sta-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 205 
 
 tion. The floods are coming down in such a 
 volume, that my friend was forced to get a black 
 to guide him to his own place. The last two 
 miles lay through flooded ground in the midst of 
 huge bulrushes, which far overtopped my head as 
 I sat on horseback. 
 
 July 28. — After much fatigue I returned to 
 my head-quarters, having been absent on my 
 Darling expedition since the 21st of June. Pound 
 a letter from the Bishop of Sydney, in which he 
 appoints me to the district of the Surrey Hills 
 in Sydney. 
 
 July 31. — This morning, water was found 
 frozen an inch thick on the plains. 
 
 Aug. 1. — Gave some clothes to a poor fellow 
 who has lately been lost on the plains, without 
 food, as he says, for eleven days. He is, as may 
 be supposed, in a most miserable state, with a 
 corpse-like complexion. His toes, too, are drop- 
 ping off from exposure to frost and wet. For one 
 to lose his way in this country, who is not a good 
 bushman, is very perilous. Not long ago, the 
 bones of a man and dog were found near here, 
 who had both perished from starvation. The 
 skeleton of the poor faithful dog was found 
 nestling close to that of his master. The man's 
 Prayer-book was found in his pocket, with his 
 name written in it. 
 
 Aug. 3. — Heard a story of a young colonial
 
 206 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 lady, who could " talk bullock " so well, that she 
 could do anything with the animals. But subse- 
 quently her parents had got rich, and she had be- 
 come refined and pretentious. One day walking 
 with her lover, a young gentleman just arrived 
 from England, and unacquainted with colonial 
 ways, both in great toilet, she spied one of her 
 father's bullocks in a dray, which had lain down 
 sulky, and absolutely refused to move. The driver, 
 too, was a new hand, and could do nothing with 
 the obstinate beast. The young lady, carried away 
 by the exigencies of the moment, took the whip 
 as in days of old, struck the animal a sharp blow, 
 and cried, " Devil burst you, Ginger ! get up ! " 
 This delicate langue cle bceuf had a most magical 
 effect. The recreant Ginger immediately arose, 
 and walked away vigorously with his load. Whether 
 the lover walked away without his, I was not able 
 to learn. 
 
 Aug. 10. — Began my journey towards Sydney. 
 My route will lie by Melbourne, and then on by 
 sea. The rainy season is now at its worst ; and if 
 I do not make haste, the heavy floods that are 
 coming down the Murray will keep me a prisoner 
 perhaps for months. 
 
 Aug. 13. — I was on horseback ten hours, tra- 
 velling up the Edward. The floods were out, so 
 for hours the water was up to the horses' breasts. 
 I arrived at a public-house in a pitchy dark-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 207 
 
 ness, illuminated at intervals by flashes of 
 lightning. 
 
 Aug. 14. — On horseback for nine hours. The 
 plains are in a fearful state of swamp. We were 
 obliged to walk the horses for miles through deep 
 water, uncertain too of the exact position of the 
 banks of the river. I never suffered so much from 
 fatigue as I did to-day. 
 
 Aug. 15 (Sunday). — Rode on about two hours 
 to a public-house between the Edward and the 
 Murray. The flood being out, the journey was 
 dangerous. Held Divine Service, at which twelve 
 attended, and behaved most decorously. At his 
 earnest request, I administered a pledge of absti- 
 nence to a man named Charles Brown, who is 
 going to the diggings. He promised to confine 
 himself to three half-noggins of spirits per diem 
 for the next six months, and that only as a matter 
 of necessity. I made him write out and sign 
 his promise on paper, and then exhorted him to 
 trust in a higher Power for grace to carry out 
 his good intentions. At first, this half-and-half 
 temperance vow seemed ridiculous to me, but on 
 farther consideration I reflected that I had no 
 right to repel any one coming to me with good 
 intentions, that half-temperance is better than 
 no temperance at all, and that the Church should 
 never refuse to meet people half way. The man 
 was pleased at having signed the contract, showed
 
 208 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 it to his mates, declared he would keep to it re- 
 ligiously, and ended by pressing me to accept a 
 bottle of wine of him for my trouble. I think he 
 will keep the pledge. He could have had none 
 but honest intentions in coming to me, as he did, 
 to administer it. As to his proviso of the three 
 half-noggins, I like him the better for it ; it shows 
 candour on his part. Besides, it is impossible to 
 work at the diggings in this inclement weather, 
 up to one's knees in water, without some sti- 
 mulant, 
 
 Aug. 23. — Rode to Maiden's Punt, hoping 
 to cross my horses ; but the proprietor of the 
 ferry absolutely refuses to attempt it. I bap- 
 tized three children belonging to a man who is 
 just starting for the diggings. He insisted on 
 paying me. I said that our Church did not sell 
 the Sacraments. He said that the clerk must be 
 paid. I answei'ed, that there was no clerk. He 
 then said, roughly, that he did not wish anything 
 from anybody, not even the Church, without pay- 
 ment. I told him that, in the present case, there 
 was no other alternative. He then went away 
 in a rude manner. 
 
 Aug. 25. — Find that the man, whose children 
 I baptized yesterday, has gone away at daybreak, 
 and left a packet for me. On opening a very 
 dirty bit of white-brown paper, tightly twisted, I 
 found at least three ounces of small nuggets of
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 209 
 
 pure gold in it. So he gained his point after all. 
 Visited the camp of a remarkably fine tribe of 
 blacks, who are temporarily located here. They 
 have twenty-five canoes with them, and about a 
 hundred lean, mangy, barking, wolf-like curs. 
 
 Aug. 28. — Incessant rains and tremendous 
 floods. Hear that many squatters in my district 
 are thinking of leaving their head-stations on 
 the banks of creeks and rivers, and of retiring 
 into the back plains. I conceive that, if ever 
 there should be great simultaneous floods in the 
 Murray and Murrumbidgee, nothing can save the 
 settlers and stock of the intervening plains from 
 being swept away. 
 
 Sept. 9. — After waiting sixteen days on the 
 banks of the Murray, I am able to cross the 
 swollen river, my horses having been swum over 
 yesterday. Getting into a small boat, two men 
 pulled me up the river some way. We then en- 
 tered a creek ; then punted over a lagoon, until 
 we came to the spot where my two horses were 
 grazing, hobbled. Thus I leave the district where 
 I have but very unsatisfactorily performed my 
 clerical duties during the space of sixteen months;* 
 for, during that time, I have been not unseldom 
 confined by the weather or state of the roads to 
 some solitary hut in thorough inaction. For 
 instance, during the 243 days which elapsed be- 
 * For the Cure to which the Bishop has transferred me. 
 
 P
 
 210 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 tween May 20, 1851, to Jan. 18, 1852, 159 only 
 were spent in ministerial work, while 84 were 
 passed doing nothing. And then, the huts are 
 so small and inconvenient, that retirement and 
 quiet study are out of the question. My calcu- 
 lation with regard to the weather in this country, 
 according to my experience, is as follows: Incessant 
 rains, resolving the tracks into glutinous swamps, 
 prevail from about June 8 to Sept. 23 == 109 
 days; droughts and heats of summer — extreme 
 heats, I mean, such as to render travelling dis- 
 agreeable, and almost impossible — prevail from 
 December to the end of March ; heavy floods — 
 rendering travelling intricate and very dangerous, 
 the more so, as the watercourses are very nume- 
 rous — prevail from September to November, at 
 least sixty-six days. Then, it must be recollected 
 that the various paddocks are short of good feed 
 for seven or eight months in the year. In short, 
 unexceptionable good travelling in the Edward 
 district, so far as climate, feed, and absence of 
 floods are concerned, I found to exist only from 
 Nov. 20 to about Dec. 10, a period of twenty 
 days. All the rest of the year is chequered by 
 some difficulty or other. Whoever my successor 
 may be, I hope he may be gifted with excellent 
 health, great capacity for enduring fatigue on 
 insufficient nourishment, and, above all, a patient, 
 meek disposition. Aud he must not expect a
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 211 
 
 very high appreciation of the sacrifices he makes 
 in coming into such a country. Many of the 
 squatters are not gentlemen, but rather people 
 who will broadly hint that, having paid a certain 
 sum towards a clergyman's support, they expect 
 to get something for their money in the shape of 
 so many visits a-year, be the weather what it 
 might. I imagine that the best mode of extend- 
 ing clerical ministrations to this district would be 
 to send an express itinerant minister, with a sur- 
 rogate's license, twice or thrice a-year over the 
 whole country, from Albury as far as the Adelaide 
 frontier. A permanent residence would be found 
 very unsatisfactory to any clergyman, on account 
 of the inaction to which, at all times, he would 
 be subjected from the state of the weather, of the 
 roads, and of the floods. If I were asked, if any 
 of the vast tract of country which composed my 
 district were capable of any other use than the 
 pasturing of sheep and cattle, for which it is ad- 
 mirably adapted, I should be inclined to answer in 
 the negative. For colonisation I should consider 
 it unsuited, because I do not think that grain could 
 be raised to support such a population. The soil 
 is by no means unfertile; but the hot wind from 
 the desert, blasts and withers everything. Crops 
 might be raised in the alluvial soil, which lies in 
 the close proximity of the rivers; but then care 
 must be taken that the grain be cut and carried
 
 212 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 before the floods come down, because this allu- 
 vial soil to which I allude is, in fact, the bed of 
 the numerous lagoons which border the water- 
 courses. The climate is particularly healthy ; 
 and under the influence of the dry, pure, trans- 
 parent atmosphere, men and horses are capable 
 of undergoing great fatigue. Kangaroo, and 
 emu, and bustards, called wild turkeys, abound 
 on the plains ; wild fowl and cray-fish about the 
 lagoons, and fine fish in the rivers; but the 
 squatters are too indolent to take advantage of 
 so much fine game, and prefer eating salt beef 
 and smoking strong tobacco at their fire-side, in 
 the midst of anticipations of bouts of intemper- 
 ance during the next wool season, at the hotels 
 of Sydney, Melbourne, or Adelaide. Having 
 mounted my horse, I rode southward. 
 
 As many feel interested in perusing thermo- 
 metrical observations, I produce two series, the 
 first taken in December, 1851, the second in 
 August, 1852, both of them taken from a ther- 
 mometer placed in a bedroom in a head-station, 
 not far from the Murray, in S. lat. 36° and 
 
 E. 
 
 long. 
 
 145° :— 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Dec. 20 
 
 ranging 
 
 from 78° 
 
 to 86° 
 
 
 
 21 
 
 ,, 
 
 „ 79 
 
 „ 88 
 
 
 
 22 
 
 II 
 
 „ 80 
 
 i, 94 
 
 
 
 23 
 
 11 
 
 ,, 86 
 
 ,, 106 
 
 
 
 24 
 
 >> 
 
 ii 80 
 
 ii 90 
 
 
 
 25 
 
 II 
 
 ii 82 
 
 i, 94
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 213 
 
 Dec. 26 ranging from 85° to 102° 
 
 27 „ „ 80 ,, 85 
 
 28 „ „ 70 ,, 80 
 
 29 „ ,, 70 „ 88 
 
 30 ,, „ 76 „ 90 
 
 31 „ ,, 59 „ 73 
 
 :• 12 „ 
 
 >> 
 
 45 
 
 „ 50 
 
 13 „ 
 
 »> 
 
 41 
 
 „ 45 
 
 H „ 
 
 i? 
 
 39 
 
 „ 45 
 
 15 „ 
 
 ») 
 
 38 
 
 „ 44 
 
 16 „ 
 
 >> 
 
 37 
 
 „ 49 
 
 17 „ 
 
 >» 
 
 39 
 
 „ 52 
 
 18 „ 
 
 i> 
 
 41 
 
 „ 54 
 
 Sq)t. 13. — On my road I met a vast number 
 of persons going to the diggings, in every de- 
 scription of vehicle, and with cattle completely 
 used up by the bogginess of the roads. 
 
 Sept. 18. — After sleeping at the inn called 
 Vinges', and paying a pound sterling for a night's 
 lodging for my two horses, I started for Mel- 
 bourne, a distance of twelve miles. To describe 
 the state of the road accurately would be impos- 
 sible. Let us imagine four feet of pitch half 
 cooled, and we should arrive at some idea of this 
 dozen miles of black loam trampled into a deep 
 mud by the hoofs of innumerable beasts. Woe 
 to the rider who lets his horse stand still a mo- 
 ment with his foreleg's together in this glutinous 
 mass. It would be difficult to get him out, even 
 with dismounting. Aud what dismounting ! I 
 met twenty-four bullocks drawing a dray, and
 
 214< DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 with difficulty they slowly progressed. And quite 
 pitiable it was to see poor families on their way 
 to the diggings in a cart drawn by one horse. 
 There were the children extended on the bedding, 
 screaming, while the lean horse stood still in the 
 mud, motionless as a statue, and the father and 
 mother, bogged up to the knees themselves, were 
 vainly pushing behind. Every now and then 
 came showers of rain to damp the little remaining 
 ardour of these searchers for gold. At times 
 suspicious-looking characters passed me, armed 
 to the teeth, who looked with a covetous eye on 
 the quantity of baggage I had on my spare horse. 
 This colony was the most desirable of all which 
 the Crown possesses. How changed now ! No 
 more tranquillity and good-fellowship between 
 the grades of society. All is confusion, selfish- 
 ness, license, and subversion of all respect for 
 worth, talent, and education. Brawn and muscle 
 are now the aristocracy, and insolently bear their 
 newly-assumed honours. In fact, we have here 
 the French Revolution without the guillotine. 
 \Vhen I arrived in Melbourne, I found the streets 
 full of a dirty, disorderly mob of people, many 
 of them tipsy, who seemed to take a delight in 
 setting the laws of decent behaviour at defiance. 
 At the hotel where I dined, the waiter was a 
 young gentleman who had passed his " little 
 go" at Trinity College, Cambridge. He told me
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 215 
 
 that the quantity of English sauces which the 
 people consumed with their beef and mutton was 
 something stupendous ; that he had remonstrated ; 
 that they had answered him impertinently ; that 
 he had kicked two men down-stairs ; and that his 
 master, unmindful of his own true interests, had 
 given him warning on this very account. I told 
 him that I thought his family would be more 
 satisfied at his undertaking some other employ- 
 ment than that of waiter at a Melbourne restau- 
 rant. I believe it was a former proprietor of this 
 inn who assumed a lion as his crest, with the 
 motto of " Noli irritare leonemP His name was 
 Lyons, a Hebrew by birth. 
 
 Oct. 2. — Met in Collins Street a coarse-looking 
 young woman, very gaily dressed, with a fine 
 baby in her arms, who, to my surprise, recognised 
 me with a loud voice, as the Minister who had 
 baptized her child in the bush. She wore a 
 French bonnet of a delicate lemon colour, with a 
 white lace veil ; a common cotton coloured hand- 
 kerchief tied round her red neck ; a new green 
 silk dress, sufficiently short to show coarse, puffy 
 legs and ankles, clothed with dirty socks, and thick 
 winter boots laced up in front. She had a short 
 and stocky figure, and from the redness of her 
 complexion seemed to have just risen from din- 
 ner. When she found that I rather shrank from 
 the warmth of her greeting, she said, " Don't you
 
 216 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 recollect me as hut-keeper at the head-station of 
 
 , and that you christened my baby, and 
 
 wouldn't take anything for doing it ? And now I 
 have got plenty of money and wish to make you 
 a present." I interrupted her by asking her 
 what she meant by walking about town without 
 her husband, dressed in that way ? " Oh ! " she 
 answered, " my husband knows all about it; he 
 is gone to the diggings for the second time, to get 
 some more gold." " Did he do pretty well on his 
 first visit to the diggings V J I asked. "Well, 
 thank God, he did very fairly ; he got 700/., and 
 he has given it all to me to take charge of till he 
 comes down again." This young woman, six 
 months before, was a raw, red-haired, savage 
 Scotch maid-of-all-work, at a sheep-station 200 
 miles in the interior, married to one of the shep- 
 herds. Her husband and she had left service, 
 gone to the diggings, and found this great prize. 
 She was now roaming about Melbourne, amusing 
 herself, and rendering herself entirely unfit for 
 the only thing nature ever intended her for — hard 
 labour. She finished a very voluble harangue in 
 answer to some advice I gave her, by praying me 
 to pay her a visit next morning, that she might 
 give me a handful of nuggets. But this is one 
 only of a thousand strange things which are 
 occurring. A lady told me yesterday that she 
 had just lost an excellent maidservant, who one
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 217 
 
 day was followed about by a digger, who pro- 
 posed himself off-hand to her, and backed his 
 arguments so opportunely by a heavy bag of gold 
 which weighed down his pocket, that the girl 
 when she came back, showing her mistress the 
 gold which the lover had given her to keep, con- 
 fessed that she was engaged to be married so 
 soon as a license could be procured. And this 
 marriage affair goes off thus. After the cere- 
 mony is over, and the officiating minister has 
 received generous proofs of the prodigality of the 
 contracting parties, the couple and their friends 
 drive to St. Kilda or Brighton, with a suite of 
 fortuitous applauding acquaintance. The toilette 
 of the ladies is something preposterously extra- 
 vagant. Their blue satin bonnets and white 
 ostrich feathers oppress their heads ; their crim- 
 son satin dresses blaze upon squat bodies, which 
 have been submitted for the first, and probably 
 the last time, to the screwing-in process of power- 
 ful stays. Next to the dress come the heavy 
 boots laced up in front. The coachman wears 
 blue and white ribbons ; so do the horses ; so even 
 does the whip, nay, even the spokes of the wheels. 
 During the journey, which takes half an hour to 
 an hour, English porter, beer, and champagne 
 are drunk by the driven and the drivers. On 
 their reaching the inn, an expensive banquet is 
 served, and the most expensive liquors which
 
 218 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 the colony affords are circulated in profusion. 
 Evening comes on, and everybody accumulates 
 drunkenness on himself. Night arrives, and the 
 whole party gallop back to Melbourne in the most 
 hopeless state of intoxication, having squandered 
 a sum which I dare not here name, for fear of en- 
 countering incredulity. A week is spent by the 
 married pair in all these delicate outpourings of 
 first love, and then satiety having intervened, and 
 the gold-bag having diminished, the new bride 
 awakes one morning without her partner at her 
 side, and discovers that he has bolted to the 
 diggings. She suffers great misery, and ulti- 
 mately discovers that her partner having got more 
 gold has married again in some other place, and 
 that, in fact, he has had two or three consorts 
 before herself. So she too, partly out of spite, 
 partly from destitution, resolves to marry again. 
 And thus the lower classes go on setting the 
 marriage laws at defiance, to the utter despair of 
 the clergymen, who see the inextricable social 
 confusion prevailing around them, without the 
 power to remedy it. It may be supposed that 
 the publicans reap a rich harvest from so much 
 social disorganisation. So fast are immigrants 
 arriving, that this class of people have their houses 
 crowded to suffocation, and sell their poisoned, 
 adulterated liquors at fabulous prices. But even 
 respectable landlords cannot prevent their houses
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 219 
 
 from being the scenes of low debauchery. Not 
 long ago, a party of diggers were sitting drinking 
 in the tap of a country inn, whilst a party of 
 squatters were dining in an adjoining room. A 
 strange idea seized the diggers : " Bring here," 
 they shouted to the barman, " three dozen of 
 champagne, and a large tub ! " It was brought. 
 " Now knock the tops of the bottles off, and pour 
 away into the tub ! " It was done. " Now get 
 three dozen of sherry, and three dozen of porter, 
 and mix it all up with the champagne ! " That 
 was done, too. The party then divested them- 
 selves of their boots and socks, sat round the tub, 
 and washed their feet in the mixture, amid shouts 
 of laughter and drunken cries. In a quarter of 
 an hour they again called the barman, and bid 
 him take the tub, with their compliments, to the 
 swells in the next room, that they (the swells) 
 may drink to their health in it; adding, "the 
 swells have had it their own way long enough • 
 it is now the poor man's turn." In the midst of 
 all this social turmoil, the Colonial Government, 
 although a little taken aback, acts, on the whole, 
 with that firmness and good sense which British 
 gentlemen always show in cases of emergency. 
 And the press, too, setting apart a little too much 
 party violence, nobly seconds the cause of order. 
 The difficulty now is to get a sufficient police 
 force on foot to check the disorder which prevails,
 
 220 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 for men who come to dig gold will not act as 
 policemen unless very well remunerated. A 
 horse patrol has been established, the privates of 
 which receive 85. per diem, exclusive of rations 
 and lodgings. 
 
 Oct. 4. — Paid the stabling for my two horses. 
 They were charged ten shillings a-night each. On 
 my remonstrating at the dearness of the price, I 
 was told by the livery-stable keeper that I might 
 think myself very lucky in getting off so cheaply, 
 for that, in two or three days, he was going to in- 
 crease the price to a pound a-night. This is on 
 a par with having a short time ago paid 21. for 
 shoeing my two horses. 
 
 Oct. 11. — Embarked in a steamer for Sydney, 
 and paid 12/. for a passage of three days. As 
 we steamed down the bay, we passed three ves- 
 sels full of immigrants sailing up into the land of 
 promise. 
 
 Oct. 14. — Arrived off Sydney Heads at noon, 
 and immediately entered through narrow and 
 lofty portals of rock into the tranquil harbour, 
 with its innumerable bays and coves, inlets and 
 beaches. This diversity of the natural formation 
 of the harbour is exquisitely graceful and pretty ; 
 yet all is spoilt by the frame of this beautiful 
 picture; — I mean the masses of unpicturesquc 
 timber, with its expressionless dull-green foliage, 
 with which the shores are clothed and the circum-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 221 
 
 jacent heights are crowned. Apart from this 
 great defect, Sydney Harbour is perfect for its 
 beauty. And near each pretty inlet and glitter- 
 ing miniature beach, are to be seen stately 
 mansions, rising in the midst of pleasure- 
 grounds. And the waters of the bay are most 
 intensely blue; and this blue is here and there 
 chequered by rocks or small islands, which give 
 the charm of diversity to the whole. A man-of- 
 war and some fine merchant-ships were lying at 
 the various anchorages with which the bay 
 abounds, and their sails, partly unfurled to dry 
 from the night's rain, glistened in harmonious 
 contrast between the deep azure above and the 
 deeper azure below. Passing with difficulty 
 through the busy crowd on the wharves, I put 
 up at Petty's Hotel, which seems very good and 
 very dear. 
 
 Oct. 15. — Visited the various points of interest 
 which Sydney affords. George Street is a street 
 which, for its length, its width, its good houses, 
 wealthy shops, and busy thoroughfare, would do 
 credit to any European capital. Of course there 
 are some inequalities in it, indicative of a new 
 country. There is the squalid cottage by the 
 side of the stately warehouse. But the tout 
 ensemble is most satisfactory to a reflecting 
 mind. When I looked on the wealth, activity, 
 and well-being existing around me, and beheld
 
 222 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 the squares and terraces where the higher classes 
 reside, and Government House, and the churches 
 and public buildings which stud the city; and 
 wandered through the exquisite Park and public 
 gardens, with the long avenues clustering with 
 roses; and watched rolling by me the well- 
 appointed private and public equipages, my mind 
 could not help reverting to sixty or seventy years 
 ago, when the savage indigenes of the district 
 had to give place to bands of white convicts, 
 scarcely less savage, and certainly more terrible 
 than they. Sydney, like the greater Rome, took 
 its rise from the soil of crime. One was at the 
 commencement as much a refugium peccatorum 
 as the other. There are in George Street the 
 walls of the unfinished Anglican Cathedral, the 
 state of which does no credit either to the city or 
 our Church. In the burying-ground hard by is 
 a very curious epitaph, which I discovered and 
 copied. It runs thus : — 
 
 " Sacred to the Memory of J. Justice, who departed 
 this life April 20th, Anno Domino (sic) 1804. 
 A constable & chinea Mender but 
 Death his Genious has suspended 
 His chinea broke o well a day 
 And crates of Ware His turnd to clay." 
 
 I also visited the Roman Catholic Church ; a 
 plain, spacious building. That religion seems 
 here in a flourishing state. The Romanists have
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 223 
 
 an Archbishop (Count Polding) and a Suffragan 
 Bishop (Davis), besides a very large staff of 
 priests. 
 
 Oct. 17 {Sunday). — At the extremity of the 
 district allotted to me stands a large building, 
 with an imposing fagade, called the Darlinghurst 
 Court- House, where the criminal sessions are 
 held. As there is no church yet built, the Chief 
 Justice, with much courtesy, has permitted me 
 for the present to hold Divine Service in this 
 place. I accordingly began my ministerial duties 
 at eleven o'clock this morning. I occupied the 
 whole of the judge's platform. The congregation 
 occupied the seats allotted to the jury and the 
 functionaries of the court, and also several rows 
 of benches, which were placed where the barris- 
 ters 1 long table usually stands. In front of me 
 stood the prisoners' box, like a huge pew, sur- 
 mounted by strong iron spikes. Behind that, 
 too, was a large space (space allotted for the pro- 
 miscuous public), available for my congregation ; 
 and above that was a heavy gallery, capable of 
 containing two or three hundred persons. About 
 seventy attended, which was very satisfactory, 
 considering that the district, as a regularly defined 
 Church district, is new, and that it is considered 
 to be chiefly populated by persons dissenting from 
 the tenets of the Anglican Church. I felt rather 
 nervous at the beginning of the Service, seeing
 
 224 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 where I was. Standing, as I did, close in front 
 of the judge's chair, I had on my right the box 
 whence the word " guilty " had been so often 
 dispensed by the foreman of the jury; a little 
 beyond was the box appropriated to the governor 
 of the gaol. On my left was the witness-box, 
 and the space allotted to jurors in waiting; whilst 
 before me frowned like a fortification a huge 
 pulpit, in which so many prisoners had heard the 
 pleasing sounds of acquittal, or convicted crimi- 
 nals, the solemn tones of the judge pronouncing 
 sentence of death. Although I believe that most 
 of those who assisted at the Service were drawn 
 together more from curiosity than any other 
 motive, their behaviour was most exemplary. As 
 I have declined to employ a clerk, a few of my 
 friends responded with an audible voice ; and the 
 Offertory, which I have introduced at this com- 
 mencement of my career, and do not intend to 
 relinquish, yielded to the Church Fund 22s. I 
 anticipate great comfort and assistance from two 
 
 most worthy inhabitants of my district, Mr. E 
 
 and Mr. G , who hold common-sense, unex- 
 
 aggerated views concerning the doctrines and 
 discipline of the Anglican Church. 
 
 Nov. 2. — To-day I walked in the Government 
 Domain and gardens. It is impossible to con- 
 ceive any site more favoured by nature, and more 
 gracefully arranged by art, than this. The
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 225 
 
 Domain is a spacious park, occupying a penin- 
 sula, round which the waters of the bay sleep 
 or fret as the humour takes them. Here are 
 spacious roads, winding paths, open grass-plots, 
 mimic forests, all combined with exceeding good 
 taste in comparatively a small space ; whilst here 
 and there, on some eminence, are commodious 
 seats, shaded by some venerable patriarch of the 
 woods, where, sitting, I enjoyed an extensive 
 view of the lake-like expanse of waters around, 
 " dimpled with smiles," and inhaled refreshing 
 breezes from the cool south. And this is no 
 lifeless prospect. Lofty ships under a spread of 
 canvas, swift- moving sailing-boats, and tiny row- 
 boats, pass and repass with unceasing activity, 
 and give an increased interest to a scene perfectly 
 beautiful, even without this extraneous aid. And 
 just below me, in a small bay, was a commodious 
 swimming-bath, so fitted up that sharks may not 
 annoy the bather ; for even here the translucent 
 waters harbour those demons of the sea. Not 
 long ago some persons were bathing close to the 
 baths — unfortunately, not in the baths — and a 
 large shark seized one of the swimmers by the 
 top of the thigh, so close to the shore that he 
 was scarce out of his depth. His companions 
 came to the rescue, and pulled him back by the 
 body into his depth, the fish still retaining his 
 hold. Then commenced a terrible tussle and 
 
 Q
 
 226 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 pull — two men against a shark for the body of 
 an agonised human creature. They were victo- 
 rious, for they pulled the poor fellow out of the 
 grasp of his monstrous persecutor ; and yet the 
 shark was not altogether vanquished, for he kept 
 his teeth so closely shut that all the flesh of the 
 thigh and leg remained, in his mouth. The poor 
 human sufferer died on the bank immediately 
 afterwards, with the whole of his limb denuded 
 of flesh and muscle. It had been actually 
 dragged, through the clenched fangs of his re- 
 lentless enemy. From the Domain I entered into 
 the garden. This, too, is laid out with much 
 taste, and contains rare trees, and. plants, and 
 shrubs. There are long alleys entirely arcaded 
 with roses, which shade the path, and at the 
 same, time shed forth an unspeakable fragrance. 
 Here is a grand Norfolk Island pine, with its 
 graceful foliage shooting out in heavy masses 
 near the trunk, and then gradually diminishing 
 as it rises most straightly, stage above stage, to 
 an immense altitude, where it finishes in a spire- 
 like point. Here, too, I saw a very fine Moreton 
 Bay fig-tree, with its large-spreading leaves close 
 to the ground, affording an infinity of shade. 
 Here, also, I saw a most curious and gigantic 
 creeper, clasping the lofty wall in its bizarre 
 embrace. Long was it before I could tire of 
 strolling through the verdant and well-kept
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 227 
 
 alleys of this enchanted spot, and I thought 
 that, whatever unpleasantness might, from divers 
 causes, be inseparable from a life in Sydney, this 
 Government Domain and garden of Arinida ought 
 to reconcile one to a long residence here. In- 
 deed I have been told that many Indian officers 
 prefer spending their leave in Sydney to going 
 home. 
 
 Nov. 8. — The Sydney people seem to be taken 
 with exciting theatrical announcements, just as 
 their kinsmen in the old empire. The perform- 
 ance of to-night is — 
 
 TEN THOUSAND TOPSAIL-SHEET BLOCKS ; 
 
 OR, 
 
 The Gunner and the Foundling. 
 
 followed by 
 
 GLENDOWER OF SNOWDON; 
 
 OR, 
 
 The Rock of Death. 
 
 Nov, 9. — In passing through the public 
 garden, on my way to bathe, I walked through 
 an alley nearly a quarter of a mile long, entirely 
 hedged and arched over with jasmine and honey- 
 suckle : the air absolutely reeked with an over- 
 powering fragrance. I then visited a most sterile 
 sandy tract, lying at the southerly extremity of 
 my district, the Surrey Hills. Such a scene of 
 desolation I never witnessed. A large tract of 
 sand extended as far as the eye could reach.
 
 228 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 This sand, blasts of the south winds have raised 
 into hill-like masses, which year after year con- 
 tinue advancing, little by little, burying houses, 
 encroaching on the surrounding cultivation, and 
 even intruding on the public roads. As I toiled 
 over these hills, twice my foot struck against the 
 chimney-tops of buried substantial cottages, long 
 since abandoned to the invading " restless mass/' 
 thus onward moving day by day. If some 
 means be not taken to arrest the progress of this 
 advancing sand-plague, I do not exactly see why, 
 in the course of many lustres, Sydney may not 
 share the same fate as these cottages. Much is 
 talked about arresting its progress, but nothing 
 is done, because the danger is gradual, not im- 
 minent : nevertheless, it is danger. The most 
 feasible plan for stopping these masses would be 
 to plant them over with a certain shrub of the 
 country which takes most kindly to a sandy soil. 
 This remedy is so simple and inexpensive that I 
 am at a loss to conceive why it has not been 
 already resorted to. 
 
 Nov. 11. — Having become a subscriber to the 
 " Sydney Morning Herald," which, from the 
 talents and respectability of Mr. Kemp, its pro- 
 prietor and editor, its temperate views of things, 
 its numberless advertisements, and the care with 
 which it is got up, may well be placed on a level 
 with any European journal, I amused myself by
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 229 
 
 tracking the tone of surrounding society in some 
 of the advertisements. The following are some 
 selections : — 
 
 " MALCOM'S ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AMPHI- 
 THEATRE, YORK STREET. 
 
 OPEN EVERY EVENING. 
 
 " The admirers of grace, strength, and agility, may visit 
 Malcom's celebrated and fashionable place of amusement, 
 where every variety of performance, melo-dramatic represent- 
 ations, on Arab steeds of the purest blood, by Malcom's not- 
 to-be-equalled artistes, British and foreign (sic). The house 
 having been recently decorated in first-rate style, the most 
 fastidious may venture to while (sic) away a dull hour with- 
 out the slightest apprehension of immorality. See bills of the 
 day. — J. Malcom, Proprietor." 
 
 " To Musicians. — Wanted, a Pianist, one accustomed to 
 a concert-room ; also, a Comic Singer, and a Steady Man to 
 drive a Coach. Apply at the Crown and Kettle, York and 
 Bank Streets." 
 
 " Servants Wanted. — Male or Female, old or young ; 
 any country, colour, or religion, for seven miles from Sydney. 
 The very highest wages given, but first-rate good characters 
 will be called for. No lazy humbugs need apply at 360 Pitt 
 Street, to B. C. Rodd." 
 
 " The Nag's Head (corner of Castlereagh and Goulburn 
 Streets). — S. Robertson (late of the Nag's Head, Pitt Street), 
 begs leave to inform the public and his friends that he has 
 removed to the above house, which he has spared no expense 
 in fitting up in a recherche and first-rate style. The wines 
 spirits, ales, &c, are of the best qualities to be procured 
 the colony ; but, above all, S. R. requests that his friends will
 
 230 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 try and appreciate the following iced beverages, which he is 
 determined to have at a minute's notice ready for distributing 
 during the summer months, viz. 
 
 Sherry cobblers. Mint juleps. 
 
 Gin cocktails. Brandy smashes. 
 
 Stone fences. Doctors. 
 
 Spiders and no flies. 
 
 " These delicious, cooling beverages, so well known and 
 valued in warm countries, shall be totted up in such a style as 
 to please the palate of the most finished epicure. 
 
 " Port, sherry, champagne, and most of the delicious wines 
 of the south of France and Switzerland, can also be had. 
 
 " Board and lodging, and in fact every requisite that a good 
 licensed house ought to have, will be found abundantly at the 
 Nag's Head." 
 
 Nov. 13. — Was introduced to an English gen- 
 tleman, who has just arrived from his travels 
 among the New Zealanders. He told me many 
 interesting facts of this fine and vigorous race, 
 who are as far superior to the Australian in- 
 digenes as the English are superior to the modern 
 Greeks or Italians. He told me that they call 
 the Methodists by a long name, which being 
 interpreted means, " Sweet- is -the-word-of-the- 
 p reach cr," because they (the preachers) dwell 
 more on their own sins than on those of the 
 congregation.* The Romanists they call Ameni- 
 kons, because they require the people to say 
 Amen so often. If the wife of a native preacher 
 presume to go to sleep during his sermon, or to 
 
 * I write this as it was told to me.
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 231 
 
 find fault with his doctrines, he excommunicates 
 her forthwith. This seems a judicious exercise 
 and application of the marital prerogative. 
 
 Nov. 16. — Rode to South Head, one of the 
 portals of the Bay, and gazed from a cliff 250 
 feet in height, over the waste of the Pacific 
 waters, which stretch away without let or hin- 
 drance as far as the Antarctic Pole. Returned 
 by Vaucluse, the beautiful seat of Mr. Wentworth, 
 one of the Australian magnates, and Alexandria. 
 
 Nov. 20. — Made one of a great crowd who 
 ran down to the battery to see the " Great 
 Britain " come in on her first voyage to Svdney. 
 She looked huge and majestical. I thought of 
 the strange career of this noble vessel. Built 
 in Bristol, she seemed doomed to inactivity; for 
 the narrow dock-gates refused egress to her 
 enormous bulk. Ashore for a year in Dundrum 
 Bay, her fate seemed inevitable, until she was 
 rescued from her perilous position at an enormous 
 trouble and expense. To-day I saw her grandly 
 steaming, after a prosperous voyage, into a har- 
 bour of the far Antipodes — a moving monument 
 of the dogged perseverance and indomitable ener- 
 gies of the British people. 
 
 Nov. 21 {Sunday). — At Divine Service to-day 
 at the Court-House, observed, to my sorrow, that 
 gaily-dressed people predominated in the con- 
 gregation, and that few of the lower classes at-
 
 232 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 tended. Most of these former come from a neigh- 
 bouring district, called Woolloomoolloo. They 
 come early and get the best seats. If the Court- 
 House obtain the reputation of being a fashion- 
 able resort, farewell to the object for which I was 
 placed here — that of ministering to the spiritual 
 wants of a poor and neglected population. For 
 the British lower orders of society, than whom a 
 more haughty race does not exist in any part of 
 the globe, will not amalgamate with what are 
 called " the better classes " at church; and for this 
 reason, that they will not allow their shabby ap- 
 pearance to be placed in contrast with the com- 
 fortable and well-to-do appearance of others, 
 whose parents, probably, have been one of them- 
 selves. It is not immorality or infidelity which 
 keeps the lower orders of English away from 
 Church; it is pride, and perhaps not altogether 
 a useless pride — not, indeed, that any pride is 
 excusable which leads us to forego the means of 
 grace : but it is that feeling which stimulates 
 them to better their condition in life, and raise 
 themselves out of the slough of poverty and ob- 
 scurity. Thus originate that intense activity and 
 unceasing progress which prevail in our social 
 
 universe. Dined with the Rev. G. K , a 
 
 most worthy and zealous incumbent here, who 
 for seven years was a missionary clergyman in 
 West and South Australia, lie told me, that
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 233 
 
 once as he was travelling by the sea-side, he was 
 nearly perishing of thirst, no fresh water being 
 near ; so he dismounted, undressed, and stood up 
 to his neck in the sea for ten minutes. This re- 
 lieved his thirst much, and by repeating it at inter- 
 vals he was enabled to arrive at the next station. 
 
 Nov, 22. — Went with a party to Botany Bay, 
 the part of New South Wales which was first 
 occupied by our convict establishments in 1787. 
 It was soon abandoned for the site where Sydney 
 now stands. After traversing six miles of sterile 
 soil, we arrived at the Sir Joseph Banks Inn, 
 where we left our horses, that we might walk to 
 Botany Heads. During a thunder-storm we took 
 refuge in the Coast- Guard House, where we were 
 hospitably received and entertained. From this 
 tower is enjoyed an extraordinarily fine view of 
 the neighbouring heights, and the ceaselessly- 
 moving waters of the Pacific. 
 
 On a well-adapted spot stand plain monuments, 
 erected to the memory of La Perouse and Le 
 Receveur. They bear the following inscrip- 
 tions: — 
 
 A LA MEMOIRE DE 
 
 M. DE LA PEROUSE. 
 
 CETTE TERRE, 
 
 GU'lL VISITA 
 
 EN MDCCLXXXVIII. 
 
 EST LA DERNIERE 
 
 D'OU IL A FAIT PARTIR 
 
 DE SES NOUVELLES.
 
 234 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 ERIGE AU NOM DE LA FRANCE 
 PAR MM. DE LA BOUGAINVILLE 
 ET DU CAMPIER, COMMANDANT 
 DE LA FREGATE THETIS, ET LA 
 CORVETTE ESPERANCE, EN RELACHE 
 A PORT JACKSON. 
 
 hic jacet le receveur, 
 
 ex f. f. minoribus ortus 
 
 gallic sacerdos, 
 
 physicus in circumnavigatione mundi 
 
 dtjce d. de la perouse. 
 
 obiit 17 Feb. 1788. 
 
 The chief of the Coast-Guard told me that he 
 delighted in catching sharks; and that when he 
 got one he took out his liver, which is very large, 
 and laid it in the sun. The heat would cause it 
 to run away into oil, which was very fine and 
 pure, and afforded him light for all the winter 
 months. 
 
 Nov. 24. — A great storm to-day of thunder 
 and lightning. Hail, or rather jagged masses of 
 ice, fell as large as small hens' eggs. They fell 
 with great force on the trottoir, some hounding 
 up again to a great height, some smashing into 
 a thousand pieces. 
 
 Nov. 29. — Went to the Immigrant Depot, 
 and saw thirty young women, who have just ar- 
 rived. They looked a very ordinary, coarse-hred 
 set. The ladies complain that they are not good for
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 235 
 
 much ; that they are idle, saucy, and take to bad 
 ways. I am perfectly assured, that in a new coun- 
 try like Australia, where the numerical prepon- 
 derance lies so much on the men's side, anything 
 in the shape of a woman is better than nothing; 
 but yet it would be well if the voyage could be 
 made the channel of instilling moral and religious 
 culture into these poor, neglected women : in- 
 stead of this, it often becomes the means of cor- 
 rupting them. 
 
 Dec. 1. — I went to a choral meeting held in 
 St. James' School, where were sung by amateurs, 
 madrigals, glees, catches, and choruses of the six- 
 teenth century and later, with excellent effect. 
 In the programme I saw the names of Dowland, 
 1588; Cavendish, 1598. Among the musical 
 pieces I heard " Hard by a Fountain," composed 
 in 1531; " Sweet Honey -sucking Bee/' by 
 Wilbye, 1GO0; " Come, gentle Spring," music 
 by Haydn ; " Hark, the Curfew's solemn Sound," 
 by Attwood ; " Merry, merry Elves we be," by 
 Smith. 
 
 Dec. 7. — Sat in the Court-House to hear the 
 criminal trials. One of the prisoners was very 
 saucy, and cross-examined the witnesses with 
 great effrontery. The Judge (Dickinson), in 
 speaking to the Crown Prosecutor, used the term 
 " out-and-out." 
 
 Dec. 10. — News arrived in Sydney by the
 
 236 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 « Chusan " of the death of the Duke of Wei- 
 lington. 
 
 Dec. 14. — Having scruples about receiving 
 aid from Dissenters towards a church which I 
 am endeavouring to have built in my district, I 
 consulted on the subject a high ecclesiastical au- 
 thority here — (not the Bishop, who is in England) 
 — for I think that a delicate sense of honour is 
 compromised by receiving assistance from persons 
 whose opinions we condemn, and whom we have 
 pre-determined not to assist in return. In the 
 colonies, Church matters cannot be carried with 
 such a high hand as at home. Even the Church 
 of Rome in Australia is not the Church of Home 
 in Rome, or Naples, or Spain. Adapting her- 
 self with wonderful tact and knowledge of man- 
 kind to the moral characteristics of the races 
 which she sways, her bands becomes more elastic 
 as she draws them round the freedom-loving 
 common-sense members of the Anglo-Saxon race. 
 In theory " semper eadem," she is in practice 
 " semper mutabilis" and Proteus-like. The lique- 
 faction of S. Januarius' blood and other modern 
 Romish miracles would not go at all in Sydney, 
 Melbourne, and Adelaide ; therefore they arc not 
 attempted. 
 
 Dec. 15. — Went on board a small cutter just 
 arrived from the South Seas under the American 
 flag, and bought some spears and tomahawks
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 237 
 
 which had been obtained from some of the islands. 
 On board there was a poor girl crouching, motion- 
 less as a statue. In the evening I was told that 
 the American captain took her as she was 
 swimming round the ship near Savage Island, 
 and kept her for his pleasure, and now is trying 
 to sell her along with his other " notions," as he 
 expresses himself. 
 
 Dec. 22. — Attended a flower-show in the 
 Botanical Gardens. All the Sydney fashionables 
 were there, the ladies very grandly dressed in vivid 
 colours, not too well contrasted. The flowers were 
 few, but rare and curious. In the evening I pre- 
 sided at a public meeting about Church matters 
 at the Court-House, which was very well attended. 
 Six clergymen were present, and two reporters, 
 one from the "Herald," the other from the "Em- 
 pire." I put seven resolutions to the meeting, 
 which were carried unanimously, and everything 
 went off most satisfactorily. The difficulty we 
 labour under is to build our church at the advanced 
 rate of wages. It will cost three times more than 
 it would have cost before the discovery of gold. 
 
 Christmas Day. — Assisted at the early Com- 
 munion at Christ Church, a church which, for 
 the solemnity of its numerous services, and the 
 devout behaviour of its crowded congregations, 
 ranks as the first in Australia, and second to 
 none in England. The incumbent's name is
 
 .238 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 Walsh, and this gentleman has immensely for- 
 warded Church matters in Sydney. No less than 
 ninety- eight persons partook of the Blessed 
 Eucharist this morning. Of course, the sentence 
 accompanying the distribution of the elements 
 was pointedly addressed to each individual, 
 according to the not -to-be-evaded rubrical 
 command, — " And when the Minister delivereth 
 the bread to any one, he shall say," &c. &c. &c. 
 I then had my own Service, and afterwards 
 attended Christ Church Afternoon Service. At 
 seven I dined at the hospitable table of Sir Alfred 
 Stephen, the Chief Justice, where, in a midsummer 
 heat, I endeavoured to realise the fact, that we 
 were celebrating the Festival of the Nativity of 
 our Lord. 
 
 Dec. 26. — Buried a little child at the Cemetery. 
 Having no umbrella during the Service, I suffered 
 much from the heat. This cemetery is not at all 
 well kept. 
 
 Dec. 31. — Thermometer 107° in the shade, 
 from two to four, p.m. Having purchased a 
 horse, I bought to-day a saddle for him, also 
 maize, bran, hay, and straw. The saddle cost me 
 6/. 10s. ; the maize, 6s. the bushel; bran, 2s. the 
 bushel; hay, 14s. the hundred weight; straw, 
 Is. \)d. the bundle. The keep of the horse for two 
 days at a livery-stable cost me 18s. Thus in 
 Sydney one's purse perspires as well as body.
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 239 
 
 Being determined to have a choir of boys to take 
 the musical part of the Service, I engaged a gentle- 
 man lately arrived from Ireland to teach the 
 little fellows the science of music, and to lead 
 them on Sundays. They are to have two lessons, 
 of two hours' duration, two evenings in the week. 
 Our limited finances will not justify me in giving 
 this gentleman more than 26/. a-year to begin 
 with, but I hope to be able to increase it soon. 
 Assisted at a Midnight Service at Christ Church. 
 The church was crowded to excess, and all went 
 off very well, in spite of the almost unendurable 
 heat. The idea of ushering in the new year with 
 public prayer and supplication is so perfectly in 
 accordance with Christian tenets, and so sound 
 and unexaggerated, that I am surprised that the 
 custom is not more general than it is. 
 
 Jan. 1, 1853. — Preached at Christ Church, on 
 the Circumcision of our Lord, to a very good 
 congregation. Perused a paragraph in a news- 
 paper, which is one of the terrible episodes in- 
 separable from life in the Australian bush : — 
 " Some parties ti'avelling along the Molong 
 Creek, when near Gohamma Hill, came upon the 
 dead body of a man. It had been dragged about 
 ten yards down the brink of the creek, and was 
 frightfully mutilated, having been nearly stripped 
 of flesh by the native dogs. His name and the 
 manner of his death remain a mystery." It is
 
 240 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 most probable that the poor fellow had been 
 murdered for the sake of plunder. We have now 
 a great many Californian adventurers here, and 
 they have the reputation of being very reckless, 
 hesitating at nothing, however desperate. A few 
 days ago I went to the swimming-baths, and 
 found everything in confusion, for a man had 
 plunged into deep water, although he could not 
 swim, and became quite senseless before he could 
 be dragged out. After a good deal of rubbing 
 and administering of restoratives he came to 
 himself, and the first words he uttered were, " I 
 thought I was a gone 'coon;" and then he added 
 a few more horrible expletives. He was from 
 California. 
 
 Jan. 22. — Among my sick, is the wife of a 
 small tradesman. She complains bitterly of the 
 gold diggings, for she says that they have seduced 
 her husband away from a very fair business, and 
 given him nothing in return. In fact, she is so 
 badly off that I must assist her. This gold 
 mania, affects the steadiest people with roving 
 propensities. People say that the sight of the 
 rich virgin gold cropping out from the soil after 
 a hard dig, is something too exciting to be 
 described, And this hunting for the precious 
 metal is as uncertain as a lottery. Two men will 
 have two pits side by side. One man will get 
 three or four thousand pounds' worth before he
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 241 
 
 has dug twenty feet, whilst his neighbour will 
 go down a hundred feet and find nothing. Again, 
 the latter, in disgust, will sell his pit to the former 
 for a trifle, and go away to other ground. The 
 new occupant will dig two feet further and find 
 a great isolated lump of pure gold, weighing, 
 perhaps, fifty pounds. It is this gambling and 
 uncertain nature of the operation which renders 
 it so fascinating and so demoralising. Yet it is 
 impossible not to recognise in this great migratory 
 movement of races in search of gold, the hand of 
 an All-wise Providence working by secondary 
 causes. Fertile regions lie unexplored and un- 
 occupied in one quarter of the globe, overcrowded 
 populations starve in another. Powerful induce- 
 ments are required to stimulate these starving 
 and unquiet masses to traverse a waste of waters, 
 and occupy regions teeming with every wealth ; 
 and under Providence a powerful inducement is 
 found. That lump of gold — the metal which 
 men most covet — found by a poor black fellow 
 as it cropped up above the soil near Bathurst, 
 has entirely changed the destinies of Australia. 
 Three years ago this wonderful country was so 
 coolly looked upon at home as a haven for 
 emigration, that few people availed themselves 
 even of Government free passages, and cultivation 
 of the finest land in the world went on slowly for 
 want of means. Now large ships, with crowded 
 
 R
 
 242 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 living freights, fill the harbours of Adelaide, 
 Sydney, and Melbourne, the population of which 
 last city has increased in eighteen months from 
 25,000 to 100,000. Not many years ago, the 
 same cause made the fertile desolate California 
 to become the drain of the restless spirits of the 
 over-populated United States, seaboard, and the 
 results in the two auriferous countries will ulti- 
 mately be the same. Enormous populations will 
 grow up quite unconnected with the diggings, 
 and apply themselves to commerce, agriculture, 
 and the arts. Christianity will have diffused its 
 blessed influence over countries once inhabited 
 by the grizzly bear or the almost equally savage 
 man, and thus the moral universe will advance 
 with slow and solemn steps to that glorious 
 consummation prophetically set forth by Isaiah, — 
 " The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the 
 Lord as the waters cover the sea." 
 
 Jan. 24. — Went on a visit to an Australian 
 gentleman's house in the Vale of Mulgoa, forty 
 miles from Sydney, lie lives in a spacious man- 
 sion surrounded by a most fertile estate, which 
 yields him everything that a family can require. 
 His table is admirably served, and his equipage, 
 save in some little details imperceptible to most, 
 is certainly equal to the turn-out of any country 
 English gentleman, lie has ten acres near the 
 house laid down with Rhine, Hermitage, and Tor-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA. AND TASMANIA. 243 
 
 tugal vines. The wines turn out very well, but 
 roughish and tremendously strong. They are also 
 capricious, and get pricked all of a sudden with- 
 out any assignable cause. My hospitable friend 
 consumes all that he produces, and is most liberal 
 of his wine to all his retainers, who have with 
 great good taste taken to like his wholesome wine 
 rather than the poisonous importations from Eng- 
 land, called spirits, beer, and wine. I am glad to 
 say that the rising Australian population are par- 
 ticularly sober, and probably will take, in time, to 
 a moderate consumption of their own country 
 wines. 
 
 Jan. 25. — Visited Richmond, a town that lies 
 close under the first range of Blue Mountains, 
 where, in a beautiful cottage, surrounded by a 
 small and fertile estate which yields every neces- 
 sary of life, live two sisters, ladies who are the 
 kindest and most hospitable people in the world, 
 gladdening surrounding society. I was intro- 
 duced to the clergyman and surgeon of the dis- 
 trict, both excellent men. I wandered in the 
 spacious garden of my friends, where, amidst the 
 odour of an avenue of orange-trees, and the fra- 
 grance of roses and honeysuckles, jasmine, car- 
 nations, and the thyme borders, i admired under 
 a pure, elastic atmosphere, the rugged, serrated 
 summits of the not distant mountain range.
 
 244 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 Jan. 27. — While I was visiting the wool-press, 
 and looking at some young horses, a thunder- 
 storm came on. It was quite terrifying to see 
 the forked lightning darting like fiery arrows 
 amid the surrounding forest, levelling huge trees, 
 and accompanied, not followed, by roars of thun- 
 der. We feared for the premises, but, thank 
 God, they were spared. Two miles away, a barn 
 was consumed by the fiery javelins of heaven. 
 
 Jan. 28. — Rode to see a fine view of the 
 Nepean river, which here leaves the Mulgoa 
 plain, and flows through densely-wooded heights 
 of mighty altitude. We stood upon a rock called 
 Gibraltar, and looked down a thousand feet, 
 watching the clear river steadily flowing beneath 
 us. It was a sight not easily to be forgotten. 
 In the evening I dined at the bouse of another 
 Australian magnate, whose rooms were adorned 
 with pictures and statuary, and whose dinner was 
 served, setting aside some trifling discrepancies, 
 quite faultlessly. At night some German vine- 
 dressers attached to the estate came in, and 
 sweetly sang, without accompaniment, songs of 
 the Fatherland 
 
 Jan. 29 — Rode into Sydney, and on the way 
 experienced the effects of the day before yester- 
 day's storm. The road was cut up by the rain- 
 torrents, and huge trees, some rooted out of their
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 245 
 
 sockets by the hurricane, others blasted by the 
 lightning, lay scattered round us, or impeded our 
 path. 
 
 Jan. 31. — Made a great many ministerial calls 
 in my district. Find that the Sydney ladies will 
 not take the trouble to make their toilet in early 
 morning. So, when I call at one or two o'clock, 
 I have to wait twenty minutes or half-an-hour, 
 and then they come down looking rather flurried 
 and fragrant of soap. 
 
 Feb. 1. — Was present at a meeting of the 
 Diocesan Society. There was very much irrele- 
 vant talk, and very little, if anything, done. 
 
 Feb. 2. — I took Morning Service at Christ 
 Church, it being the Feast of the Purification. 
 
 Feb. 9. — Having determined to give an Evening 
 Service every day in Lent, I began this evening 
 
 (Ash Wednesday) in Mr. D 's school-room, 
 
 which has been kindly lent me for the purpose. 
 Twenty persons attended, which is a very good 
 beginning. 
 
 Feb. 16. — Having been appointed Chaplain to 
 Sydney Gaol, I entered on my functions there 
 to-day. 
 
 Feb. 20 (Sundaij). — Took my first Service at 
 the gaol this morning at nine. In the middle of 
 a long corridor against the wall is a pulpit 
 arranged, from which the Prayers are read and 
 the Sermon is preached. In the body of this
 
 246 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 corridor, to the right and left of the Officiating: 
 Minister, are arranged the prisoners. A thick 
 veil divides the males from the females. Every- 
 thing went off with great order and decorum, but 
 I felt very gloomy at seeing so many criminals 
 congregated together, with their short hair and 
 sad-coloured prison clothes, and at hearing the 
 occasional clanking of chains. 
 
 Feb. 23. — Gave a full Service at the gaol, and 
 afterwards had certain prisoners brought in, one 
 after the other, to the cell which is appropriated to 
 me. I had a very satisfactory interview with four 
 men, who spoke frankly and honestly, without 
 making any attempt to deceive me by over-pro- 
 fessions. Some women whom I saw, were very 
 disgusting people in every way. 
 
 Feb. 25. — Hear a great deal of indignation 
 expressed at the revelations which have been 
 made concerning the gambling which has been 
 going on during the outward voyage of the 
 " Cleopatra," a fine, gaudily-ornamented steamer, 
 just arrived from England. They say that French 
 hazard was played every evening on board ; that 
 some of the players were professed sharpers ; and 
 that several passengers were victimised to a large 
 amount. Whether this indignation be well- 
 founded I know not, for I find that the most 
 exaggerated statements find a ready currency in 
 the colonies. Vet I think that no captain of a
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 247 
 
 ship is justified in allowing his cuddy-table to be 
 nightly occupied by parties playing at games of 
 chance. 
 
 Feb. 27 (Sunday). — At nine a.m. I gave a 
 full Service at the gaol ; at ten I opened the Sun- 
 dny-school, and catechised ; then I had full Ser- 
 vice at the Court-House, which was finished at 
 one ; I then gave Exposition to some sick prisoners 
 in the gaol infirmary; at half-past two I dined 
 with the worthy governor of the gaol, Captain 
 Webster ; after that I attended the "Sunday- 
 school, which is opened to-day for the first time 
 in the afternoon ; and at seven officiated at the 
 Evening Service in the Court-House. Everything 
 in my district progresses most satisfactorily. 
 The Services at the Court-House were very fully 
 attended, and at the Sunday-schools no less than 
 forty children were present, many of whom, if 
 they were not with me, would be running about 
 the streets. And then I make it a sine quel non 
 that all the children accompany me from the 
 school-room to church in due order, two and 
 two. This proceeding not only makes an effect 
 in the eyes of Dissenters, who, until now, have 
 had it all their own way here, but it prevents 
 the children from slily getting away and going to 
 chapel, or somewhere worse. 
 
 Feb. 28. — Had a very small congregation at 
 my Lenten Service this evening, owing, I believe,
 
 248 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 to a large tea- drinking going on in a Methodist 
 chapel hard by. 
 
 March 1. — The dust in Sydney and the suburbs 
 is perfectly frightful to-day. It fills the nose, 
 eyes, and mouth, until the victim is nearly choked. 
 
 March 3. — A certain woman who had prayed me 
 to visit her on her sick-bed, and professed to have 
 become aware of the errors of Roman Catholic tenets 
 which she had formerly held, to-day insolently 
 ordered me out of her cottage, asserting that she 
 had returned to the true faith. Without entering 
 into the vexed question of the demerits of Popery, 
 and the comparative perfection of Anglicanism as 
 representing a visible Christian Church, I can 
 assert, as a practical person, speaking from expe- 
 rience, that I have the greatest possible suspicion 
 of lloman Catholic people who profess to see the 
 errors of their religion and wish to " turn/' as 
 the lower classes express themselves. None of 
 the pretended "conversions," to which I have 
 been witness, have turned out satisfactorily. 
 
 March 22. — Having occasion to make use of 
 a hackney-coach for three hours, I had to pay 
 15s. for it. Sydney is rapidly becoming as dear 
 as Melbourne. 
 
 March 26 (Saturday in Passion Week). — Gave 
 a full Evening Service in the school-room, as I 
 have done every evening this week. Many have 
 attended, some few Wesleyans.
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 249 
 
 March 29. — A man is in gaol charged with 
 murder ; the charge he, of course, denies, and 
 begs me to busy myself about his defence. So, 
 to-day 1 have been exerting myself to get alibi 
 evidence for him. It would be a terrible thing 
 for me to have to attend him on the scaffold, even 
 if he were guilty; much more so, if I considered 
 him to be innocent. 
 
 March 31. — Bought one of Alexander's Har- 
 moniums at an auction-room in Sydney. I will 
 place it in the Court-House, the singing master 
 will play it, and I hope to get up a choral-service. 
 I buy it on my own account for 19/., and on 
 Sunday I will propose that the congregation 
 take it from me for 18/. I am sure they would 
 do it, if it cost double. 
 
 April 2. — Spent the morning at the gaol, visit- 
 ing the men and women's side. One of the men 
 came up to me very consequentially, and held out 
 his hand, saying, " I am glad to see a brother clergy- 
 man, sir." I asked him who he was; and he turned 
 out to be some popular dissenting preacher — 
 Wesleyan, Baptist, or Independent, I forget which 
 — who had had three years' imprisonment given 
 him for raising money at a pawnbroker's on some 
 casks of tallow, which on examination turned out 
 to be full of sand, with tallow ingeniously arranged 
 at the tops and bottoms. Of course he made out 
 that the jury were wrong, and that his brother-
 
 250 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 ministers would not assist him out of jealousy. I 
 do not like his manners at all : but, at his earnest 
 request, I took some voluminous papers and pro- 
 mised to look over his case. A female prisoner 
 begged some money of me. Her time will be up 
 very soon, and she wants to obtain support till she 
 can obtain a place. I, who know that, though she 
 is an excellent cook, she is a drunken, depraved 
 woman, gave her what she wanted, praying her to 
 abstain in future from her bad ways. She pro- 
 mised me most solemnly that she would. Find 
 everything very clean and orderly at the gaol, and 
 the turnkeys — at least the men turnkeys — decent, 
 respectable people. The Governor of the gaol is 
 a gentleman ; he is severe and just, and seems to 
 be universally esteemed and respected. 
 
 April 3 {Sunday). — We tried the Harmonium 
 to-day, the singing-master playing, and the boys 
 chanting the Venite, the Psalms, the Te Deum, 
 the Jubilate, and the Versicles, between the Com- 
 mandments. All went off admirably. I ad- 
 vertised after the Nicene Creed the state of the 
 case to the congregation, and begged those who 
 wished to contribute to the purchase of the in- 
 strument to put their names down on a paper 
 after Divine Service. The result was that 20/. 
 were subscribed in five minutes, beingJ2Z. more 
 than required. I always find that the laity, if 
 they arc treated witli candid confidence, will do
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 251 
 
 anything for the Church. My choir is composer! 
 of the sons of small tradesmen, and they are 
 little fellows who have distinguished themselves 
 in the Sunday-school. They have two music 
 lessons a-week, of two hours each, and are ex- 
 pected to sing very correctly. I make them little 
 presents at times, and have got together a small 
 circulating library for them. They are very proud 
 of their position, and induce other play-fellows 
 to come to school and church ; and then, in time, 
 the careless parents, too, are shamed into coming 
 also. These twelve boys' and four men's voices, 
 two bass, one tenor, the other counter-tenor, 
 made a very good effect to-day. Hitherto we 
 have been chanting without accompaniment, a 
 very good exercise for the boys. 
 
 April 4. — The woman to whom I gave the 
 money on Saturday, called at my house to-day 
 with a terrible black eye, and in a very uproarious 
 state of drunkenness, to thank " the Minister for 
 his good advice and his kindness to her when she 
 was in trouble." 
 
 April 6. — Attended the criminal sessions at 
 the Court-House. Left abruptly, for some dis- 
 agreeable case came on in which Chinese were 
 mixed up. These people are the most abominable 
 sensualists in the world, and 1 cannot conceive it 
 to be any advantage to any country to be so 
 overrun with them as Australia is.
 
 252 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 April 9. — Sat in Court ten hours, watching 
 the trial of that man for murder. I was the more 
 interested in the case, because I had endeavoured 
 to procure, at his earnest request, some alibi 
 evidence for him, and I was not quite satisfied 
 with the result of my investigations. After a 
 very long trial the man was acquitted. His be- 
 haviour in the dock was bold and audacious. In 
 the Court 1 recognised an individual who, a few 
 years ago, fled from his country for speculating 
 with the funds of a public institution, of which he 
 was secretary or treasurer. These speculations 
 ultimately induced immense losses. What ad- 
 mirable means do our colonies afford to faded 
 characters for turning over a new leaf ! This 
 gentleman, instead of passing his life in penury 
 and disgrace in the cheap purlieus of Boulogne, 
 Paris, or Brussels, is now in a position for making 
 a brilliant career in a new country. If successful 
 in his profession, he can accept office under the 
 Government and become one of the Ministry : if 
 unsuccessful and soured, he can enter the Oppo- 
 sition and embarrass the ruling powers under the 
 guise of patriotism : nay, as time wears on, it 
 might come to pass that he may sit in the pre- 
 sidential chair, guiding the destinies of the Great 
 Australasian Republic. 
 
 April 20. — In the evening I was introduced 
 to a young lady, the daughter of an English
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 253 
 
 gentleman by a New Zealand mother. She was 
 of a rich brown colour, with luxuriant hair, and 
 seemed possessed of much intelligence, modesty, 
 and amiability. I heard her play some difficult 
 operatic German music, with much correctness 
 and feeling. 
 
 April 27. — Saw a small cottage sold for 1630/. 
 that a respectable English family would not live 
 in. But a respectable family here must be con- 
 tent to live in it, and be content to pay a high 
 rent for it. New South Wales is suffering all 
 the disadvantages of a gold-producing country, 
 such as rise of rent, provisions, wages, and uni- 
 versal confusion, without as yet reaping any cor- 
 responding advantages. 
 
 May 14. — A great many people are ill with 
 the influenza. Illnesses here are much more 
 rapid in their progress than in England; and 
 people recover with great rapidity as soon as the 
 crisis is passed. I have known persons to be in 
 excellent health ; then on the point of death, 
 attended by two doctors; and then recovered 
 again, though looking a little pulled down — all 
 in the space of three or four days. I do not con- 
 sider Sydney a particularly healthy place. The 
 air is relaxing and causes great nervous irritabi- 
 lity, and the people look nesh and creamy, and 
 are continually liable to derangements. The 
 doctors are always on the run, and some of them
 
 254 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 make excellent incomes. One of them is said 
 to make three or four thousand a-year. He is 
 said to have been sent out of England twenty or 
 thirty years ago for being concerned in a duel. 
 
 May 20. — Was introduced to Lord H 
 
 S and Lord S K , who, accompanied 
 
 by a clergyman, are wisely visiting Australia. 
 
 May 25. — To-day came out to Sydney the 
 melancholy news that our venerable Bishop is 
 dead. His Joss is a great blow to the colony, and 
 especially to the clergy, to whom he was a bene- 
 factor, a teacher, and a friend. We attribute his 
 death to the hardships he sustained in crossing 
 the isthmus of Panama on his return home. For 
 instance, his mule got bogged, became restive, 
 and threw him heavily. 
 
 May 2G. — Went to a concert. Haydn's " Sur- 
 prise" was deliciously played. The audience be- 
 haved remarkably well, and applauded in the right 
 place. 
 
 May 31. — Had the pleasure of a conversation 
 with Mr. Lewis Filmore, who has come out here 
 as the correspondent of the " Times." This 
 gentleman has made the best translation of the 
 first part o! the " Faust " that we have. 
 
 June 1. — Bode out to Cook's River, near 
 which 1 visited two very old people, gipsies, from 
 whom have sprung a very numerous tribe — no 
 less, I am informed, than seventy or eighty souls.
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 255 
 
 June 7 '. — Attended a Diocesan Meeting, which 
 was much more fertile in desultory conversation 
 than practical resolutions. 
 
 June 9. — Gave the Sunday-school children a 
 tea-drinking. Seventy attended, a number that 
 I have never yet seen on Sundays. They were 
 regaled with a magic lantern afterwards, to their 
 great glee. 
 
 June 15. — Visited the gaol. There is a great 
 emulation among the prisoners as to who is to 
 be my clerk. Have some difficulty in deciding. 
 
 July 4. — Attended a large public meeting in 
 St. James's school-room, in aid of the funds of 
 the Sydney Cathedral. The Bishop of New Zea- 
 land, who has touched at Sydney on his way to 
 the islands of the Pacific, presided. 1 was much 
 struck by his noble bearing and his irresistible 
 eloquence. He put me in mind of a New Zea- 
 land chief haranguing his followers. He used 
 much action, and exquisitely modulated his voice. 
 He told us how the New Zealanders would spare 
 no sacrifice in erecting a house of God, and then 
 appealed to the generosity of the Sydney people, 
 who had suffered their Cathedral to remain so 
 long unfinished. He quoted with great effect 
 those noble lines of Wordsworth : — 
 
 " Give all thou canst, high Heaven rejects the lore 
 Of nicely-calculated less or more "
 
 256 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 His appeal was irresistible. 600/. were subscribed 
 there and then, and we are filled with hopes that 
 a great reproach to Sydney will be wiped out. 
 
 July 6. — Dined at the same table with twenty 
 Polynesian boys and two Mare girls, whom the 
 Bishop of New Zealand, after educating them in 
 the College at Auckland, is taking home in the 
 Missionary yacht to their respective parents. 
 They all seemed well-behaved, intelligent young 
 people, and regarded their protector and his 
 good lady with feelings akin to adoration. After 
 dinner they set to at cricket with great energy. 
 Future Church chroniclers will say great things 
 of this Bishop Selwyn. His successful labours as 
 a missionary and humaniser of savage nations 
 will cause him to be ranked as one of the great 
 spirits of the age, 
 
 July 19. — Attended a Missionary meeting, at 
 which were present the Bishops of New Zealand 
 and Newcastle. The Bishop of Newcastle's see 
 extends to the northward of Sydney, embracing 
 Moreton Bay and Wide Bay. He is a bishop 
 less known in England than the other Austral- 
 asian bishops, yet he is one of the most success- 
 ful. Some of the bishops are disliked by their 
 clergy, others by the laity ; but this excellent 
 prelate is appreciated and beloved by both clergy 
 and laity: by the former, because he acts to them
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 257 
 
 as a brother, and not a hard taskmaster ; by the 
 latter, because be acts towards them with judi- 
 cious firmness and the most entire good faith. 
 "Our bishop/' many have told me, "is a fair 
 man and straightforward, and in all his eccle- 
 siastical arrangements we can depend on him." 
 An excellent character this of a man, who from 
 the nature of his diocese has an immense deal of 
 ecclesiastical organisation to do. His personal 
 energy, too, is great ; and often fifty, sixty, and 
 seventy miles a-day are traversed on horseback 
 by Bishop Tyrrell. 
 
 July 21. — A prisoner died in the gaol hospital 
 from aneurism of the aorta. 
 
 July 22. — Visited several sick persons. Many 
 people are ill, owing to the extraordinarily sudden 
 changes of the atmosphere. Influenza is now 
 raging for the third time during the last nine 
 months. 
 
 July 30. — The Bishop of New Zealand left 
 Sydney in a vessel called the " Gratitude." 
 
 Aug. 6. — Rode on horseback to Botany Bay 
 and La Perouse's monument. I was out three 
 hours altogether, and I was charged fifteen shil- 
 lings for the hire of the horse. 
 
 Aug. 10. — Had my usual Wednesday Service 
 at the gaol. There are four men here, escaped 
 convicts from Norfolk Island. They got away 
 from the island in a boat, after drowning one 
 
 s
 
 <lOQ DIARV OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 or two of their keepers. They then plundered 
 of her provisions a small schooner, which was 
 lying in the offing, and directed their course, as 
 they thought, for Port Phillip. But they much 
 mistook their course, for they sighted land in 
 the Moreton Bay district. They endeavoured at 
 first to coast along; but being short of pro- 
 visions, soon desisted from that, and took to the 
 bush. Soon news arrived from Norfolk Island 
 of their escape, and they were tracked and hunted 
 like wild beasts, both by the white settlers and 
 black police, until, worn to skeletons, they sur- 
 rendered, and were marched to the nearest town- 
 ship, whence they were ultimately forwarded to 
 Sydney, there to await their trial for robbery and 
 murder. I had an interview with one. He 
 was a shortish man, of prodigious muscular de- 
 velopment, and he was introduced to me heavily 
 ironed. He recounted to me the whole of the 
 story with great calmness ; and on my exhorting 
 him not to live as one without hope, he answered, 
 witli a melancholy air, that for his part he was 
 without hope, both in this world and the next ; 
 that he had so suffered at Norfolk Island, and 
 subsequently, that he felt quite desperate, and 
 that he did not care what became of him. He 
 said that the discipliue at the island was so 
 severe, and the breaches of discipline were so ri- 
 gorously punished, that the place was intolerable ;
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 259 
 
 that for the slightest noise, smoking at forbidden 
 hours, want of respect to turnkeys, &c., the term 
 of imprisonment was prolonged — a term of weeks 
 and months, unknown to the culprit ; so that a 
 man, originally condemned for three years, might, 
 for a series of peccadilloes against prison dis- 
 cipline, almost unnoticed by himself at the time, 
 subject himself to a detention for five years. He 
 was anxious for information on two points : one 
 was, if they were to be tried only for piracy, or 
 for piracy and murder ; the other, how the gaol 
 lay with regard to the cardinal points and the 
 sea. I could not answer one question, and would 
 not the other. 
 
 Aug. 15. — A lady, who lived four years at 
 Norfolk Island, her husband being chaplain to 
 the prisoners, told. me that the island is a para- 
 dise. The climate is perfect, and the island is 
 composed of miniature hill and valley, diversified 
 with streamlets, and shaded by groves of that 
 most beautiful pine-tree which takes its name 
 from the locality. As she had a beautiful garden, 
 and convict labour ad libitum to cultivate it, she 
 and the other ladies, officers' wives, found them- 
 selves very comfortable. 
 
 Aug. 21 {Sunday). — Most satisfactory con- 
 gregations in the morning and evening at the 
 Court-House. 284 attended at the first Service; 
 152 at the second. The choir-boys sang admir-
 
 260 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 ably, being very distinct and very correct. Their 
 singing far exceeds every other church singing in 
 Sydney. The congregation are learning to ac- 
 company them in the Psalms. I grieve much 
 that the shaken state of my health, consequent 
 on my privations in the bush, will compel me 
 soon to relinquish all that I have worked up here 
 with so much labour, and to return to England. 
 
 Aug. 22. — Employed a great portion of the 
 day in endeavouring to find a ship on the point 
 of sailing for Bombay or Singapore. At last I 
 engaged a passage in a stout Bremen ship, bound 
 for the latter place. I believe she will sail in 
 three, or four days. Before leaving this favoured 
 land, I cannot think that I have done my duty 
 unless I strongly propose emigration as the pa- 
 nacea for all the social evils which prevail in the 
 overcrowded mother-country. If I were asked 
 to name the remedies for all the sufferings occa- 
 sioned by poverty, which too many of our coun- 
 try people have to endure, I would answer that 
 the first is emigration; the second, emigration; 
 and the third, emigration. I am not alluding to 
 emigration to Australia in particular, but to any 
 of those numerous colonies which are scattered 
 over the globe, and which are the brightest 
 jewels of our crown. There is no want, of what- 
 ever class of society, which emigration does not 
 meet. Health, riches, political eminence, a most
 
 IX AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 261 
 
 liberal form of government, employment, the 
 comforts of life, and, above all, a veil of oblivion 
 over the failings, follies, even crimes, of a past 
 life, await those who land on our distant colonial 
 shores; whether it be the poor noble — the un- 
 appreciated professional man — the ruined trades- 
 man — the artisan out of work — the starving 
 agricultural labourer — the reformed thief — or 
 the wretched little gamin of the streets. Is a 
 man weakly or consumptive ? let him go to the 
 Cape or Australia. Is he poor? he will find 
 riches there. Is he ambitious? then he will 
 find Legislative Councils easy of entrance. A 
 Democrat ? he will find a form of government 
 democratic enough to please a member of " the 
 Mountain." A criminal? the waters of the At- 
 lantic and Pacific Oceans act as a Lethe to the 
 past; and people out there will not inquire too 
 closely about the antecedents of a man who is a 
 reformed character, and who does to others as he 
 would be done by himself. Is a man almost 
 tempted, in a discontented, scoffing spirit, to 
 laugh to scorn those beautiful words of the 
 Psalmist, " happy is the man who has his quiver 
 full of children?" let him emigrate, and he will 
 scoff no longer, but experience that children are, 
 indeed, " a heritage and gift that cometh of the 
 Lord." Do young people of small means wish 
 to marry, but are precluded by straitened cir-
 
 26.2 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 cumstances ? let them marry at once, and go out, 
 not wait at home till they can afford an expensive 
 establishment; which olten means, waiting until 
 the freshness of youth has passed away. No 
 such thing as " ruin" awaits them there. If 
 one thing fails, another can be taken in hand. 
 Embarrassment will take place at first landing, 
 but patience, prudence, and perseverance, will at 
 last conquer all difficulties, and carry a man on- 
 ward towards the summit of his hopes. And 
 then the atmosphere is so pure, so light and 
 buoyant, that none of the accesses of low spirits, 
 so common in the mother-country, when one en- 
 counters a reverse, are felt. In fact, the whole 
 man becomes physically and morally regene- 
 rated ; and he feels an independence with regard 
 to surrounding influences that he never felt 
 before. 
 
 Aug. 25. — Sailed out of Sydney Heads in a 
 ship bound for Singapore. 
 
 Aug. 26. — Find that I have every reason to 
 be satisfied with the captain, who, with his crew, 
 are from Bremen, lie seems to be an excellent 
 sailor, and has gone through an infinity of ad- 
 ventures, having been engaged in the slave-trade, 
 assisted in the Portuguese civil war, and held a 
 high command in the ephemeral German navy. 
 Thus he has German orders, Portuguese orders, 
 and Brazilian orders. The crew are a very re-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 263 
 
 spectable set, and the ship is well sailed, and 
 k»'pt in a most admirable state. The steward 
 was a waiter in an hotel at Antwerp ; but having 
 won 5000/. in a lottery, he wishes to see the world 
 a little before settling down in his native town as 
 master of his own establishment. My fellow- 
 passenger has been for many years connected 
 with an Australian newspaper, but having ac- 
 quired a large fortune by land speculations, he 
 is returning home to enjoy it. 
 
 Aug. 28. — A calm, placid day. Ship rolling 
 about somewhere off Port Macquarie, without 
 making any progress. One of my companions 
 lias been telling stories about his negroes during 
 the passage from Africa to Brazil. 
 
 Aug. 31. — Ship making pretty good way, 
 going at eight knots. We are now off Moreton 
 Bay. Captain told me, that the only way to pene- 
 trate safely into the interior of Cenh'al Africa is to 
 assume the calling of a slave-merchant. He says 
 that the population take an interest in the traffic, 
 and thus the traveller can be passed onward from 
 tribe to tribe in a rude palanquin ; whilst they 
 cannot comprehend the idea of a man travelling 
 for the sake of science. His instruments, too, 
 excite the suspicion of some, the cupidity of 
 others. The chiefs think they are for magical 
 purposes; the lower classes admire their beauty 
 and glitter, and cuvet their possession. He
 
 264 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 knows a Jew, a slave-merchant, who has twice 
 made the journey from one of the Portuguese 
 colonies, in about 10° S. lat. across the con- 
 tinent to Mozambique ; and he himself travelled 
 due east in the interior for forty days. He, 
 however, caught a bad fever from inhaling poi- 
 sonous night exhalations on the banks of a river, 
 and was forced to return. As he went pro- 
 fessedly as a slave-dealer he was treated with 
 great respect, and was borne onward night and 
 day, without delay, through various districts, on 
 the shoulders of four stout negroes; while, as 
 darkness came on, five or six others preceded 
 him, waving torches and shouting to scare away 
 the beasts of the forest. He says that the inland 
 tribes are not nearly so barbarous as we imagine. 
 They not only have laws, but they obey them. 
 The men cultivate the soil in the neighbourhood 
 of the villages; and on market-days the women 
 swarm in from the country, decently clothed, 
 with hair elaborately parted and arranged, carry- 
 ing baskets of produce, carefully packed. Shells 
 are their currency, and they will take in a buyer 
 if they can. 
 
 Sept. 5. — Heavy winds all day. At night we 
 had an awful thunder-storm. A pitchy darkness 
 enveloped all, save when it was cleft and torn by 
 jagged flashes of forked lightning, which struck 
 the seething ocean in all directions. We, how-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 265 
 
 ever, providentially escaped. A booby came and 
 took refuge on our jib-boom. 
 
 Sept. 9. — The captain very coolly announced 
 to me that he had altered his intention, and did 
 not intend to go to Singapore, but that he 
 should go to Batavia, in Java, instead. He pro- 
 mises, however, to pass me on from Batavia to 
 Singapore. 
 
 Sept. 10. — Still lamentable cross-winds. For 
 ten days the wind has blown steadily from 
 N. W., and we want it from S.E. We were 
 taught to expect the S.E. trades in this latitude 
 (20° S.). The captain, who is not very well 
 victualled, has promised to kill a pig for some 
 time past; but as he is not very generous, has 
 hitherto failed to do it. This morning, however, 
 he has fulfilled his promise, and for the following 
 reason, as I think. A shark has been following 
 the ship for the last four-and-twenty hours. 
 Now sailors will tell us that a shark following a 
 vessel is a sign of an impending death on board ; 
 and our captain, who shares in the superstition 
 of his brotherhood, has, I believe, sacrificed his 
 long-withheld pig as a propitiatory sacrifice to 
 the voracious maw of our persevering follower. 
 "It is an ill wind that blows nobody good." All 
 are now satisfied except the immediate victim. 
 The shark evidently is, for he snapped up the 
 offal and disappeared. The captain is satisfied,
 
 266 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 for he has evaded destiny at a cheap rate. The 
 passengers are satisfied, too, for they have some- 
 thing savoury to eat; and the crew cannot fail to 
 be content. The captain has placed all the roast- 
 ing-pieces of the pig into boiling vinegar for five 
 or ten minutes. By that means, he says, the 
 meat will keep fresh for a month, and when 
 roasted, will yield but a slight taste of the 
 vinegar. 
 
 Sept. 11. — Observed the mate tying his 
 pocket-handkerchief in a peculiar manner to one 
 of the ropes aft. He told me it was for a fair 
 wind. I asked him when it would come. " To- 
 morrow morning, at eight o'clock/' he answered. 
 
 Sept. 12. — At eight o'clock this morning, when 
 I came on deck, I found that the wind was shift- 
 ing round to a good quarter. At nine it was 
 entirely favourable. All are in good spirits. 
 The captain told us, with a great deal of glee, 
 how he had once, when loaded with slaves, 
 tricked an English cruiser, by running in among 
 shoals and reefs, where the cruiser dared not 
 follow. 
 
 Sept. 14 — Had a conversation with my fellow- 
 passenger about the Colonial Press. He tells 
 me, that to push a paper into notice in the 
 colonics, the best plan is to oppose with virulence 
 the Government, and, above all, the Governor, 
 on whom should be lavished every species of
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 267 
 
 vituperation and personal calumny. If the Go- 
 vernor regards all these attacks with silent dis- 
 dain, it is a great misfortune for the paper ; but 
 if he loses his temper, chafes, and commences 
 legal proceedings against the paper, the paper's 
 fortune is made. The editor, proceeded against 
 for defamation, must defend his own cause, and 
 boldly become his own barrister : he must 
 scarcely confine his behaviour in court within the 
 bounds of decency ; he must browbeat and insult 
 witnesses as he cross-examines them ; and in his 
 defence he must, to show his varied attainments, 
 diverge into matters totally irrelevant to the 
 subject. Above all, he must impress on the 
 jury that the object of the present prosecution is 
 not such an humble individual as himself; no, 
 it is a powerful combination of a corrupt Govern- 
 ment (of which the judge is ex officio a member) 
 against the civil and religious liberties of the 
 colony, and a verdict against him will insure an 
 age of tyranny and oppression to a young and 
 flourishing state. After detaining the court with 
 this stump eloquence for five or six hours, my 
 friend continued, the defendant will sit down 
 with an exhausted air, feebly flashing forth the 
 indignation of a wronged and oppressed indi- 
 vidual ; the judge will, as in duty bound, charge 
 dead against him ; the jury will, unless they are 
 a perjured set, give a verdict against him ; he
 
 268 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 will go to prison ; an indignation meeting, com- 
 posed of the scum of the population, will be 
 held; the Governor and governing authorities 
 will be assailed with the grossest ribaldry; a 
 few pounds will be collected ; fresh subscribers 
 will come forward — some out of sympathy, 
 others struck by his pluck and talents; from the 
 prison the paper can be continued ; and when he 
 comes out he will be received with open arms, 
 and his journal will have attained a firm and 
 respectable footing. After our conversation had 
 ceased, I could not refrain from marvelling that 
 the newspaper press should have attained to its 
 present omnipotence among such a people as the 
 British, seeing that it is an anonymous and irre- 
 sponsible institution. This great engine for 
 influencing the minds of men can, for its un- 
 bounded power, be only compared with the 
 Church of the middle ages. The pulpit of the 
 present times is but a puny infant at its side : 
 whom it will, it casts down; whom it will, it 
 raises up : even the most powerful quail beneath 
 its censure. It is a 
 
 " Power moving throughout, subtle, invisible, 
 And universal as the air we breathe; 
 A power that never slumbers .... 
 All eye, all ear — nowhere, and everywhere, 
 Entering the eloset and the sanetuary." 
 
 And it is a power as anonymous as the Venetian
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 269 
 
 Invisible Three, for the publisher's name at the 
 end of a newspaper throws not the least light 
 upon the identity of those " ready writers/' who 
 with their pens influence society and individuals 
 for good or evil. And it is an irresponsible 
 power, for it is amenable to no organised tri- 
 bunal. The priest is educated for the Church, 
 and is liable to ecclesiastical discipline ; the 
 lawyer is under high judicial control ; the soldier 
 must submit himself to strict military discipline : 
 but the Press, which exercises a despotism more 
 complete than the Church, the Law, or the 
 Army, requires no organised education, is sub- 
 jected to no legal check, except the law of libel, 
 which may so easily be evaded as to be equi- 
 valent to no check at all. Strange anomaly ! 
 that a country so systematic and order-loving as 
 England is, and requiring that everything should 
 be fair and above-board, should submit to be 
 dictated to by a secret power, which, if not ne- 
 cessarily bad, is by no means necessarily good, 
 and yet far removed from all direct and imme- 
 diate censure and control, except the fickle 
 popular cry. 
 
 Sept. 15. — Saw a sail astern. As the captain 
 wishes company through Torres Straits, he slack- 
 ened sail for her to come up. She proved to 
 be the " Homer," the captain of which, I believe, 
 had no charts of Torres Straits, — an American
 
 270 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 barque hailing from Boston. Captains agreed to 
 go through together in company. South-east 
 trades still blowing strong, with a heavy swell. 
 
 Sept. 16. — Arrived at midnight nearly off 
 Torres Straits, as we imagined, and then lay-to, 
 as the entrance is obscure and dangerous. 
 
 Sept. 17. — We did not arrive off Torres 
 Straits until three p.m. On our left we saw the 
 wreck of a large ship lying high and dry on a 
 reef, with her back broken — turpissimum omen ! 
 On our right we saw a low sandy island, crested 
 with black rocks, and inhabited by innumerable 
 birds. It is called Rainer's Island. On it I saw 
 three huts, and a round tower or column, roughly 
 built of stones, seventy feet high. This is a 
 beacon proclaiming the entrance of the Straits. 
 We anchored at sunset thirty miles within the 
 Straits, urged on by the south-east wind blowing 
 freshly. Saw sand-banks and breakers all around 
 us. I understand that the lamentable wrecks 
 which occur in these Straits arise chiefly from 
 careless reckonings being kept. Ships come un- 
 awares on their entrance during the night and 
 get aground. 
 
 Sept. 18. — After a tempestuous night we weighed 
 anchor at sunrise, and proceeded on our dangerous 
 route. Two more ships have joined us ; so that 
 now we are — one Hollander leading the van; 
 then ourselves; then the Yankee; and in the rear
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 271 
 
 two Hamburgh ships. Anchored a little before 
 sundown ; for, sailing due west as we are, the 
 beams of the setting sun dazzle the eyes of the 
 man at the helm, so that he can no longer dis- 
 tinguish shallow from deep water by the colour. 
 
 Sept. 19. — Weighed anchor at daybreak, and 
 proceeded. On our left is the low, sandy coast of 
 Australia, where we saw two huge fires lighted by 
 the natives. At ten a.m. we passed on our right 
 a dangerous reef, scarcely perceptible, opposite to 
 Hannibal Island, which lies on our left, close to 
 the shore. The channel here is about five miles 
 across. Passed off the mouth of a fine Australian 
 river, called Escape River, which is twice as wide 
 as the Yarra at Melbourne. Twenty miles farther 
 on, we came to Newcastle Bay, where we anchored 
 for the night. This is a fine bay, and, as I hear 
 that there are rivers flowing into it, would make 
 a good locality for a settlement. During the day 
 I saw a sea-snake idly floating along. It had no 
 fins, was of a whitey-brown colour, and must have 
 measured in length six feet at the least. 
 
 Sept. 20. — At daybreak all five ships weighed 
 anchor and started. At nine a.m. we passed Cape 
 York, a bold promontory, standing far out into 
 the sea. Soon after, passed between Possession 
 Island and Prince of Wales Island. Saw four 
 Australian natives in the distance ; three entirely 
 naked, and one with an opossum rug on. When
 
 272 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 they perceived us, they fled into the bush swiftly. 
 On our left were a succession of pretty bays and 
 small islands, clothed with green shrubs. Behind 
 rose in gentle undulations picturesque hills, well 
 wooded and seemingly fertile. Sea calm and 
 bright. The navigation is still difficult and peril- 
 ous. The captain scarcely takes his eyes off his 
 charts from sunrise to sundown. He is indefa- 
 tigable in his carefulness. In the evening four 
 blacks came on board from Prince of Wales Is- 
 land, called in native language Mooralez. They 
 were a plump, muscular, intelligent set, carried 
 bows and arrows; and their canoe, a hollowed 
 tree, was fitted with outriders. These outrisrerers, 
 
 ' CO CO ' 
 
 which enable a frail bark to encounter a heavy 
 sea, simplify the problem of the peopling of these 
 remote parts. The Prince of Wales Island people 
 were originally immigrants from the coast of Au- 
 stralia, twelve miles off. 
 
 Sept. 21. — Weighed anchor at half-past six 
 and proceeded through a tranquil sea, with Prince 
 of Wales Island on our right and Wallace Island 
 on our left. Calms rather baffled us, and we 
 could catch no fish. At last, about two p.m., we 
 passed eight miles to the left of Booby Island, 
 and thus emerged with the blessing of God, after 
 four days' anxiety, from the. redoubtable Torres 
 Straits, the most dangerous and difficult naviga- 
 tion in the world. The captain's conduct has been
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 273 
 
 admirable throughout. At Booby Island there is 
 a provision-depot, kept up by voluntary sub- 
 scription, where shipwrecked crews can procure 
 food. Every ship passing within sight of the 
 island is expected to leave in a stone-building 
 which is there, a cask of pork, or beef, or biscuit, 
 or anything the captain can spare. There are no 
 inhabitants in the place. It must be borne in 
 mind, that people shipwrecked in the Straits en- 
 deavour to betake themselves to the Dutch islands 
 of the Eastern Archipelago. To land on the right 
 in New Guinea, or on the left in Australia, would 
 be certain death, for the natives are ferocious 
 cannibals. The captain wondered why steamers 
 do not run from Singapore to Sydney by way of 
 the Straits, it being a shorter and calmer passage 
 than by Cape Leeuwin on the western coast of 
 Australia. There would be little or no risk for a 
 steamer in the Straits, unless she were grossly 
 mismanaged ; and if a settlement were formed at 
 or near Newcastle Bay, there would always exist 
 a refuge in case of disaster. Having got out into 
 the open sea we anchored no more at night. To- 
 wards sunset we saw nine ships in the distance. 
 
 Sept. 22. — Went on board the Hollander, the 
 name of which is the " President Verkoutren." 
 She is in a very dirty state — rather extraordinary 
 for a Dutch East India Company's ship. 
 
 T
 
 274 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 Sept. 25. — Hear that we are about 400 miles 
 from Timor and 1400 miles from Batavia. Saw 
 two sea-snakes, a fathom long, wriggle by the 
 ship. 
 
 Sept. 28. — Our course lies between the island 
 of Timor and a long, dangerous bank, running in 
 a straight line for nearly 100 miles. 
 
 Sept. 29. — Got clear of the bank, and ran along 
 the irregular and precipitous coast of Timor, 
 famous for ponies. The heights seemed well 
 wooded, but we could not see much on account of 
 the mist. This island formerly belonged jointly 
 to the Dutch and Portuguese, but now, I believe, 
 the former have bought the latter out. 
 
 Oct. 10. — At ten a.m. we came in sight of Java 
 Head, a huge promontory, thickly timbered. On 
 our left was an island, called Prince's Island, 
 precipitous and picturesque. Thus we entered 
 the S; raits of Sanda, having the large island of 
 Sumatra on our left, and Java on our right. A 
 strong breeze and current carried us in quick 
 succession by the Friar, Second Point, Welcome 
 Bay, Third Point, to Pepper Bay, where we an- 
 chored for the night. On our left towered the 
 huge peak of the island of Pulo Crokatoa. 
 
 Oct. 11. — At ten a.m. two Malay boats came 
 off", with poultry, yams, bananas, ananas, tobacco, 
 and a beautiful hare in a cas^e. The whole was
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. )l ro 
 
 bought for three dollars. The . hare, with its 
 large, liquid, lustrous eyes, its long, fine ears, its 
 most slender limbs, was put upon the deck to run 
 about ; but it refused all nourishment, and began 
 to mope. At noon we emerged from the Straits 
 of Sunda, which are ninety miles in length, and 
 rounded Point Nicholas and Saleyra. Passed by 
 Kaly. Mountains most precipitous and bizarre, 
 all inhabited and cultivated, and all indescribably 
 picturesque. At night we anchored near Man- 
 eater's Island. The thermometer has been 87° 
 in the cabin to-day. 
 
 Oct. 12. — A dull, hazy morning. After lying 
 becalmed for some hours only fifteen miles from 
 Batavia, off Amsterdam Island, which is low, and 
 covered with verdure to the water's edge, a breeze 
 sprung up and took us to within four miles of 
 Batavia. The whole roadstead is covered with 
 low islands, seemingly of great fertility, but I 
 understand that fever and death have established 
 themselves there. After dinner I descended the 
 ship's side into a prow, a long narrow boat with 
 a large sail, and a stiff breeze impelled me rapidly 
 towards the shore, where, having arrived, the boat 
 entered a sluggish river or canal, and after sail- 
 ing two or three miles between low muddy banks, 
 arrested her progress opposite the Custom-IIouse. 
 After I had arranged some necessary business, I
 
 276 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 vode in an open carriage, drawn by two diminu- 
 tive ponies, through the crowded streets of Ba- 
 tavia, to the fashionable "west-end" suburb, 
 called Rijswijk or Rijwoek, where I dismounted 
 at the Java Hotel, a palatial edifice, surrounded 
 by extensive grounds. 
 
 Oct. 13. — Rode in a carriage into the crowded 
 city. I found it impossible to avoid being in- 
 tensely excited at the novelty of the scene. The 
 houses were most bizarre, and the streets were 
 crowded with never-ceasing streams of Chinese, 
 Malays, Javanese, Islanders, Creoles, and Euro- 
 peans, all attired in every variety of costume ; 
 whilst at quick-recurring intervals this mass of 
 humanity would be disturbed by small carriages 
 tearing along, drawn by ponies not much larger 
 than big dogs. An immense trade of comestibles 
 was going on in the streets — delicate comestibles, 
 such as pickles, preserves, hot peppers, and small 
 fish in pickle ; also curry, and rice, and veget- 
 ables, creams, tea, pastry ; all at three doits each 
 (sixty go to a shilling;). And as each seller shouted 
 and each buyer shouted, the noise was deafening. 
 The seller carries his wares in trays attached to a 
 bamboo stick, and his cry is that of an earnest 
 cat. In the evening I went to the races, which 
 were held in King William's Plain ; some Sydney 
 horses ran, ridden by jockeys dressed in English
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 277 
 
 style : but the most amusing part of all was the 
 pony-race, a race of a most motley group of ani- 
 mals, ridden by a still more motley group of 
 riders, some most grotesquely dressed. The 
 catastrophes which befell horsemen and horses 
 from the start to the winning-post were incessant, 
 and universal laughter reigned around, from the 
 vast assemblage of human beings of many races 
 which were there. Some riders were dressed in 
 masquerade fashion. The winner, if I recollect 
 right, was got up as a wild Indian of the prairie. 
 A very sumptuous dinner was served at the table- 
 d'hote dinner of the hotel. Batavia is very full, 
 owing to the Exposition being held now, and also 
 to the races. An intelligent German, who sat by 
 me at table, said that the Javanese and Malays 
 are very skilled in the compounding of subtle and 
 slow poisons. 
 
 Oct. 14. — Was introduced at the Concordia 
 Club-House, which is in Waterloo Plain. Saw a 
 great many well-dressed Dutch gentlemen there: 
 also several Rajahs from the country, who have 
 come up to the Exposition at the expense of 
 Government. The price at my hotel is, I find, 
 5 guilders (10s.) a-day, exclusive of wine and 
 beer, but including Hollands gin ; and indeed 
 the people are eating and drinking from morning 
 to night. It requires a strong constitution to go
 
 278 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 through a clay here. The following is the regle- 
 rnent : — 
 
 Des Morgens van 5 tot 8 ure, koffij of thee mit beschuit 
 
 (in de kamer) 8 ,,9 Dejeune 
 Wordt om . 8 ure Gescheld. 
 
 Middags . 12^ a, la fourchette 
 
 Wordt om . 12g ure Gescheld. 
 Narniddags . 6^ Dine 
 
 Wordt om . 6^ ure Gescheld. 
 
 Avonds . . 7 „ 8 Thee. 
 
 8 ,,12 Grog van Geneva. 
 
 This means, that, after bathing in a spacious bath 
 at the bottom of the garden, just before sunrise, 
 and returning to your room, you receive at the 
 hands of the servant tea or coffee with biscuit ; 
 that from eight to nine there is laid out in the 
 sa lie a manger an excellent breakfast ; that at 
 half-an-hour after noon you sit down to an abun- 
 dant drjcthier a la fourchette, consisting of fish, 
 meats, poultry, fruits, vegetables, curries, eggs, 
 oysters, sardines, and other appetising things; 
 that at live there is always a good cup of tea to 
 be had ; that at six, gin and bitters are served ; 
 riiat at half-past six comes the great event of the 
 day, dinner; and such a dinner! with every 
 comestible one can conceive, and many more, 
 clustering round beautiful vases, filled with 
 fresh, fragrant flowers, whilst innumerable lights
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 279 
 
 of cocoa-nut oil, shrouded in ground-glass lamps, 
 throw an air of subdued splendour over the scene; 
 that alter coffee is served, tea is announced in 
 another room, and afterwards one is at liberty to 
 drink Hollands gin until midnight. I suspect 
 that this profusion is a passing spurt on account 
 of the Exposition. If it is not, I cannot conceive 
 how the landlord can be remunerated at five 
 florins a-day. About thirty sit down to dinner, 
 and seem very abstemious as to what they drink. 
 Light Bordeaux wine is chiefly called for; also a 
 delicious bitter beer brewed in Amsterdam, which 
 is weaker than ours, and has a more genuine 
 bitter about it. It is much less expensive also. 
 What I have just written is a programme of a 
 day at the Java Hotel in Batavia ; and although, 
 owing to the tropical heat which prevails here, 
 the bodily juices are undergoing constant evapo- 
 ration, and require constant renovation, yet I 
 cannot but think that the renovation carried on 
 here is rather of too overwhelming a nature to 
 be exactly conducive to robust health. 
 
 Oct. 15. — After taking a bath at sunrise, I 
 went over the stables attached to the hotel. 
 There were fifty ponies there, eating cut grass. 
 These active little creatures travel at a great 
 pace during the burning heat of the day, but 
 they are not very enduring, and it is not well to 
 work them more than three times in the week,
 
 280 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 and then not more than for ten or twelve miles. 
 Thus the number kept is prodigious. A mer- 
 chant well to do in the world must have eight 
 or nine pair. He will require two or three pair 
 to go into town to his counting-house daily and 
 return ; whilst his wife and family, for airing and 
 making calls, and society, cannot do well with less 
 than five pairs. They cost from four to eight 
 pounds each, and are not expensive to keep. 
 Mares are not used here. The stronger Timor 
 breed costs more, and requires better keep; 
 whilst the stout Macassar cob of fourteen hands, 
 is much used for the saddle, requires attention, 
 and fetches a comparatively high pi'ice. Some 
 few rich people possess Sydney horses ; but they 
 cost a great deal — 1200 florins perhaps, and do 
 not thrive wonderfully well. Visited some Chinese 
 stores, where I saw second-rate European goods 
 for sale at very high prices. Drove through the 
 Chinese quarter, where are houses built in every 
 conceivable style, many grotesque, all pictur- 
 esque, and quaint beyond description. I entered 
 into the fine residence of a rich Chinese merchant. 
 At the door glared two stone monsters : the in- 
 terior was scrupulously clean, and contained very 
 little furniture ; gold and vermilion were not 
 spared as embellishments, and on the walls were 
 poor French or English engravings, not coloured. 
 The more private apartments 1 did not see. I
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 281 
 
 hear that there are no less than 60,000 Chinese 
 in Batavia and the environs. The Dutch govern- 
 ment, with its usual good sense, has appointed 
 and salaried certain Chinese officials, with the 
 titles of Colonel and Major, whose duty it is to 
 grant permission to Chinese immigrants to land 
 in Batavia; and who are made personally respon- 
 sible for the behaviour of their compatriots. A 
 hundred years ago, the Chinese iD the island, 
 waxing rich and insolent, rebelled, and were 
 massacred to the number of 12,000 by the 
 Malays, who also abound here, and are very jea- 
 lous of the Celestial people. The Chinese are the 
 acutest people in the world. Their perceptive 
 and reflective faculties are most highly developed; 
 and all this wonderful intelligence is unaccom- 
 panied by any moral or religious principle. The 
 depravation of their moral tastes is excessive. It 
 would be well if our young colonies would act as 
 the Dutch act — refuse admittance to too many, 
 and keep those who are permitted to land under 
 strict surveillance; otherwise mischief will spring 
 up one of these days. These Chinese immigrants, 
 who are the off-scourings of the Chinese empire, 
 come over unaccompanied by women ; but in 
 process of time the more respectable form con- 
 nexions with Malay women, and educate their 
 children as Chinese. At least I have been given 
 to understand so. Some of these people are
 
 282 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 enormously rich, and hold sugar and coffee 
 plantations in the interior. Tbe Chinese here do 
 not undertake laborious callings, but are mer- 
 chants, shop-keepers, money-changers, pedlars, 
 and barbers. They live by their heads rather 
 than their hands. They love to gamble, smoke 
 opium, and attend theatrical representations, 
 where men and women, disguised under extra- 
 vagant and ridiculous dresses, perform intermin- 
 able dramas, of which no one but themselves can 
 comprehend the beginning or understand the 
 end. These people in general are simply and 
 cleanly dressed. They have a straw-hat with a 
 narrow brim, white tunic, loose white trowsers, 
 white stockings, and shoes. Behind them hangs 
 the tail to the heels, sometimes assisted with false 
 hair and black ribbon. An umbrella is an indis- 
 pensable appendage. I am not able to learn ex- 
 actly what the religion of the Chiuese is, but 
 I believe it is a mixture of Buddhism, Unitarian- 
 ism, and Devil worship. Whatever it may be, it 
 biings forth fruit which we, as Christians, would 
 decidedly call corrupt. 
 
 In the evening a merchant, who has lived in 
 Bat a via many years, took me to a Javanese feast. 
 1 was anxious to see an assemblage of pure 
 Javanese, for in the streets of Batavia I had seen 
 an infinity of Mala} s and Chinese, but compara- 
 tively few of the Javanese race.
 
 IV AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 283 
 
 About a mile from the hotel we diverged from 
 the main road, and made our way by the uncer- 
 tain light of the stars along a path surrounded 
 and overarched by luxuriant Eastern vegetation, 
 towards the spot where innumerable lights showed 
 us that the kampong, or village, of the giver of 
 the feast lay. These kampongs are villages set 
 apart in the vast suburbs of Batavia for the 
 Javanese and Malay population. Between the 
 well-macadamised roads, where are reared the 
 palaces of the Europeans, live in quiet rural re- 
 treats, communicated with by shady lanes, an 
 innumerable coloured population, in their kam- 
 pongs (the great Chinese kampong is in the city 
 proper) ; and very delightful it is to leave the 
 dusty road, turn up a verdant pathway, and at 
 the end of a long perspective discover a cluster 
 of pretty, clean, bamboo cottages, each in the 
 middle of its little plot of Indian corn, and 
 almost concealed by the refreshing shade of 
 cocoa-nut and banana-trees. On the present 
 occasion, close to one of these cottages, canvas 
 had been stretched from tree to tree across a 
 verdant alley, and two rows of tables were laid 
 out, loaded with sweetmeats, conserves, cakes, 
 fruits, and tea-cups. Among the fruits the stately- 
 looking pine-apple, or anana, was not forgotten, 
 which is here sold for about twopence, or less. 
 Beyond the tables an open square space was
 
 284 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 appropriated to the dancers, and close on that 
 was a wooden platform raised dais-like, on which 
 sat the master of the feast, his three wives, and 
 intimate friends. As soon as the master of the 
 feast espied my friend and myself standing at the 
 lower end of the tables among the crowd, he 
 hurried down, and bowing very courteously, led 
 us up between the tables, through the dancers, to 
 the dais, where he begged us to sit down in a 
 chair. He then pressed upon us tea and sweet- 
 meats, to which last we helped ourselves with a 
 silver instrument like a bodkin. The dancers 
 were then ordered to begin one of their best 
 dances. They were four, two men and two wo- 
 men ; and they danced in an insufferably grace- 
 less and monotonous manner, hoisting their legs 
 up high at a very slow pace, then dropping them 
 equally slow r ly, whilst their hands hung flaccidly 
 before them like the paws of standing bears. It 
 looked to me like a quadrille dreamily glided 
 through by persons under the influence of opium, 
 who had just sufficient energy left in them for 
 the lift of a limb or contortion of the body. The 
 musicians sat cross-legged, beating a small range 
 of notes on brass plates with little knob-sticks ; 
 others beat drums of bamboo ; others pieces of 
 wood, arranged like the glasses of an harmonicon. 
 The wives of the master of the house sat all the 
 time very demurely, scarcely moving a muscle of
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 285 
 
 their expressionless countenances ; and looking 
 very much like the female figures depicted on our 
 china. The assembled multitude — all Javanese, 
 with their mild, respectable faces — sat watching 
 the monotony of the dance with extraordinary 
 intensity. When the dancing was finished all 
 sat down to the feast, and I left. The long 
 tables; the bamboo torches; the raised dais at the 
 further end, sparkling with lights ; the barbaric 
 music; the. swarthy multitudes, with their rest- 
 less, flashing eyes ; the huge leaves of the trees 
 round about, scarcely swayed by the evening 
 breeze; and the bright, calm, earnest stars over 
 all, formed a most impressive scene. All present 
 were pure Javanese, who in Batavia love to spend 
 their money in feasting one another. 
 
 Oct. 16 (Sunday) — Attended Divine Service 
 at the chief Dutch church in Batavia. It is 
 built after the model of the Pantheon, and is a 
 very imposing edifice. Over the entrance is a 
 fine organ, and in face is a huge pulpit with a 
 huge sounding-board. In the centre of the area 
 sat the women on chairs, and in pews clustered 
 along the walls were the men, all very grave- 
 looking and decorous. I observed a school of 
 Creole girls there. The Governor and his lady 
 were there, sitting under a canopy of state. The 
 Service consisted of praying, singing, and preach- 
 ing, the former unaccompanied by kneeling. The
 
 286 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 psalmody was exceedingly well sustained by the 
 male portion of the congregation. Two collec- 
 tions were made during the Service; one for the 
 poor, the other for the Minister. Not under- 
 standing Dutch I could form no opinion of the 
 sermon, but I am told that the Calvinist ministers 
 here preach Socinianism to slender auditories. 
 The congregation to-day was certainly wretchedly 
 small, but I am told that this arises from the 
 clergyman not being a popular preacher. On 
 Saturday the Sunday preachers are advertised ; 
 people know whom they are going to hear, and 
 a poor man who does not take the popular fancy 
 draws but a few admirers to his preaching. 
 There are two other Dutch Protestant churches, 
 in one of which the Service is held in the Malay 
 language. Returning from church, I saw a 
 Chinese wedding-party. The bride, bridegroom, 
 and relations, preceded in two carriages and four, 
 with red plumes waving on the roof; the friends 
 followed in no less than thirty-eight carriages 
 and pair. The galloping, shouting, and dust, 
 were something overwhelming. 
 
 Oct. 18. — Went over the Exposition, where are 
 collected the produce and manufactures of Java 
 and the surrounding islands under Dutch sway. 
 The building was vast, the articles exposed, 
 numerous, and the ticketing incorrect and em- 
 barrassing. This exhibition, like all exhibitions,
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 287 
 
 is tiring to the eyes and legs. Saw more than 
 100 specimens of wood, some remarkably beau- 
 tiful in grain, and some very close-grained and 
 heavy. These woods were very interesting to 
 examine : some pieces were as hard and heavy as 
 iron. Saw there also some small nuggets of gold 
 from Borneo ; some enormous nutmegs ; excel- 
 lent green tea, opium, coffee, tobacco, spices, 
 indigo, good refined sugar, and a model of out- 
 riggers to be applied to large ships. It would be 
 impossible to detail a thousandth part of the 
 costly products of Netherlands India, which I saw 
 amassed under the interminable roof of the Ex- 
 position. From all I hear, Java must be an all- 
 producing paradise, inhabited by ten millions of 
 amiable people ; and the Hollanders, if they had 
 carried out their once entertained idea of leaving 
 their swamps to their relentless persecutors, and 
 emigrating with their household gods en masse to 
 this island of the blest, would have made no bad 
 exchange. What much struck me at the Exhi- 
 bition, was the orderly behaviour of the Asiatics 
 who were there. The Malays swarmed in the 
 building, dressed in divers modes. The head- 
 dress of the men consisted of folds of muslin, or 
 a coloured handkerchief folded round, or a strawr 
 hat, or a wooden hat gaily japanned, something 
 like an inverted punchbowl. As for their body- 
 dress, some had linen tunics, some jackets, some
 
 4bO DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 nothing at all. For their lower extremities, some 
 wore loose trowsers down to the ankles, others 
 tight drawers extending no further than the 
 knees. None had shoes. As the material of 
 these dresses is gauildy coloured, the infinite 
 variety of patterns has a most droll effect. The 
 Malay women had no head-dress, but wore their 
 abundant black hair drawn tightly back over their 
 foreheads, and twisted into a back -knot, where it 
 is fastened by a pin of a certain value. Their 
 dress consisted of a loose white linen tunic pinned 
 over the chest, and a long white petticoat. Nor 
 had they shoes. They walked with dignity, and 
 behaved with propriety. I saw likewise many 
 Javanese Rajahs from the interior with their attend- 
 ants, and was much struck by their gentleness, 
 politeness, and quiet intelligence. They were of a 
 light bronze colour, rather thau black. Some of 
 the high-bred Javanese ladies are, I am told, well- 
 educated, extremely handsome, and scarcely darker 
 than a dark European woman. These gentle- 
 men at the Exposition were wrapped round the 
 loins with costly cloths down to the heels. They 
 were girded with a valuable sash, in which, at 
 their back, they wore daggers with jewelled hilts. 
 They had velvet jackets braided with gold ; and 
 wore a velvet cap resembling our jockey-cap, 
 with, however, a larger and deeper rim, and a hole 
 at the top, to allow their long back hair, confined
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 289 
 
 with a costly comb, to protrude. In the vast 
 extent of the building were stationed two sets of 
 Javanese musical instruments, consisting of metal 
 plates, or vessels arranged in musical scale, and 
 beaten with sticks. These instruments are very 
 costly, having a liberal admixture of silver. The 
 music produced is liquid, bell-toned, monotonous, 
 and melancholy. The oratorio of the "Creation" 
 was played at the theatre to-night by amateurs, 
 in aid of some charitable institution. The vocal 
 and instrumental execution left nothing to be 
 desired, and the building was crowded to excess. 
 Oct. 19. — A mixed assemblage sat down at 
 the table d'hote to-day. There were a Javanese 
 prince, an African prince, a captain of a Dutch 
 regiment, an engineer, a doctor, a Hanoverian 
 nobleman turned merchant, a captain of a coast- 
 ing steamer, and a sugar -planter from Mada- 
 gascar. The captain of the steamer had a little 
 Papuan boy, his servant, standing behind his 
 chair, who, with his tiger-cat eyes, which were 
 like diamonds set in black enamel, watched his 
 master's countenance, and anticipated every want. 
 The boy had been picked up somewhere in the 
 neighbouring islands, and his master would have 
 been glad to get rid of him for a small considera- 
 tion. The New Guinea people are esteemed the 
 most savage, untameable people in the world ; so 
 that it would be a perilous thing to bring the 
 
 u
 
 290 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 little fellow to England. The planter had been 
 ten years without seeing an European in Mada- 
 gascar, where an unlimited number of slaves had 
 been allotted him. I conversed much with him, 
 but I felt a repugnance to him, for there were 
 many dark things written in his face. 
 
 Oct. 20. — Bought some books at the shop of 
 Lange, the chief bookseller in Batavia. He says 
 it is not true that the Dutch, who trade with 
 Japan, go through the form of trampling on the 
 cross every year. Permission to trade with Japan 
 is put up to auction every year by the Dutch 
 Government. The last permission sold for 4000/. 
 He told me that the Javanese are a quiet, refined, 
 and lovable people. 
 
 Oct. 21. — The Europeans in Batavia visit in 
 the evening at eight o'clock. After sunset the 
 Malay coachmen lay aside the inverted punch- 
 bowl hat, which they wear on their heads during 
 the day, and assume the European hat. When 
 a visit is to be made, two servants jump up be- 
 hind on the foot-board carrying huge torches. 
 The coachman smacks his whip, the ponies start 
 off at a furious gallop, and the two men behind 
 vrave their torches, and shout, and yell, in pro- 
 portion to the speed of the ponies. As the 
 suburbs arc frequently crowded with these equi- 
 pages, the effect is most, embarrassing to the 
 pedestrian.
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 291 
 
 Oct. 22. — Hear that the Mohammedanism pro- 
 fessed by the Javanese is of a mongrel character. 
 Hindoo traditions have still firm hold upon them, 
 in spite of the teaching of hiin of Mecca. A 
 resident in Batavia told me some strange stories 
 
 of Madame , a celebrated German traveller. 
 
 They went to show, that when a favourite pursuit 
 develops itself into a passion, every other con- 
 sideration is often disregarded, even that of 
 scrupulous attention to toilet arrangements, which 
 we of England consider the peculiar characteristic 
 of the softer sex. Impelled by an adventurous 
 and fearless spirit, this lady, when roaming in the 
 island of Sumatra, beyond the limits of Dutch 
 civilisation, fell among a savage people called the 
 Battas. They immediately determined on baking 
 and eating her. Her sensations may be imagined 
 rather than described, whilst their rude, impro- 
 vised earthly oven, was a-preparing. At last the 
 heated hole was ready for the victim, and the 
 hungry savages requested her to undress previous 
 to the gastronomic immolation. Seeing that the 
 poor creature was tardy, they roughly assisted her 
 in this operation, until she stood unclothed on 
 the brink of the terrible pit. But when the in- 
 stant barbarians saw that she was thin, old, 
 angular, muscular, and above all, innocent of 
 soap for many a day, or, to speak more plainly, a 
 willing victim of unmitigated neglect, their appe-
 
 292 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 tites ceased, their culinary enthusiasm abated ; 
 they had not the stomach to cook her and eat 
 her ; but they bid her clothe herself and be gone, 
 giving her by signs to understand that her dirt 
 had saved her life. 
 
 Oct. 23. — It being my intention to go to 
 Buitenzorg to-morrow, a town forty miles from 
 Batavia, where is the country residence of the 
 Governor-General, I applied to-day for my pass- 
 port, and obtained it. The Government is very 
 jealous of the movements of European strangers 
 in Java. At dinner, somebody accosted me with 
 " So you are going to see Java?" I answered, 
 " Am I not in Java now ? " " No," was the 
 reply; " we call this Batavia, not Java." 
 
 Oct. 24. — At daybreak I started for Buitenzorg 
 in a light carriage, drawn by four ponies. A 
 Malay coachman drove, and behind, on the foot- 
 board, stood the two horsekeepers, one to each 
 pair. Soon emerging from the suburb, I travelled 
 at full gallop along a good macadamised road, 
 bordered by fine trees. At the side of this road 
 ran a narrower road, not macadamised, which is 
 appropriated to the traffic of the native popula- 
 tion, and which was crowded by a swarthy crew, 
 clad and unclad, all in a state of intense activity. 
 Met long strings of two-wheeled carts, having 
 a light wicker tilt, excellently well arranged, 
 drawn by small, docile oxen, fine in limb and fet-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 293 
 
 lock, and small of hoof. Crowds of natives passed, 
 carrying the produce of the country, either on 
 their heads or attached to long bamboo sticks 
 laid across their shoulders. Every now and then 
 I came on groups of people reposing under the 
 spreading foliage of some giant roadside tree — 
 fathers, mothers, and their little ones, in every 
 attitude of exquisite unconscious grace. Here and 
 there, at the side of the road, were pretty Malay 
 wood cottages, with overhanging roofs, sur- 
 rounded by cultivation sufficient to satisfy all the 
 owners' wants. Fine country-houses, seated on 
 eminences, with large estates lying round them, 
 were not wanting. The swampy parts of the 
 country were taken advantage of for extensive 
 rice-fields, the irrigation of which was carefully 
 and ingeniously managed. About every seven 
 miles the horses were changed, and with reason, 
 for the sun of Java is powerful; and we were 
 travelling over ten miles an hour, including stop- 
 pages. The pace was a full gallop, never de- 
 generating into a trot. The rest-stations were 
 very extensive buildings, comprising bed-rooms, 
 refreshment-rooms, and stabling for thirty or 
 forty horses. In these localities shelters are 
 thrown across the road ; so that the traveller 
 finds a refreshing shade. I hear that all the 
 Java main roads are excellent, and that the ar- 
 rangements for travelling by post are extra-
 
 294 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 ordinarily good. Those who wish to travel from 
 Batavia to any principal town of the island, whe- 
 ther to Cheribon, Samarang, or Sourabaya, have 
 only to go to the post-bureau, and pay the re- 
 quired sum, and they will be hurried in a carriage- 
 and-four, without stopping, to the place of their 
 destination, at an expense of 1/. for ten miles. I 
 found the starting of a relay to be rather a ner- 
 vous operation, for the four fresh ponies behaved 
 as if they had never been introduced to each other 
 before, and acted in unison only in one point — 
 that of going sideways, and backwards instead of 
 forwards. However, after screaming, plunging, 
 kicking, and sitting down on their tails, when 
 by blows and pushes from four or five experienced 
 horsekeepers, each a larger animal than the 
 quadruped itself, they are persuaded to move in 
 the right direction, the little creatures fly rather 
 than gallop, till they arrive, all panting and ex- 
 hausted, at the next station. After travelling 
 about eighteen miles over the sultry plain I felt 
 the more bracing mountain air; and, indeed, in 
 the distance, I could easily distinguish the moun- 
 tains, at the base of which lay Buitenzorg, the 
 country retreat of the rich people of Batavia. As 
 the land became more undulating, the picturesque- 
 ness of the journey increased. At times I crossed 
 rapid streams, over bridges carefully roofed in ; 
 then were to be seen groves of cocoa-nut trees,
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 295 
 
 studding the landscape here and there; then 
 cottages nestling amid their own little groves : 
 in front were the wooded mountains, chequered 
 with the most marked effects of light and shade ; 
 passing and repassing in rapid equipages were 
 Rajahs, with the insignia cf their rank — a gilt 
 umbrella; or Chinese, posting to or from their 
 plantations ; whilst the soft air soughed gently 
 through the luxuriant foliage of the surrounding 
 trees. At last I arrived at a white obelisk, 
 standing sentinel-like to a magnificent avenue of 
 trees, three miles in length, I should think; at 
 the termination of which lay embosomed in the 
 massive foliage of Eastern trees the stately country 
 palace of the Governor - General of Netherlands 
 India. Soon after that the carriage rolled through 
 the main street of Buitenzorg, composed of houses 
 constructed in every style of architecture, and 
 thronged with dusky forms variously clad. In 
 a few minutes the reeking ponies were pulled 
 up at the Rest-haus, called the Hotel de Belle 
 Vue. Entered the hotel by a wide flight of stone 
 steps, at the top of which is a spacious verandah, 
 ranging along the whole frontage of the house. 
 In the centre was a doorway, through which I 
 entered the two saloons, which run all through 
 from the front to the back of the edifice. The 
 first saloon is used as an eating-room ; the second 
 as a withdrawing- room. And this second is
 
 296 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 furnished with sofas and easy-chairs, and well- 
 polished tables, on which lie instructive and 
 entertaining books ; and from it may be enjoyed 
 a view of wondrous beauty. The hotel is built 
 on the brink of a deep and wide valley, with its 
 front facing the main road, and its back looking 
 towards this valley, which separates Buitenzorg 
 from the sloping sides of the mountain Salak. 
 The whole of this vale is watered by rapid brooks, 
 which intersect it in every direction, and is filled 
 up with fine trees of every description, among 
 which those of the palm-tribe predominate. I 
 looked over the heads of these stately guardians 
 of the soil, with their gigantic leaves of inexpres- 
 sible verdure arching and drooping over one 
 another, ever changing, as fanned by the soft 
 winds, the position of their intertanglements, 
 until my eye rested on the sunny slopes of the 
 mountain which sweep up from the valley. 
 These slopes are succeeded by the bold and pre- 
 cipitous sides of the mountain, rent by earth- 
 quakes and furrowed by many a lava-stream in 
 days of old, now clothed with enormous trees and 
 impenetrable jungle; and then, again, this belt 
 of verdure fades away into sterile rocks, which, by 
 a succession of precipices, raise themselves to the 
 height of four or five thousand feet, moulded into 
 five distinct peaks, standing out sharp and clear 
 from the dark blue sky, and form the dorsum
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 297 
 
 immane of Salak, no longer vomiting his fires. 
 This was the scene which enchanted my eyes 
 from the back verandah of the Buitenzorg hotel. 
 I find the inn excellent, as, indeed, I hear all the 
 inns in Java are. The reason is, that they are 
 under Government control, and the Resident of 
 the district would dismiss a landlord against 
 whom well-founded complaints should be made, 
 or who, in his charges, should exceed the fixed 
 tariff. The price here is five florins a-day, exclu- 
 sive of wine or beer ; and for that we get three 
 excellent meals, consisting of fish, meat, poultry, 
 fruits, vegetables, pastry, and four made dishes. 
 Tea and Hollands gin can be had whenever called 
 for, without figuring as an extra. 
 
 Oct. 25. — Went over the Botanical Gardens, 
 or, as they are called, the Governor's Gardens. 
 As the climate of Buitenzorg enjoys a happy 
 medium of temperature, I was able to see assem- 
 bled in this favoured spot products of the vege- 
 table kingdom, common to the damp and warm 
 alluvial soil of the coast, and the drier and more 
 bracing air of a mountainous district. Laid out 
 in happy symmetry are here to be seen um- 
 brageous avenues of the cocoa-nut tree, the betel- 
 nut tree, the golden plantain, and the rarest 
 ferns; whilst round some vast banyan-tree, or 
 Indian fig-tree, or luxuriant bread-fruit tree, 
 each standing alone in the midst of a little lawn
 
 298 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 of its own, commodious benches are fixed, where 
 sitting I could enjoy, secure in impenetrable 
 shade, the laughing landscape around. In one 
 spot sparkle the silver waters of a fountain; in 
 another a graceful temple recalls to the mind, 
 here, at the Antipodes, amongst the worshippers 
 of Brahma and the followers of Mohammed, the 
 undying religion of old Greece. From one point 
 of view I could see the spacious palace of the 
 Governor, with its Ionic colonnades, its imposing 
 terraces, and capacious wings ; from another, in 
 a walk winding round the brow of a hill, I could 
 discern a spacious lake, filled with rare aquatic 
 plants, amongst which the sacred lotus of the 
 Hindoos was not the least conspicuous. Under 
 the courteous guidance of one of the superin- 
 tendents I visited that part of the garden more 
 especially appropriated to the experimental culti- 
 vation of plants, shrubs, and trees useful in a 
 commercial point of view. One large area was 
 devoted to various species of the coffee plant, 
 with its laurel-like leaves of a healthy dark 
 green. There was the pepper-tree, too, with 
 its insignificant leaf. Caoutchouc-trees I saw; 
 some very large, pregnant with precious sap. 
 Arrowroot - trees were here in plenty. Much 
 ground was laid out in the cultivation of 
 divers sorts of tobacco. Cinnamon-trees like 
 vast laurels, and odoriferous at certain periods,
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 299 
 
 were not wanting. The nutmeg-tree, hungry of 
 manure, and requiring incessant care, was well 
 represented here ; whilst much trouble had been 
 laid out in an acre or two of the smooth cactus, 
 which is very valuable on account of the bug 
 which it generates. This bug at a certain season 
 in brushed off the leaves, and when dried and 
 pounded becomes the famous cochineal, so useful 
 for dyeing. Of course, the experience gained by 
 this experimental gardening is quickly diffused 
 throughout Java. Thus in this favoured island, 
 under the sage protection of the Dutch, Art 
 assists Nature; not by stimulating, but by re- 
 straining and directing her. After leaving the 
 plants, I directed my course to the menagerie of 
 animals. Passing on my right a gigantic banyan- 
 tree, from whose branches drooped down, not 
 creepers or tendrils, but bold little shafts like sta- 
 lactites from a cavern's roof, which worm their 
 way into the ground, and gradually become 
 firmly fixed there, I came upon a one-horned rhino- 
 ceros, lazily wallowing, pig-like, in the waters 
 of a stagnant pool. Then I saw every description 
 of deer which the island produces ; then a vicious- 
 looking boar from the Moluccas, with four tusks 
 of most extraordinary formation; and lastly, a 
 pair of gigantic cassowaries. On my way to the 
 gates I saw a funereal monument, erected under 
 a graceful dome, shaded by weeping willows, near
 
 300 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 a fountain throwing up translucent waters. Ap- 
 proaching it, I read the following inscription : 
 
 " Sacred to the Memory of Olivia 
 
 Mariamne, wife of Thomas Stamford 
 
 Raffles, Lieutenant-Governor of Java and 
 
 its Dependencies, who died at Biitenzorg on 
 
 the 26th November, 1814. 
 
 Oh thou, who ne'er my constant heart 
 
 One moment hath forgot ; 
 Tho' fate severe hath bid us part, 
 
 Yet still forget me not." 
 
 Thus ended my survey of these beautiful gar- 
 dens, which, indeed, must be considered the 
 paradise of all gardens, both for the beauty of 
 their site and their extreme order and cleanliness. 
 After lunch I ordered a carriage to visit some 
 Hindoo remains, about six miles from the town. 
 I had four ponies forced upon me, although I 
 was alone. The consequence was, that I was 
 hurried at a furious gallop, with no little risk 
 (for the road, not being a main road, was by 
 no means unexceptionable), through a charming 
 country, and had but a poor chance of contem- 
 plating at my ease all that lay around me. I 
 observed that maize was much cultivated, and 
 that the lower grounds were carefully appro- 
 priated to the growth of rice. Graceful trees of 
 the palm family ornamented and characterised 
 the landscape everywhere. The antiquities which
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 301 
 
 I came to see lay on the right-hand side of the 
 road, and consisted of two groups, one apart 
 from the other a few paces. Both had been 
 roofed over and railed in. One group consisted 
 of three upright blocks of stone, on two of which 
 I could discern no marks of a chisel ; on the 
 third I could detect, rudely carved in relief, the 
 lower parts of a figure, sitting cross-legged. The 
 second group consists of a stone- slab perpen- 
 dicularly placed, much injured by violence or 
 time, with a long legible inscription sharply cut 
 in it, which turns out to be, I believe, of the 
 oldest form of Sanscrit, the sacred language of 
 the Hindoos. Close by is a stone-slab, lying 
 horizontally, having imprinted on it two human 
 foot-marks, of a woman's or youth's size. This, 
 I am told, has a sacred and mysterious meaning. 
 Probably it commemorates the advent of some 
 god upon earth, or his point of departure from 
 the earth. This put me in mind that in a church 
 in the outskirts of Rome there are foot- prints in 
 marble (of a large size), said to have been the 
 spot where our Saviour stood when he appeared 
 to Peter. The Javanese were, I believe, originally 
 Hindoos, or, perhaps, Buddhists, and the spread 
 of Mohammedanism over the island was not 
 effected until about a.d. 1408, when a noted 
 Arabian chief partly persuaded and partly coerced 
 the mild islanders to accept Mohammed for their
 
 302 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 lawgiver, and himself for their monarch. Even 
 now their Mohammedanism is adulterated by 
 many superstitious notions and observances re- 
 tained from the religion of their ancestors ; they 
 alone of Mohammedans do not adopt the epocha 
 of the flight of the Prophet ; and a few idolaters 
 are still found in the recesses of the mountains 
 at the eastern extremity of Java. Returning to 
 Buitenzorg, I visited some of the streets and 
 lanes, and the market. In the main streets the 
 houses are substantial and spacious, although 
 bizarre, and even grotesque. The lower apart- 
 ment is mostly used as a shop or store. This 
 chamber is not glazed, and the goods are exposed 
 either side of the doorway on a sort of frame- 
 work, something like an inclined plane. Mere I 
 saw drugs, rice, maize, cloth, hats, ironmongery, 
 tobacco, confectionery, and preserves. In the 
 lesser streets and lanes I found wooden cottages, 
 consisting of a large area, roofed in and divided 
 into a day and night apartment. The market 
 was full of every kind of fruit and vegetable, 
 which this fertile country produces almost spon- 
 taneously; and round stalls and baskets laden 
 with delicious things, of which we Hyperboreans 
 know not even the name, swarmed with ceaseless 
 motion a ; warthy crowd of men, women, and 
 children, the latter entirely naked, and wonder- 
 fully pretty. As I passed a handsome house,
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 303 
 
 and looked in through the open doorway, the 
 proprietor, a portly-looking Chinese, bowed very 
 politely, and seeing that I was a stranger, made 
 signs that I should enter. He then showed me 
 his chief room. This had a wooden floor, nicely 
 polished, a few shabby wooden chairs, a very 
 plain table, a wall-paper representing in vivid 
 colours Chinese life, and at the end a smart side- 
 board covered with plate, glass, artificial flowers, 
 and candlesticks : from the ceiling were sus- 
 pended two gaudy Chinese lanterns. He then 
 took me into another room, quite unfurnished, 
 where he introduced me to his wife, a fat, good- 
 humoured Malay woman, of about thirty. Many 
 salutations were reciprocated ; but as they neither 
 spoke nor understood my language, nor I theirs, 
 our conversation was necessarily limited. Beyond 
 this second room was a store-room ; upstairs was 
 the women's apartments, approached by a ladder, 
 removable at pleasure. After dinner I gave 
 orders about an excursion, which I hope to un- 
 dertake to-morrow, up the sides of the mountain, 
 and sat during the gloaming of the evening in 
 the spacious verandah watching the blue lights 
 of the fire-flies as they darted among the cum- 
 brous foliage of the surrounding trees. 
 
 Oct. 26. — Started at daybreak, with the in- 
 tention of penetrating the recesses of the neigh- 
 bouring mountain, round whose summit at noon
 
 304 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 every day I see black thunder-clouds gather, and 
 soon afterwards take their departure. I was 
 mounted on a very small chestnut pony, en- 
 cumbered with, an enormous saddle. The guide 
 walked before. Leaving the inn, I turned short 
 to my right, down a road, on one side of which 
 is the Chinese Cemetery, into a valley, through 
 which ran a rapid torrent, where were numerous 
 swarthy people, of both sexes, bathing and wash- 
 ing themselves. I then emerged into open 
 country, interspersed with water-courses, where 
 were many rice-grounds. Many Javanese were 
 to be seen passing and repassing, with the basin- 
 like hat glittering in the sun, and their dirks 
 behind them in cumbrous sheaths. I am told 
 that the Javanese are permitted to carry dirks, 
 but not the Malays and Chinese; and to order a 
 Javanese, of whatever station in life, to give up 
 his dirk, is a great insult or punishment. Not 
 long ago, a servant who had, without sufficient 
 cause, been peremptorily ordered by his master 
 to give up his weapon, became infuriated, and 
 massacred master, mistress, and three children 
 in the most frightful manner. On the present 
 occasion it was not without great coaxing that 
 I prevailed on a Javanese, who was walking in 
 front of me chatting with the horsekeepcr, to 
 allow me to closely examine his creese. In 
 the moist rice-grounds were to be seen bare-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 305 
 
 legged men up to their knees in water, driving 
 ploughs drawn by tall grey buffaloes, preparing 
 the land for the reception of the grain. This 
 lasted for two hours, and then we began to ascend 
 the sunny slopes which form the skirts of the 
 mountain. Our way led through green lanes 
 inclosed with high hedges, and arched over with 
 the huge leaves of stately trees, whilst the banks 
 on either side laughed with most bright flowers, 
 growing wild here, but probably only to be seen 
 at home cherished as rare exotics. And every 
 now and then I had to wade my horse through 
 harmless shallow brooks of transparent waters, 
 gurgling among many-coloured pebbles. This 
 was indeed beautiful; but not so beautiful as the 
 scene which greeted me when I arrived on the 
 little plain which lies at the foot of the rugged 
 declivities which lead to the summit of the 
 mountain. In front of me lay Salak with his 
 five rugged peaks, his bold breast girded with 
 inexhaustible foliage, and his granite crest half 
 obscured by a veil of mist, always in motion, and 
 always, kaleidoscope-like, resolving itself into new 
 and indescribable shapes. And when we turned 
 our backs upon the giant, the scene was all 
 changed, yet not less beautiful. Around me 
 were pretty cottages, some built of sawn timber, 
 some of bamboo, with environing verandah shel- 
 tered by the capacious roof. In the verandahs 
 
 x
 
 306 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 were women spinning and weaving with loom, 
 shuttle, and distaff of primitive construction. 
 Around them sported their little ones, happily 
 unencumbered with the cares of a toilet. In the 
 adjacent gardens were the men, pruning the 
 luxuriance of their fruits and vegetables. Before 
 me, and far beneath me, stretched away the vast 
 fertile, alluvial plain, which ends only at the sea. 
 Tiiis was dotted with fine mansions, picturesque 
 villas, pretty villages, isolated cottages, luxuriant 
 groves, verdant paddy-fields, and groups of 
 moving things ill-defined in the distance. On 
 my right were reared the masses of the great 
 mountain Pangerango, piled like Pelion upon Ossa, 
 until lost to view in the thunder-clouds. On my 
 left rose up boldly against the horizon the less 
 lofty outline of the Badcewi hills, which at the 
 distance seemed to mellow into the blue ether 
 which garbed them. Thus I stood in the centre 
 of a vast amphitheatre of mountains, looking over 
 an illimitable plain, bounded by the Indian Ocean. 
 Close to me was a pretty country-house of some 
 retired merchant, and it had a beautiful garden ; 
 and there was a field close by full of healthy- 
 looking tobacco, and another growing Indian 
 corn, and another full of vines, and another with 
 some wheat; and below, in a little bottom, was 
 a small rice-field; and through this paradise ran 
 a tranquil stream ; and among olive-trees, and
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 307 
 
 fig-trees, and almond-trees, grew one large tree 
 with dark-green foliage ; and as I looked on all 
 this beauty I thought that, whoever should tire 
 of the monotonous turmoil and resultless agitation 
 of European life, would do well to fix his hermit- 
 age under the shade of the dark tree on the little 
 plain at the top of the green slopes of the 
 mountain Salak, among the courteous and peace- 
 able Javanese. After indulging myself for some 
 time with the beauty of this scene, I plunged 
 into the recesses of the mountain, and travelled 
 along the bed of a dried-up torrent, overhung by 
 thick masses of foliage. The horstkeeper led 
 my pony, and two Javanese mountaineers walked 
 before, carrying a sort of reaping-hook, with 
 which tho'v lopped off the branches which impeded 
 my way. At last the ground became so rugged 
 that I was compelled to dismount and struggle 
 onward a-foot. The scenery of this mountain 
 forest was very marvellous to me, a stranger to 
 Eastern wonders. Impenetrable jungle rose all 
 around my path, and out of that jungle shot up 
 every description of tree that the East produces, 
 from the stalwart teak to the more delicate and 
 graceful palm.* Trees were below us ; trees 
 
 * Sir S. Raffles, speaking of a part of Sumatra, says, " The 
 trees approached 160 to 200 feet in height. One tree that we 
 measured was in circumference nine yards ; and this is 
 nothiny to one I measured in Java."
 
 308 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 were on each side; and trees towered above us 
 on the heights which we had yet to climb. And 
 our faces were fanned by huge leaves agitated by 
 light autumnal breezes. Some were saplings, 
 others most hoary monarchs of the forest ; some 
 were healthy and vigorous, others blasted, charred, 
 mutilated, riven, felled by thunderbolts. In every 
 conceivable position did they st:nd, or incline, or 
 lie prostrate. After two hours of striving on 
 foot through this jungle, the ill-defined track 
 terminated abruptly at the foot of a precipice, 
 and the guide intimated that all further progress 
 was stopped. It was in vain that I gave him 
 to understand that he was engaged to take 
 me to the top of the mountain. He either 
 could not or would not comprehend me. So I 
 was forced to return to the more open country, 
 and, scorched and jaded, to take refuge and seek 
 repose in the verandah of a bamboo cottage, 
 where a Malay woman sat spinning. Seeing me 
 exhausted, she ran into the interior of the house 
 and brought out a fine mat, which she unrolled 
 on the verandah, and politely motioned me to rest. 
 I lay down to sleep, whilst she went on with her 
 spinning, murmuring a monotonous chant, greatly 
 incitatory of slumber. Alter an hour's sleep I 
 arose to depart, and thanked my kind hostess for 
 her hospitality ; and she, making signs indicatory 
 of God speed, presented to me a line rose with
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 309 
 
 much graceful politeness. It would be well that 
 we Europeans should take lessons in good-breed- 
 ing and perfect self-possession from these Orientals. 
 The very indigenes of Australia might teach many 
 of us something in that way. In the evening the 
 pony, the horsekeeper, and myself, came back to 
 the hotel, scorched with heat and faint with toil. 
 Of the three, the pony endured best, admirable 
 little beast as he was. After dinner, whilst I was 
 sitting in the verandah after dusk, a travelling 
 carriage with blazing lamps, drawn by six horses, 
 came at lull speed up to the inn. From this car- 
 riage descended an Asiatic and an European. One 
 was a Javanese Rajah, returning to his district ; 
 the other the Dutch gentleman who acts as Re- 
 sident with him, or political surveillant. The Rajah 
 wore a velvet cap and velvet jacket, embroided with 
 gold, whilst from his waist downwards he was en- 
 cumbered by a costly stuff, wrapped round him, 
 and girded on him by a shawl of great value. 
 But I observed that, as he was in full dress, he 
 wore white European trowsers, carefully strapped 
 down over Wellington dress-boots — a very anoma- 
 lous addition to his graceful Oriental dress; and 
 which, as soon as he gets home, he will exchange 
 for easy slippers. He bowed very politely to me 
 as he rapidly ascended the steps and went into 
 the house to obtain refreshment. He was short 
 in stature, of a clear olive complexion, and with a
 
 310 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 serious and noble expression of countenance. I 
 hear that the upper classes of Javanese are very 
 winning and gentle. They are not considered re- 
 markably clever and acute, but they are kind- 
 hearted, frank, and hospitable, with probably a 
 slight admixture of indolence. While he was 
 within I had much interesting conversation with 
 his intelligent companion. Among other things, 
 he told me that the Upas (poison) Valley is a 
 bare and bleak hole, fifteen or twenty feet below 
 the level of the surrounding soil ; that it is about 
 a mile in circumference ; and that out of nuuier- 
 ous fissures rise quantities of carbonic acid gas, as 
 in the Grotto del Cane at the Lago d'Agnauo, 
 near Naples; that one may safely ride across it 
 (I think he told me, that he had ridden across it) 
 on a tall horse; but that any smaller animal, 
 sueh as a dog, pig, or antelope, would be imme- 
 diat ly asphyxiated. He told uie that the natives 
 are terribly skilful in the concoction of poisons ; 
 and that even the children know where to cull poi- 
 sonous herbs. Our conversation was interrupted 
 by the determination of the Rajah to proceed, in 
 spite of a violent thunderstorm which was raging ; 
 so at nine o'clock, amid darkness and tempest, these 
 gentlemen entered their carriage and vanished as 
 suddenly as they had appeared. 
 
 ()<■/. 27. — Visite 1 a handsome Dutch church, 
 and discovered to my great astonishment that
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 311 
 
 Divine Service is only held there once a-month. 
 I can hardly believe it, but I can obtain no other 
 reply to my interrogatories. 
 
 Oct. 28. — Returned to Batavia with six relays 
 of four horses each, which accomplished the dis- 
 tance, forty miles, in three hours and twenty mi- 
 nutes. I have been much delighted with my 
 journey, and am sure that, although travelling in 
 Java is necessarily expensive, the traveller will be 
 well rewarded by the interesting scenes which he 
 will everywhere behold. In the far interior, I 
 hear, the traveller cannot fail to be enchanted by 
 the scenery and the inhabitants. A pure Javanese 
 village on a gentle declivity, at the foot of which 
 run the crystalline waters of a small river, is a 
 thing of surpassing beauty, I am told. And the 
 bold masses of luxuriant foliage add to the beauty 
 of the scene, whether adorning the distant land- 
 scape, or drooping over the roof and verandah of 
 a bamboo hut. 
 
 Oct. 29. — Went to the Concordia Club. Hear 
 that there is another club in Batavia, called the 
 Harm on >e. Visited the Chinese Cemetery — a 
 large desolate tract, particularly ill kept. Slo- 
 venly constructed tumuli are heaped over the 
 graves of the dead. 
 
 Oct. 31. — Visited the Dutch Cemetery — an 
 extensive piece of ground, nicely kept. It is 
 planted with many funereal cypresses; and is
 
 312 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 filled with monuments, some in good taste. I 
 saw three or four broken columns. One inscrip- 
 tion, on grey marble, is covered in with glass. 
 
 Nov. 1. — Saw artillery exercising. The guns 
 were small, each drawn by six ponies. Attended 
 Evening Service at the Roman Catholic Chapel. 
 It is a plain building. All seems well ordered 
 there, and the singing was good. I believe there 
 has been some difficulty with their Bishop, who, 
 I hear, has been ordered to quit the island rather 
 suddenly. 
 
 Nov. 2. — Went to the General Hospital to see 
 poor Louis, the steward of the ship which brought 
 me here. He is laid up with low fever, caught 
 in the roadstead, which is unhealthy. I was glad 
 to find him very comfortable, lying in a large, 
 well- ventilated room, together with a number of 
 others, suffering from the same indisposition. 
 In this hospital there are beds for 600 patients ; 
 and all the arrangements, even the most minute, 
 are excellently good. The cleanliness is exqui- 
 site, the ventilation remarkably well managed, 
 and the nurses and servants looked cheerful and 
 experienced persons. In returning, the horses 
 shied, at some goats, and took the carriage up a 
 steep bank, overhanging the sluggish stream that 
 lazily rolls through the midst of Batavia. The 
 coachman lost his head; and 1 jumped out, just 
 as one of the animals was hanging over the water,
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 313 
 
 scarcely upheld by the traces. However, as the 
 little beast was not much bigger than a dog, I 
 was able to lift him back into his place, and put 
 him right. I observe that, when these diminutive 
 creatures shy, they go off doggedly in the direc- 
 tion in which they first diverge from their course, 
 and there is no stopping them. Not long ago 
 I assisted an elegantly-dressed lady and two little 
 girls out of a wet ditch, where they lay, mixed 
 up with the overturned carriage, coachman, and 
 contumacious steeds, all wallowing in the mud 
 together. 
 
 Nov. 3. — Was introduced to an extraordinary 
 person, an Englishman, a sort of adventurer, al- 
 though with good English connexions, who, from 
 circumstances not necessary to be mentioned here, 
 once held a minor official appointment under the 
 Dutch Government in Java. He gave me much 
 information about the island, which I should fear 
 to reproduce, as I suspect he may be inclined 
 to give an incorrect colouring to things. For 
 instance, the following is one of his stories, which 
 I can hardly vouch for. " He had been," he 
 said, " a great hunter; but to tiger-hunting he 
 was especially addicted. And not content Jo go 
 to seek the tigers, he manoeuvred that they should 
 seek him, and in the following manner : He used 
 then to get into a tiger-trap, with a double-bar- 
 relled rifle, and sit there as bait, waiting for the
 
 314 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 beast." I asked him if he did not find it dull, 
 staying there so long ? To which he rejoined, that 
 he generally took a book into the trap to beguile 
 the time. I ventured to inquire what branch of 
 literature pleased him best in this critical posi- 
 tion ? His answer was, " At one time one book ; 
 at another, another : but that on such occasions 
 his favourite study was the ' Sorrows of Werter.' " 
 This story is possible, perhaps, but scarcely pro- 
 bable, I should think. 
 
 Nov. 4. — In the evening I visited the crowded 
 purlieus of the Chinese quarter, redolent of filth. 
 I was introduced into a small house, where lay 
 extended, on couches, four or five Chinese opium- 
 smokers. It was a wretched sight to see their 
 squalid, idiotic countenances, relapsing or re- 
 lapsed into death-like inanition. 1 fancied my- 
 self in a charnel-house, surrounded by slightly- 
 animated corpses; and I could not help thinking 
 how much more like Christians the Chinese Go- 
 vernment behaved than the English, in being 
 unwilling to receive into their country a noxious, 
 deadly drug, which our countrymen insisted on 
 forcing on them. Thence I went to an open 
 space, where, on an elevated stage, Chinese the- 
 atricals were being enacted. All the performance 
 was most monotonous. The dramatis persona 
 consisted of an old man, who sat, last asleep, in 
 a chair all the time 1 was there, full half an hour.
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 315 
 
 Then there was a sorcerer, who probably had laid 
 him to sleep. There was a female, too, whom he 
 wished to put to sleep as well ; but she would 
 not go to sleep, and there was much gesticu- 
 lating and scuffling between her and the wizard. 
 Then soldiers, most monstrously dressed, rushed 
 in to rescue the oppressed damsel ; when suddenly, 
 at a stroke of the magic wand, a dragon appeared, 
 vomiting flames : at which the military ran away, 
 followed by the wizard and dragon ; whilst the 
 young lady escaped in the opposite direction. 
 And then all this was repeated two or three times, 
 the old man still sleeping. Passing a handsome 
 Chinese house, from which sounds of festivity 
 proceeded, a well-dressed Chinese pounced upon 
 me, took me by the hand, and dragged me into 
 the midst of a marriage revelry, where people were 
 playing at cards, drinking tea, and eating sweets. 
 I was compelled to follow their example, barring 
 the cards. Everything was costly and well- 
 served, and my hosts were remarkably polite. 
 
 Nov. 6 (Sunday). — Went to the English 
 Church — " Kirrick," my Malay coachman calls 
 it — to assist the clergyman there. It is a neat, 
 plain, well-ventilated little building, kep4 very 
 clean, and does much credit to the Minister and 
 his flock. The congregation, English and Ame- 
 ricans, amounted, I should think, to sixty or 
 seventy persons, all exceedingly well dressed,
 
 316 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 and of very decorous comportment. The in- 
 cumbent read Prayers, omitting the Litany, 
 and part of the Communion Service ; and 1 
 preached. The Morning Service was so cur- 
 tailed, I was told, on account of the heat. 1, 
 however, did not find it so hot as I expected. 
 It was very delightful to me, after so long a fast 
 from public worship, to feast on our beautiful 
 Church Prayers, as offered up in the house of 
 God. In whatever quarter of the world we are, 
 however remote, we feel at home, not abroad, 
 when we sit in a church, side by side with our 
 countrymen, and hear the almost inspired lan- 
 guage of our Prayer-book enunciated by the 
 Clergyman, clad in the accustomed garb. Old 
 associations crowd upon our memories; our 
 hearts insensibly become softened, in spite of the 
 crust of selfishness and religious indifference 
 which travelling engenders; and when, in the 
 earnest prayer of St. Chrysostom, we put Al- 
 mighty God in mind of His gracious promise, 
 that when two or three are gathered together in 
 His name He will grant their requests, we re- 
 alise the truth that we are as near Him at the 
 Antipodes as in our native land ; that, for pu- 
 nishment or mercy, lie is always at hand — a 
 scourge to the impenitent sinner; but long- 
 suffering and merciful, and one who will never 
 cast out those who make their supplications unto
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 317 
 
 Him. After the Service, I visited my patient at 
 the hospital. He is nearly well, and speaks with 
 great gratitude of the kind and good treatment 
 which he has received during his illness. 
 
 Nov. 9. — Took my place in the " Java" steamer, 
 which starts to-morrow for Singapore, and made 
 arrangements for my voyage. Before leaving, 
 however, this garden of delights, I will note down 
 some memoranda which I have made during my 
 short stay in Java, which I hope will not be found 
 to be inexact. Of the 200,000 inhabitants of 
 Batavia, 1600 are Dutch and about 100 English 
 and Americans. Many of these are rich, and live 
 in fine suburban houses surrounded by every 
 luxury. Both sexes eat and drink a great deal, 
 and lead indolent lives, consequently they become 
 very fat. They dress very well. Formerly the 
 gentlemen were careless and loose in their dress, 
 as in their morals : now that they have European 
 wives instead of Malay women, they are much 
 improved in both. And with improved morals 
 has come improved health ; for formerly Batavia 
 was styled the tomb of Europeans, and was 
 sadly afflicted by diarrhoea, dysentery, and low 
 rheumatic fever. Now, attention to sewerage, 
 drainage, cleanliness, diet, and, above all, to 
 morals, has rendered the place sufficiently salu- 
 brious. Of course, the city proper, close to the 
 sea, and on a level with its waters, full of shops,
 
 318 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 stores, and counting-houses, and teeming with 
 population, is not as healthy as the vast airy 
 suburb Rijwoeck, two miles away. The dust of 
 the streets is laid by being constantly kept 
 watered by Malays, who run about with two 
 large vessels of water across their shoulders 
 having callender spouts. The white people of 
 Batavia are not considered hospitable by the rest 
 of the Europeans in Java. Of course, the pre- 
 sence of a number of excellent hotels in a city 
 tends to obviate the necessity of private hospi- 
 tality. In Batavia, besides the Hotel Java, there 
 are the Hotel Nederlands, Hotel Batavia, Hotel 
 de Guillaunie II., Marine Hotel, all good. In 
 these hotels the price of living, carriage included, 
 would not be less than 1/. sterling a-day. In 
 Batavia, the hottest part of the island, the heat 
 during nine months of the year averages from 
 80° to 95° during the twenty-four hours. During 
 the three months of rainy season it is less. In 
 the interior it is considerably cooler ; and not 
 far from Buitenzorg, two blankets can be borne 
 at night. Tigers abound in Java ; 700 were 
 killed last year. Not very long ago one w r as 
 killed here at Rijwoeck, in the streets. Panthers, 
 too, and deadly snakes, abound. Large bats, or 
 flying foxes, are very common here. Some of 
 them measure across the wings four or five feet. 
 They have heads like foxes, with large staring
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 319 
 
 eyps, of very unpleasant aspect, have a strong 
 smell, but are quite harmless, except to fruit, of 
 which they eat an amazing quantity. In Batavia 
 there are four or five newspapers, weekly, or bi- 
 weekly, or daily; in Sourabaya, three, of which 
 one is in Chinese or Mala) ; in Samarang, one; 
 and one in Macassar. But the press in Java is 
 not what is called a free press. The visitors who 
 have attended the Exhibition in Batavia from 
 Oct. 10 to Nov. 1, just passed, are as follows: — 
 Europeans, 3512 ; Javanese, Chinese, Malays, and 
 Islanders (i.e. from adjacent islands), 7&53; 
 soldiers, 1477. Money received at the doors, 
 from season tickets and catalogues respectively, 
 4634 guilders, 20 doits; 18i0 guilders; 508 
 guilders : total, 6y52 guilders, 20 doits. In 
 1852 a census was taken of the population of 
 Java and Madura. The sum total amounted to 
 9,943,075, in the following proportions : of 
 Javanese, 9,762,682 ; Chinese, 125,407 ; Ori- 
 ental settlers, 28,291 ; Europeans, 17,285 ; 
 Slaves, who are not Javanese, but of the neigh- 
 bouring islands, 9410. The population of Timor 
 may be reckoned as 2,000,1,00. Of Sumatra 
 I can get no account. And in the above speci- 
 fication of the population in Java I do not know 
 under which heading to class the Malays, who are 
 very numerous. In 1852, 400,000 Javanese were 
 vaccinated, or re-vaccinated. In 1852, the tax
 
 320 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 on pilgrims to Mecca was abolished ; so that the 
 number which in 1851 was 74, rose in 1852 to 
 413. Since 1830, when Belgium tore herself 
 away from Holland, the Dutch have devoted 
 much more attention to Java, which is to Holland, 
 in a commercial sense, that which the dykes are 
 in a physical sense — a safeguard from a univer- 
 sal swamping. Thus they encourage settlers in 
 the country, and let them have enforced native 
 labour at a low rate — about 4d. a-day; and 
 the Government I'emunerates itself either by 
 taking the planter's produce at a fixed rate below 
 the market price, or by laying a heavy export 
 duty upon it. The whole country is divided 
 into Rajahships, and these Rajahs are feudatories 
 of the Dutch, and are under the political control 
 of a civil officer called a Resident. The Rajah 
 and the Resident arrange about the labour for the 
 planter. The labourer receives his own wages, 
 and may not be punished in any way by the 
 planter. All complaints are made to the Rajah, 
 who punishes as he thinks proper. The Resident 
 sees, too, that every district grows enough rice to 
 support itself, so as to preclude chances of famine. 
 The women, I believe, are not allowed to work, 
 but are left to stay at home to spin, tend the 
 children, and the house. If the Javanese were 
 left to themselves, they would drive their women 
 out to work in the fields, whilst they would lie
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 321 
 
 about indolently, or go idling with their neigh- 
 bours, fighting cocks, quails, and beetles. The 
 women, too, of Sumatra, bless the Dutch for lately 
 introducing the same admirable social reforms and 
 just distribution of labour among them. I believe 
 that the Javanese Rajahs are stipendiaries of the 
 Government; and they exercise immediate rule 
 over their subjects. There are two Sultans in 
 Java and Madura, who live in great state, keep a 
 great many wives — some of them most lovely 
 women — live very fast, and get into debt. They 
 are not allowed to leave their palaces and cir- 
 cumjacent grounds without permission from the 
 Resident. I believe that Holland gains a clear 
 profit out of Java of eighteen millions of guilders, 
 which is about equivalent to a million and a half 
 sterling. This has been lost to England owing 
 to the generosity of England, who, after the over- 
 throw of Napoleon, gave this garden of Eden up 
 to the Dutch, greatly to the indignation of that 
 great and good man Sir Stamford Raffles. The 
 government of Netherlands India is without any 
 admixture of the popular element, and the Gover- 
 nor-General, assisted by his Council, consisting of 
 Vice-President, General, Admiral, and four Coun- 
 cillors, has autocratic power over Java and her 
 dependencies, such as Sumatra, Timor, Floris, 
 Macassar, Banca, Bali, Sumbawa, and other 
 islands; holds all the land as Dutch property; 
 
 Y
 
 3.22 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 exercises legal, judicial, and administrative func- 
 tions ; modifies the freedom of the press ; also the 
 right of holding public meetings ; admits, or re- 
 fuses admittance, at discretion, to all persons 
 wishing to land in Java ; taxes all estates in 
 money or in kind ; wages war, or makes peace. 
 His appointment is for four years, and his direct 
 income amounts to 200,000 guilders per annum : 
 from indirect sources, however, such as rations 
 for servants, and forage for horses, he increases 
 greatly his emoluments. The present Governor 
 lives very quietly, and saves much. He drives 
 four Sydney horses on particular occasions ; at 
 other times, four or six ponies. He has not so 
 fine a palace here as at Buitenzorg. The army 
 of Netherlands India consists of 976 officers and 
 20,183 non-commissioned officers and privates, 
 of which many are Africans. The cavalry and 
 artillery are mounted with ponies ; and it is a 
 ludicrous sight to see approaching at full very 
 small trot, a tall, fat staff officer, with long sword 
 and white plumes, weighing down beneath his 
 caudal rotundity a small equine quadruped of 
 ten hands and a half. The one animal's tail is 
 half hidden by the dorsal ridge of the other. 
 The war with the islanders of Bali lasted for two 
 years, and was very harassing to the troops. I 
 believe that each soldier is permitted (I did hear, 
 compelled) to attach himself to one Malay wo-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 323 
 
 man, who is recognised by Government, and has 
 quarters in or near the barracks. If the soldier is 
 ordered off on a long or difficult service, or dies, 
 or returns home, the woman is provided for by 
 the state. There is also, as I heard, a strange 
 regulation on that score among the negro troops; 
 but it is not sufficiently well authenticated to 
 justify me in repeating it. The war-navy consists 
 of 29 vessels, manned by 2052 Europeans and 
 559 Javanese, or neighbouring islanders. 
 
 As to the island of Sumatra, I hear that it is 
 more fertile even than Java, and that the Dutch are 
 doing their best to bring it to the same pitch of 
 productive perfection as Java; but its immense 
 size, and the warlike nature of its population, in- 
 terpose innumerable barriers to their wished-for 
 consummation. The chief towns are Palembang 
 and Bencoolen. Slavery is as good as abolished 
 throughout the Dutch dependencies in these parts. 
 
 Thus have I given all the information I could 
 obtain regarding Java. I trust that it is cor- 
 rect ; but it is difficult to acquire much know- 
 ledge from the Dutch here, for they are strangely 
 incommunicative.* 
 
 * From an official return it appears, that in the Dutch 
 possessions of Java and Madura the imports in 1853 were 
 44,280,653 guilders ; the exports, 71,692,956 guilders. In 
 1854 the imports amounted to 63,775,247 guilders, whilst the 
 exports arrived at 74,385,420 guilders. The number of vessels 
 arriving in Java were, in 1853, 2170 ; and in 1854, 2348.
 
 324 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 Nov. 9. — Embarked on board the " Java" 
 steamer for Singapore. The captain is an Eng- 
 lishman. An Arabian diamond-merchant, with 
 his wife and family, is on board, going to Mecca ; 
 also an Armenian jewel-merchant of Bagdad, who 
 showed me some beautiful sapphires ; also a 
 Creole lady and family. 
 
 Nov. 10. — At sea all day, with Sumatra on 
 our left, and, towards evening, Banca on our 
 right. At midnight anchored off Muntok, the 
 chief place in the island of Banca. Banca, I 
 hear, yields to the Dutch government 250,000 
 piculs (cwts.) of tin per annum. A picul costs 
 seven rupees the raising, and sells for twenty - 
 four. 
 
 Nov. 11. — After discharging sixty tons of 
 cargo at Banca we weighed anchor, and con- 
 tinued at sea all day, with the wind ahead and 
 the navigation perilous. We were surrounded 
 by rocks, reefs, and shoals. My Armenian friend 
 from Bagdad drinks a bottle of Cognac brandy 
 every day. He says that he has a peculiar con- 
 stitution, which requires that quantity. He has 
 the scar of a terrible boil on the face, which, he 
 says, is common in Bagdad and Ispahan, and is 
 produced — so he says — by too greedy a con- 
 sumption of figs. He says that an Armenian 
 patriarch resides in Diarbekir. He tells me that 
 the people of Bagdad are firmly convinced that
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 325 
 
 their terrible miseries of 1831 were God's judg- 
 ments on account of their shameless vices, and 
 that now they are greatly reformed. 
 
 Nov. 12. — To-day's sail has been very inte- 
 resting. Small islands, once nests of atrocious 
 pirates, lay all around us, so that at times we 
 seemed completely land-locked for leagues. In 
 the afternoon we touched at Rhio, an island 
 under Dutch surveillance, producing gambia, of 
 which the Javanese are great consumers. The 
 wife and daughter of the Arabian diamond-mer- 
 chant have been kept below in their close cabin 
 all this time. He brought up his youngest child, 
 a baby, for me to see. It was a lovely little 
 creature, with large lustrous black eyes. He 
 himself is remarkably handsome and stately. 
 He tells me that his wife is a lady of Java, where 
 he has been settled for many years ; but that his 
 father, who is one of the leading people of Mecca, 
 has ordered him to leave Java and go to live 
 with him. " I, of course, obey my father," he 
 said ; " but Mecca is one of the most disagree- 
 able places in the world to live in, on account of 
 its intense heat and its want of verdure." In 
 the course of conversation he said, in an off- 
 hand way, that when Jesus Christ prophesied of 
 a Paraclete, or Comforter, that should come, 
 He, without doubt, alluded to Mahomet. To 
 which observation I replied, that I was grieved
 
 326 DTARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN' 
 
 to have to differ with him in toto ; for that I 
 conceived, that when our Saviour promised to 
 send a Comforter on earth, He meant anything 
 but a mighty conqueror, winning dominion at 
 the cost of much blood and human misery, and 
 waited upon by a numerous band of wives and 
 concubines : that by the Paraclete I understood 
 a Holy Spirit, the fruits of which were "love, joy, 
 peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 
 meekness, and temperance;" and that I could 
 hardly ascribe all those virtues to Mahomet, 
 however deservedly he might be revered by his 
 followers. But, although I thought this answer 
 very mild, he became very angry, and his eyes 
 flashed fire. We, however, ultimately parted very 
 good friends. During this dialogue the Arme- 
 nian was interpreter. At ten p.m. we anchored 
 at Singapore, the Byzantium of the East, of 
 which Sir Stamford Raffles, its founder, writing 
 in 1819, says, " My new colony thrives most 
 rapidly. You may take my word for it, this is 
 by far the most important station in the East, 
 and, as far as naval superiority and commercial 
 interests are concerned, of much higher value 
 than whole continents of territory." 
 
 Nov. 13 {Sunday). — Landed from the steamer. 
 Was told to take care that the coolies did not 
 steal my luggage, they being thieves ; and to 
 recollect that I was no longer in Java, where,
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 327 
 
 owing to a strict Government, the lower classes 
 behave well. Indeed I was told that a Javanese, 
 finding a valuable article dropped on the main 
 road from a passing carriage, will immediately 
 take it to the nearest station. Here, on the 
 contrary, I am told that the natives must be 
 looked after. Went to the English church, 
 where a clergyman, with a very weak voice, was 
 trying to make himself heard by a miserably 
 inattentive and carelessly-behaved congregation. 
 Some Chinese, Hindoos, and Creoles, however, 
 were behaving very well. 
 
 Nov. 14. — Walked round the Government 
 grounds, which are prettily laid out on a hill. 
 The population is said to be 80,000, of which a 
 great number are Chinese. The streets are clean 
 and well arranged. Went over the bazaar of a 
 rich Chinese, named Whampou, which is full of 
 most costly things, of which sandal-wood boxes 
 and articles of frosted silver are not the least 
 conspicuous. 
 
 Nov. 15. — Visited the Chinese temple. It 
 covers an extensive square space, and is flanked 
 by two polygon towers, ornamented with porce- 
 lain. The facade is supported by pillars, with 
 monsters carved upon them in high relief. Two 
 lions guard the door, in the mouth of one of 
 which is a large ball lying loose, so carved there. 
 Entering through the main door, I had before
 
 328 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 me a square space, partly uncovered, with deep 
 verandahs on the right and left, in which are 
 shrines containing a god of wood, and looking 
 very wooden indeed. Before me lay the more 
 sacred precinct, on which side half the square is 
 covered in with a lofty roof, supported by strong 
 beams of costly wood, elaborately carved, loaded 
 with gilding, and swarming with grotesque and 
 hideous forms, carefully carved, and resplendent 
 with gold and vermilion. Amongst these forms 
 the dragon is always conspicuous. On stepping 
 under the gorgeous roofing, the outer edge of 
 which is supported by granite pillars, curiously and 
 fantastically carved, I saw before me three great 
 altars, before which lamps are always burning, 
 and costly sandal-wood is diffusing its fragrant 
 odour. Behind the right and left altars are 
 two idols, as large, or larger, than life, in a cross- 
 legged posture. They have strongly marked 
 Chinese features, with a complexion' of dark 
 copper colour, and their expression is that of 
 apathetic repose. But behind the middle shrine, 
 which is more highly ornamented than the others, 
 is the figure of a female richly dressed, having 
 Chinese features ; and behind her, so close as to 
 almost hold her in his lap, is the gigantic figure 
 of a great god which is called Joss. His features 
 are very large, solemn, and unintelligent. As I 
 looked on the group at a little distance, the
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 329 
 
 female figure seemed reposing in the very bosom 
 of the great idol. Does she undertake the 
 function of mediator and intercessor with their 
 deity ? This great shrine is guarded on either 
 side by figures of tall devils, with gigantic horns, 
 hairy thighs, misshapen feet, clubs, and a huge 
 fork. I should remark, that in front of these 
 three altars there is a sort of preparatory altar, 
 over which a hideous little figure in a warlike 
 attitude is flourishing some description of weapon. 
 Indeed the whole of these precincts is swarming 
 with representations, more or less hideous and 
 absurd, of the spirit of evil ; whether huge devils 
 or little devils, or a dragon, or a serpent, or 
 whatever else in the crawling way is unpleasant 
 and unked. All the great altars have their fronts 
 decorated with reliefs in compartments, repre- 
 senting groups of men, women, and animals. 
 The entire building is roofed with porcelain ; and 
 on the ridges of the roof ramp dragons of porce- 
 lain. All this porcelain is brought from China, 
 as is the granite which is used in the construction 
 and ornamentation of the temple. 
 
 Nov. 16. — Observe that the coachmen do not 
 drive the horses from the box, but run by their 
 side with astonishing nimbleness. I hear that 
 to keep a good table in Singapore is dear. Ve- 
 getables are by no means plentiful, and the meat 
 is not of very good quality. Singapore is, I
 
 330 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 believe, a very healthy place. The tropical sun 
 is tempered by a keen wind, which makes me 
 feel as if I were in a constant draft, and gives 
 me neuralgic pains. Tigers are very plentiful 
 in the district ; they swim over from the Malay 
 continent, and attack the labourers in the planta- 
 tions by jumping on them i'rom behind. The 
 victim dies immediately with the vertebra? of the 
 spine broken, and is then carried off into the 
 jungle to be devoured by the brute at leisure. 
 Singapore, from its position and climate, is rapidly 
 becoming a place of immense importance. The 
 Dutch, jealous of our growing influence in these 
 parts, tried to check it by making Macassar a free 
 port. But it is too late. Singapore is, or shortly 
 will be, the great commercial capital of the far East. 
 
 Nov. 18. — Embarked on board one of the 
 Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamers for 
 Ceylon. There are not many passengers, and 
 those we have are chiefly invalids coming home 
 from China. 
 
 Nov. 20. — Arrived off Pulo-Penang, which is 
 said to be the most fertile and picturesque island 
 in the world. From the ship I saw that it was 
 mountainous, but mist and rain prevented my 
 making any further observations. 
 
 Nov. 23. — Talked much with some intelligent 
 Parsees on board. They do not acknowledge 
 themselves to be sun or fire- worshippers. But
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 331 
 
 whilst they are worshipping the invisible God 
 they look at the sun or fire, or, in fact, anything 
 bright, as an emblem of His brightness. The 
 very idea of circumcision they abhor. They 
 abstain from beef and pork, and pray often in 
 their temples. They have a regular hierarchy, 
 and their priests are allowed to marry ; but their 
 stipends are small, equal to about 60/. per annum. 
 Their secret writings are the Zendavesta, a trans- 
 lation of which they study continually. They 
 were banished from Persia by Mohammedan 
 bigotry 300 years ago, and took refuge at first in 
 Surat ; now their head-quarters are in Bombay. 
 They seem clean, quiet, well-disposed people, 
 well arranging their own affairs without inter- 
 fering with their neighbours' matters. They put 
 me very much in mind of our Quakers. 
 
 Nov. 25. — We expect to arrive at Point de 
 Galle, in Ceylon, to-morrow. Heat very great. 
 I think we all live too luxuriously ; eating and 
 drinking is going on all day in our splendid 
 saloon. Coffee is served at six a.m. ; then break- 
 fast at nine ; lunch at noon ; a sumptuous dinner, 
 with many wines, at four; tea at six; biscuits 
 and spirits at nine. For a seven-days' passage 
 I have paid 154 dollars. I think it would be 
 better to pay less and be less expensively served. 
 A gentleman invalided home from China tells 
 me, that if one has a weak point in the consti-
 
 332 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 tution, the climate of China will find it out and 
 aggravate it. 
 
 Nov. 26, — At seven a.m. we steamed into the 
 harbour of Point de Galle, in Ceylon. This town 
 is the southernmost harbour in Ceylon; and in 
 times past was strongly fortified by the Dutch. 
 The natives swarming about the port are great 
 thieves, with a decidedly Hebrew cast of counte- 
 nance ; but they are excelled in villany by an 
 indescribable sort of mongrel creature which in- 
 fests this place, a compound of Hollander, Por- 
 tuguese, and Malay. The surveillance exercised 
 by the police is, I understand, not very strict. 
 
 Dec. 1. — Went to Colombo in a sort of char- 
 a-banc, intended for six passengers but occupied 
 by nine. Started at five a.m. and arrived at 
 Colombo at four. The distance is seventy-five 
 miles. The sea lay on our left; an interminable 
 cocoa-nut forest on our right. The roads are 
 excellent ; but the natives looked dirty and neg- 
 lected, and their huts were many of them half in 
 ruins. Saw two miserable individuals quite white 
 through leprosy. 
 
 Dec. 2. — Had the pleasure of dining with the 
 excellent Bishop of Colombo. He is building an 
 elegant cathedral in the Early English style, with 
 internal fittings of satin-wood, -beautifully carved 
 by the natives. 
 
 Dec. 3. — Drove out to the Cathedral to attend
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 333 
 
 Morning Service, and received the Eucharist. 
 Breakfasted at the Bishop's residence, and met 
 there Tamul and Cingalese priests and deacons, 
 all intelligent and well-behaved persons. After 
 breakfast one of these gentlemen, a Tamul 
 deacon, did me the pleasure of accompanying me 
 to the Lepers' Hospital, an establishment which 
 has been built and endowed in time past by a 
 Dutch merchant, who, they say, died a victim 
 to this loathsome and terrible disease. After 
 proceeding for some distance in a boat up a large 
 river, we were landed on the estate appertaining 
 to the hospital. The establishment consists of 
 various squares, surrounded by low huts, and 
 having communication one with the other. In 
 these huts the lepers live. I felt very wretched, 
 as thirty or forty of these poor creatures, of 
 either sex, came clustering around me, all afflicted 
 by the horrible disease in all its many stages. 
 All I could do was to give them some money, 
 and bid them put their trust in God. I could 
 not bid them hope, for with leprosy there is no 
 hope ; it is incurable : at least, theirs is con- 
 sidered so. Some of them had their noses de- 
 cayed away; some their toes and feet; others 
 their fingers; and when not decayed, their fingers, 
 feet, and toes ware horribly bent and twisted. 
 Two had proud flesh growing over their eye-balls. 
 One poor fellow had his ears drooping down on
 
 334 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 his shoulders, monstrously swollen; and huge 
 fleshy excrescences protruding from his forehead, 
 his cheeks, and his chin; and thus he, having 
 completely lost his nose, looked scarce human. 
 They seemed very miserable and woe-begone as 
 they crowded around me. Indeed, unless there 
 were a world to come, and these poor creatures 
 had immortal souls, who could blame them for 
 self-destruction ? Strange to say, no pain is felt, 
 as this terrible disease makes its slow progress. 
 The victim, little by little, year by year, rots quite 
 away without pain. But many, many years 
 elapse ere this consummation, so much to be 
 wished, takes place. My amiable guide, who 
 visits here fortnightly or oftener, tells me that the 
 disease first developes itself by the falling off of 
 the eyebrows. I believe that I am the first Euro- 
 pean minister of religion, not Roman Catholic, 
 who has visited this lazar-house. My impression 
 on coming away was, that the arrangements of 
 this institution are capable of improvement. 
 
 Dec. 4 {Sunday). — Attended St. Peter's 
 church. Heard the Bishop preach an excellent 
 sermon to a thin and carelessly-behaved congre- 
 gation, in aid of the funds of the Society for the 
 Propagation of the Gospel. The collection was a 
 poor one. A heavy gale blowing all day. Some 
 of the vessels nearly ashore. Colombo is a fine 
 town, kept clean. It has strong fortifications,
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 335 
 
 which, I believe, were erected by the Portuguese, 
 before the Dutch drove them out. The Govern- 
 ment-House is a vast pile of buildings. 
 
 Dec. 5. — Started at five a.m. for Candy, where 
 I arrived at five in the evening. For thirty-six 
 miles the route was uninteresting, but afterwards 
 the scenery became mountainous and picturesque. 
 The noble road (constructed by Sir Ed. Barnes) 
 wound under beetling cliffs and over profound 
 water-courses. Masses of fleecy vapour floated 
 upon -the rugged crests of the mountains. In a 
 small gully overshadowed by cocoa-nut trees, I saw 
 an elephant at work, removing stones. The huge 
 palm leaves drooped upon the beast's huge back — 
 fit companionship between the animal and vege- 
 table world. 
 
 Dec, 6. — Candy is an enchanting place, seated 
 on the banks of a lake surrounded by lofty hills, 
 exuberant of foliage. In this lake is a small island 
 with a building on it, once used for a harem, now 
 for a powder-magazine. A massive terrace runs 
 along the side of the lake, and to walk there and 
 watch the reflection of the trees in the still waters 
 is a delightful thing. Near the lake is a large 
 building, used as a public library ; also an im- 
 mense temple of Buddha, bizarre, and full of bar- 
 baric beauty. There is a fine and well-conducted 
 hotel here, barracks for troops, and one of the 
 ugliest churches (Anglican) it has ever been my
 
 336 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 lot to see. It defiles an otherwise beauteous scene, 
 as one looks down upon it from a neighbouring 
 height. The streets are well kept, and alive with 
 an active, intelligent native population ; and it is 
 most pleasing and amusing to see multitudes of 
 these people bathing and diverting themselves in 
 the tranquil waters of the translucent lake. 
 
 Dec. 7. — Had the pleasure of an introduction 
 to a Mr. Ottley, the excellent and capable repre- 
 sentative of the Church Missionary Society at 
 Candy. He drove me round the lake and showed 
 me all its beauties. With mirror-like truth did 
 the still surface reflect the rosy glow of the even- 
 ing sky, and not less distinctly the forest-clad 
 mountains. Afterwards, as I passed by the front 
 of the Buddhist temple, I heard the sound of 
 tom-toms, calling the people to prayers. So I 
 entered the portals, and came to where numbers 
 of thin and acute-looking priests, clothed in yellow, 
 were offering on trays large white and yellow 
 flowers as an evening sacrifice before the shrines 
 of Buddha. Of shrines there were two, one con- 
 taining two images, cased with gold ; the other a 
 pyramid, flashing forth by the light of silver lamps, 
 burning fragrant oils, the rays of innumerable 
 gems. The pyramid, surmounted by the repre- 
 sentation of a flame, is the prevailing symbol of 
 the Buddhists. The officiating priests received me 
 with much courtesy. A curiously-chased watch
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 337 
 
 I wore attracted their attention mightily. They 
 clustered round me to examine it thoroughly, 
 and then passed it eagerly from hand to hand ; 
 so that the evening rites of Buddha were moment- 
 arily neglected, that his priests might scrutinise 
 an English clergyman's time-piece. 
 
 Dec. 8. — Went to. the National School. About 
 forty pupils were there, natives and Creoles. They 
 sang very nicely- Visited the Botanical Gardens, 
 four miles distant from Candy. They are of great 
 extent, and not particularly well kept. 
 
 Dec. 10. — Rode through Gambala to the par- 
 sonage-house of the Chaplain of Pussillava, where 
 I slept. The scenery was very picturesque. A 
 deep ravine gaped on our right; and we were 
 splashed with the spray of an infinity of cascades, 
 beautiful to see, which came leaping down the 
 wooded heights on our left. Swift moving clouds 
 enveloped the neighbouring mountains. Our tra- 
 velling was impeded by a vast number of trains 
 of small thatched carts, each drawn by two oxen. 
 The worthy chaplain was away ; but in his pretty 
 deep-verandaed cottage, nestling amidst roses, 
 seated in a locality of surpassing beauty, we found 
 every physical and intellectual comfort. 
 
 Dec. 11. — My companion took Divine Service 
 at Pussillava church in the absence of the chaplain. 
 The church is a quiet, unpretending building, 
 kept very clean, and surrounded by an exuberance 
 
 z
 
 338 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 of roses, which, render fragrant the air. A native 
 catechist was holding a sort of service in the 
 church to some Cingalese, before my friend 
 should begin his. It was most interesting to see 
 the swarthy folk, wrapped in folds of white mus- 
 lin, crouching before the catechist with piercing 
 looks of intense earnestness, whilst he in a stand- 
 ing position expatiated, with much energy and 
 grace, on the blessings of the religion of the great 
 Healer of souls. The regular Service was very 
 badly attended indeed. A few Creoles and one 
 European family composed the congregation. 
 Our planters, who are by no means penetrated to 
 excess with religious feeling, have a good excuse 
 for absenting themselves from Public Worship 
 just now; for it is the critical period of coffee- 
 picking, during which work is done on Sundays. 
 Dec. 12. — Made an excursion to an adjoining 
 mountain called Peacock Hill. On our way we 
 passed through a fine coffee estate belonging to 
 three brothers (Israelites) of the name of Behr. 
 The whole of this property is surrounded by a 
 hedge of roses, a most delightful thing to see and 
 smell. The nephew of the proprietors received 
 us with much courtesy, and conducting us over 
 the buildings attached to the estate, gave us 
 every information about coffee cultivation. Saw 
 the process of picking the berry, of washing it and 
 drying it, previous to its being sent to Colombo
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 339 
 
 to undergo a cleaning process ; after which it is 
 shipped off to England. The heat of the drying- 
 room was 145°, so that I could not stay long in 
 it. The labourers for the coffee-picking come 
 over express from the southern parts of India, just 
 as the Irish come over for our harvest. Their 
 pay is 6d. a-day, and they feed themselves. Each 
 gang has its own chief, who is responsible for the 
 behaviour of his comrades. I hear, that if a coffee 
 estate is well managed, it is very profitable; but 
 if neglected, it will turn out a most ruinous in- 
 vestment. Woe to the proprietor who leaves his 
 estates in the hands of agents ! A healthy plant 
 should be of a rich, ripe, green colour : if the 
 colour should verge on black, it is a sign that the 
 terrible bug has got into it. Afterwards we 
 ascended the mountain by a corkscrew path. 
 Saw the laurel-like coffee-tree planted in the most 
 inaccessible localities. For the cultivating and 
 picking in such places, it is necessary to secure 
 the labourer with ropes. The view from the top 
 of the mountain was very extensive and imposing 
 indeed. On one side, as far as the eye could 
 reach, extended a chaos of mountains piled upon 
 mountains ; on another, a narrow unfertile valley 
 full of rank grass, through the middle of which 
 ran a mountain-stream. Returned to Pussillava 
 by sun-down. 
 
 Dec. 13. — Started on horseback at early morn-
 
 340 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 ing for Newera Ellia, pronounced Neuralia, the 
 sanatorium of Ceylon. After riding through a 
 pretty country full of coffee estates, we arrived at 
 Ramboddy, eager for breakfast ; but we found 
 the Rest-haus shut up and deserted ; so we had 
 to forage, and by dint of begging and bargaining 
 procured some eggs, a little milk, and an un- 
 leavened cake. We had tea with us in a tightly- 
 corked bottle, a most excellent drink for travellers 
 in tropical countries. The term "excellent" ex- 
 presses faintly my ideas on this subject. After 
 leaving Ramboddy we passed through some very 
 sublime scenery. Around us were lofty hills, 
 partly clothed with jungle and forest, partly 
 cleared for coffee, and profound ravines, at the 
 bottoms of which ran tumultuously the torrents 
 which had leaped in cascade from the adjoining 
 heights. At one point of view we had sight of 
 four noble cascades, all most diverse, all most 
 picturesque, and one at a great altitude. I 
 seemed to be looking at some exaggerated pic- 
 ture, so unearthly and extraordinary was this 
 scene. Crossed a rude bridge, under which 
 bounded a rapid river on its swift way to the 
 abyss below. Some time ago a man, who was 
 in custody of the police for murdering his two 
 wives, jumped over the parapet into the seething 
 caldron, and thus eluded the laws of man. Other 
 bridges we passed over, some of them not in the
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 341 
 
 best repair. At three p.m. we arrived at Newera 
 Ellia, which is a collection of houses built in a 
 valley 6000 feet above the level of the sea. Al- 
 though the sun's rays are severe, yet the heat is 
 much tempered by the keen mountain air ; for 
 there are tail mountains, one the Pedro, rising 
 6000 feet from the plain, all round about. On 
 the gentle slopes rising from the valley towards 
 the surrounding hills, are built pretty cottage 
 residences, with well- wooded grounds about them. 
 The middle of the valley is a swamp, clothed with 
 rank grass, scarce good for anything, having a 
 half-torpid stream running through it. By means 
 of a dam at the lower end of this valley the 
 swamp might be converted into a capacious lake, 
 as was done at Candy by one of the late kings : 
 and then Newera Ellia would be one of the 
 pleasantest places in the world. We were hospi- 
 tably received by the Rev. Mr. Mooyart the 
 chaplain, a gentleman of Dutch extraction, who 
 took us to see the church, a substantial building, 
 but at present a little out of repair. Saw several 
 invalid soldiers about. 
 
 Dec. 16. — Returned to Pussillava. Observed 
 a well-defined blue haze enveloping the distant 
 mountains, and white fleecy clouds floating about 
 in this haze. Some of these clouds looked like 
 stately ships sailing on and within a sea of 
 azure. It was a vision of great beauty, for this
 
 342 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 blue haze looked like an ocean, and the tops of 
 the mountains like islands rising out of this 
 ocean. 
 
 Dec. 18 {Sunday). — Having yesterday ridden 
 down to Gambala, I celebrated Divine Service at 
 Gambala church this morning. The church is a 
 pretty, neat building, well kept, having a bell, 
 font, raised chancel, and altar chairs. The old 
 clerk was formerly tom-tom player to the last of 
 the kings of Candy ; and a good old creature he 
 seemed to be. A congregation of about twenty 
 were present. A gentleman of native extraction 
 drove me into Candy, and gave me much in- 
 formation about the Cingalese. On my way I 
 plucked a leaf from a tree, which is said to be 
 sacred, on account of Buddha having once re- 
 clined under it. As we drove along, I observed 
 that all the natives low r ered their umbrellas to my 
 friend, he being of royal descent. The priests, 
 however, those gaunt, ascetic men, clothed in loose 
 yellow robes, did not. Well might they look 
 lean, if what I have been told is true, that they 
 eat no food till after sundown. Of course there 
 is a great deal of scandal a-foot concerning the 
 morality of the sacerdotal order of the Buddhists ; 
 every priesthood has its calumniators. I hear 
 that polyandry is very common among the Cin- 
 galese. Four or five brothers take one woman, 
 and they live together, as I am credibly informed,
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 343 
 
 in perfect harmony. The children sprung from 
 this alliance claim paternal sympathies from all 
 the brothers. I am told that hydrophobia is very 
 common here among the dogs; but that, although 
 many people are bitten, death very rarely follows. 
 The Buddhist priests can neutralise the effects of 
 the poison ; they can even successfully battle 
 with the disease after it has developed itself in 
 the patient. But their entire process is a secret. 
 The bitten person must be conveyed to their tem- 
 ple or habitations, and at the end of a certain 
 time he is restored to his friends cured. Cautery 
 and most profuse sudorifics form part of their 
 system; but they use drinks and local applica- 
 tions which are never divulged. The patient is 
 reduced to the last stage of inanition during the 
 healing process. My friend told me that he was 
 bitten by a confirmed mad dog six years ago, and 
 that he was treated partly according to the na- 
 tive, partly according to the European custom. 
 For four weeks his diet consisted of rice-water and 
 vegetables ; emetics and purgatives were alter- 
 nately administered every other day, and the 
 wound was kept open by cautery. As soon as 
 he became moribund, as it were, from want of 
 nourishment, they desisted from their severe 
 treatment, and allowed him gradually to feed 
 up again. 
 
 Dec. 19. — An elephant was in the lake this
 
 344 DIARY OP A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 morning, drawing out of it a sunken barge; and 
 all of a sudden he disappeared as if by magic, the 
 frightened mahout swimming ashore. It turned out 
 that one side of the Candy Lake is enormously deep 
 — a ravine, in fact — and over the banks of this 
 precipice the poor creature slipped, dragging the 
 heavy boat after him, the encumbrance of which 
 prevented him swimming. Mr. Ottley took me 
 to see an image of Buddha, twenty-seven feet 
 long, hewn out of the solid rock. The figure 
 is lying on its right side, with its head slightly 
 raised on its right hand, and the noble and 
 majestic countenance has an aspect of profound 
 meditation. On his head is the representation of 
 a pyramid of flame, gilt. I understand that 
 Buddhism is a pure Theism, the tenets of which 
 Buddha propagated, who lived a thousand years 
 before our Saviour. But yet idol-worship is 
 mixed up with Buddhist worship. Others, again, 
 say, that Buddha is Adam, whose colossal foot- 
 steps on the Cingalese mountain, Adam's Peak, 
 both Hindoos and Buddhists worship. Others 
 say that Buddhism was much modified by the 
 teaching of early Christian apostles, and that the 
 monastic institutions and hierarchy peculiar to 
 the Buddhists took their rise from the followers 
 of Christ. Some say that Buddhism, as pure 
 Theism, is the primeval religion of the East; and 
 that Hindoo mythology and idol-worship are its
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 345 
 
 corruptions, just as the mythology and image- 
 worship of Roman Catholics are corruptions of 
 the pure Christian scheme. Others, again, assert 
 that Hindooism was the primeval Asiatic religion, 
 and that Buddha was a reformer — a sort of 
 Luther. The religion of Buddha prevails in 
 China, Thibet, Japan, and Ceylon ; and a German 
 writer of note (Bitter) in his introduction to the 
 " Histories of the European Nations," advances 
 the opinion that the Buddhists migrated to the 
 shores of the Black Sea, to Colchis, to the modern 
 Mingrelia, and thence to Thrace, where they laid 
 the foundation of the civilisation of the Pelasgi 
 and Hellenes. I take it that a scrutiny into 
 Buddhism, as to what it is and what it is not, 
 and above all its relative bearings with regard to 
 Hindooism, must be a most interesting, though 
 most difficult task. I could obtain no informa- 
 tion on this subject either from clergy or laity. 
 
 Dec. 20. — Rode down to Colombo in the 
 public conveyance. Among my fellow-passengers 
 were an English family and their ayah, a Tamul 
 woman, with the baby. This woman was loaded 
 with barbaric ornaments. She had silver anklets 
 and armlets, two neck chains, no end of rings on 
 fingers and toes, and six earrings on her two ears, 
 besides one in her right nostril. Silver chains in 
 her raven hair completed this argentine toilet. 
 This was the woman's property, which she carried
 
 3 16 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 about her. According to the number of her 
 ornaments will she find aspirants for her hand 
 and heart. In the Australian bush I have seen 
 young black girls on their preferment, with no 
 other clothing than a longish stick passed through 
 the grizzle of their nose. In Europe, also, the same 
 principle prevails ; subjected, however, to certain 
 modifications in the carrying out. 
 
 Dec. 21— To-day, being St. Thomas' Day, the 
 patron saint of the College and Cathedral, there 
 was full Service at eleven. Many swarthy priests 
 and deacons attended. A number of pupils sat 
 down to dinner with us, and afterwards sang 
 some chants very sweetly indeed. I believe that 
 they are much in want of some new chants. It 
 was a most exhilarating sight to see these Indian 
 people, rescued from the demon of Paganism, thus 
 adapting themselves to humanising Christian 
 ways. And all Christian people should gratefully 
 thank our good Bishops, refined and educated 
 men, who leave the comforts of an English bene- 
 fice, and break up all the associations of their 
 youth, for thus devoting themselves to preach 
 the Gospel of Truth to people sunk in demoral- 
 ising errors, and that in countries where the 
 climate is by no means congenial to European 
 constitutions. Yet, strange to say, many of the 
 British abroad do not sufficiently appreciate and 
 reverence the motives which induce learned and
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 347 
 
 discreet clergymen to come out into far-away 
 lands to exercise the arduous duties of the Epi- 
 scopate. Instead of being supported, they are 
 often thwarted by people, who, baptized unto 
 Christ, live as pagans. Many of our Colonial 
 Bishops are obliged to employ much of their 
 valuable time in warding off the virulent attacks 
 of professing Church people, leagued with the 
 Anti- Church party and a bitter Newspaper 
 Press. 
 
 Dec. 22. — Went to see a vast Buddhist temple. 
 It has two large chambers, in one of which is a 
 recumbent figure of Buddha, forty feet long, 
 with a noble countenance indicative of profound 
 contemplative repose, or perhaps of religious ec- 
 stasy. On his head he wears a sort of judge's 
 wig, and before him is a glass frame, probably to 
 shroud him in a measure from too penetrating a 
 gaze of the profane. Other representations, too, 
 of Buddha are there, as well as of Hindoo gods. 
 It is this mixture of the two religions which I 
 cannot have explained to me. The walls of the 
 other chamber are crowded with vivid frescos of 
 men and animals. At my request, one of the 
 priests wrote me with a style a few words on a 
 leaf of papyrus, as a memorial of the place ; not, 
 however, without hesitation, for he asked me with 
 a sneer why I wished for a memorial of a reli-
 
 848 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 gion which I despised. He had the sharp, acute 
 features of the members of the Society of Jesus. 
 
 Dec. 23. — Came down to Point de Galle in 
 the public conveyance. My fellow-passengers 
 were an Eurasian gentleman and his daughter 
 from Madras, and a police-magistrate, a Baliol 
 man. Horses very vicious : they nearly upset us 
 three times. , 
 
 Dec. 27. — Embarked on board a. Peninsular 
 and Oriental Company's steamer, bound for 
 Suez. As there were only twenty-three passen- 
 gers, I had a cabin to myself. Each cabin is 
 made to contain three berths. A Spanish ecclesi- 
 astic of high rank, from Manilla, is one of the 
 passengers. He is Vicar-General of the Philippines, 
 and his frank, honest countenance, shows a delight- 
 ful mixture of good breeding and good nature. 
 
 Jan. 1, 1854 {Sunday, Feast of the Circum- 
 cision). — The captain sent his compliments to 
 me, and asked me to celebrate Divine Service. 
 Of course I acquiesced. Service began at half- 
 past ten. Nearly all the passengers and officers 
 of the ship attended. I was obliged to sit, owing 
 to the motion of the ship and the swaying of the 
 punkah. The Service consisted of Prayers, Litany, 
 and a Sermon. At half-past seven p.m. I cele- 
 brated a full Evening Service. We are now 2140 
 miles from Aden.
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 349 
 
 Jan. 3. — At daybreak we were off the island of 
 Socotra, once a coaling station of the East India 
 Company, lying about 450 miles from Aden. It 
 is very insalubrious and sterile, and has but few 
 inhabitants. Tamagrida is its chief village ; and 
 a few miserable Arabs, in a state of anarchy, cul- 
 tivate all that is cultivable. We were twelve 
 hours passing it. High mountains with jagged 
 summits and with sandy slopes at the bases, des- 
 titute of verdure, were all that we could see 
 through the haze. 
 
 Jan. 5. — At nine a.m. we entered Aden, a mass 
 of rock joined to the mainland by a sandy 
 isthmus. It contains a mosque, an Anglican 
 church (scarcely begun), a Romanist church 
 (nearly finished), cantonments, and some dwellings 
 for British officials. The other buildings are 
 miserable, and an air of sterile desolation per- 
 vades every part. Aden, however, is, politically 
 and commercially, a very valuable possession, 
 lying as it does at the entrance of the Red Sea, 
 and we have fortified it with great care. The 
 harbour is secure, and has about four fathoms of 
 water. The population consists chiefly of Afri- 
 cans. I saw troops of brawny negresses carrying 
 heavy burdens; also strings of sour-looking 
 camels, bringing in forage and fire-wood. I rode 
 out into the desert, half a mile beyond the 
 frontier, and encountered a dreary waste of sand
 
 350 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 as far as the eye could reach. Had a quarrel 
 with a villanous horseboy, who, as I was alone, 
 tried to rob me. I was obliged to compel him to 
 accompany me to the police-office, but I could 
 get no redress, and I longed for Dutch rule here. 
 The hotel is spacious, airy, and well kept, and 
 from its verandah we enjoyed at sunset the view 
 before us. There was the calm sea, reflecting 
 chameleon-like the fading hues of the sky ; ships 
 at anchor; that rock in the sea, "inguisa di leone 
 quando si posa;" beyond were the Arabian 
 mountains, mantled with blue haze, with slopes 
 of sand half-way up to the summit. Laden 
 camels with their drivers passing along the beach, 
 having their outlines brought out in sharp relief 
 against the blue waters of the harbour, gave life 
 to this still evening scene. Having completed 
 our coaling we proceeded on our way at night. 
 
 Jan. 6. — At half-past nine a.m. we passed 
 through the narrows of Bab-el-Mandeb, the Gate 
 of Tears, forming the entrance to the Red Sea. 
 On our right frowned a group of precipitous rocks, 
 among which the Peak, called Bab-el-Mandeb, 
 was pre-eminent ; on our left lay the rocky island 
 Perim, which forms the right side to the wider 
 straits. An Arab pilot came on board, clothed in 
 a long dress of striped silk down to his feet, and 
 having his striped turban tied down with a hand- 
 kerchief. He carried a huge silver ring on the
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 351 
 
 little finger of his right hand, and he wore no 
 shoes. He fixed himself on the paddle-box, and 
 there remained attentive and motionless. On our 
 right and left we see chains of mountains — these 
 in Arabia, those in Abyssinia. At half-past one 
 p.m. we passed Mocha, and with a glass saw. dis- 
 tinctly the Mosque, the Citadel, and a few Arab 
 vessels lying at anchor. A strong wind blew aft, 
 and the ship rolled. Observed that the twilight 
 was very short. Venus throws her track of light 
 upon the waters like a moon. 
 
 Jan. 8 (Sundaij). — No land to be seen on either 
 side. Celebrated the Morning and Evening Ser- 
 vices. The morning attendance was very good. 
 Divine Service is invaluable for the morale of a 
 crowded ship. It gives people something to think 
 about, and takes their attention off from self. 
 We had a hazy sunset, at which time the sea 
 assumed a peculiar reddish tinge, which lasted 
 for twenty minutes. This appearance is common 
 in these parts. At ten p.m. the wind, which until 
 yesterday was southerly, and is to-day fallen, 
 began to blow from the north. 
 
 Jan. 10. — No land visible, except an island 
 which we passed on our left; still the same round 
 of good living. People are getting bilious and 
 fastidious ; and complain that the cook has not 
 improved since the commencement of the voyage. 
 The fact is that, considering what we really re-
 
 352 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 quire as idle people, the whole victualling depart- 
 ment is one of extravagant wastefulness. Con- 
 versed on religious matters with the Vicar-Gene- 
 ral of Manilla. He seems a very amiable, liberal- 
 minded man, and did not assume a bitter tone 
 when speaking of Protestantism. But when I 
 told him that I could not find Scripture warranty 
 for the intense ultra-veneration which his Church 
 accorded to the ever-blessed Virgin Mary, he laid 
 his hand on my arm, and seriously said, " I can 
 bear your doubts on every other point but this ; 
 but on this subject I can suffer no disputing. If 
 you knew how she has always been a blessed 
 Mother to me, and on one occasion how she 
 answered my prayers immediately when I was in 
 great straits, you would no longer undervalue 
 her divine excellences, nor w r ish to diminish the 
 homage due to them." Here the good man's 
 eyes became suffused with feeling, and the con- 
 versation, of course, was at an end. Are Pro- 
 testants sufficiently aware, that the worship of the 
 Virgin is not only an institution of the Church 
 of Home, but that it springs from the universal 
 tendency of mankind, in all ages of the world, to 
 worship the female principle deified ? The Hin- 
 doos worship Pracriti — the Egyptians wor- 
 shipped Isis — the Phoenicians, Astarte, the 
 " Queen of Heaven" — the Greeks, Cybele — 
 the Scandinavians Freya, and so on. All these
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 353 
 
 goddesses were symbols of the generative powers 
 of nature. This instinctive worship of nature the 
 Producer, is as strong in the breast of man now as 
 it was three thousand years ago ; and the Church 
 of Roine, ever a calm and acute contemplator of 
 the religious tendencies and wants of mankind, 
 has satisfied all these material longings after the 
 gross worship of the principle of fecundity, by 
 giving to them a more refined and spiritual object 
 of worship, symbolical of every moral virtue, every 
 feminine purity and sweetness, every spiritual fe- 
 cundity, every Divine Power for aiding and con- 
 soling erring and desolate human souls, in the 
 person of a spotless virgin, Mother of the Creator 
 and Saviour of the world. 
 
 Thus, if the Papal system were to be broken up 
 to-morrow ; if the vast and complicated machinery 
 of the Church of Home were to exist no longer ; 
 it may be doubted if the Worship of the Virgin 
 would not still remain deeply rooted in the hearts 
 of her votaries. For it is a human instinct, 
 rather than an article of faith ; yet it is certain 
 that no one who founds his faith on the Canon of 
 Scripture is justified in worshipping aught but 
 the Eternal Three in One. 
 
 Jan. 11. — Sailed up the Gulf of Suez, leaving 
 the gulf of Akaba on our right. The Gulf is 
 from twelve to fifteen miles across. Right and 
 left were undulating ridges of rock, with sandy 
 
 A A
 
 354 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 slopes. About forty miles south of Suez the 
 captain pointed out to me the spot where, accord- 
 ing to tradition, the Israelites passed. There is a 
 break in the cliff just there, by which they could 
 descend to the sea-side. I did not see any other 
 gap where they could have done so. This break 
 is called the Valley of Moses. The soundings at 
 this spot give five fathoms, and the width of the 
 gulf there is twelve miles exactly. At four p.m. 
 we cast anchor in the shallow waters of the gulf, 
 three miles short of Suez, to which, amid inde- 
 scribably disorderly confusion, we were rowed in 
 a barge by four terribly depraved-looking indi- 
 viduals. Suez does not seem a very interesting 
 place; but we were partially refreshed by some 
 weak tea at a bad hotel, and then started for 
 Cairo in omnibuses on two wheels, drawn by four 
 horses or mules. The omnibus I rode in was 
 christened by the rest of the passengers the 
 Polyglott Omnibus, inasmuch as there were six 
 people of different nations inside — an English- 
 man, Swiss, Frenchman, Spaniard, Parsee, and 
 Eurasian. The travelling was very good ; the 
 horses were changed sixteen times in the space of 
 eighty miles ; and at three out of the sixteen 
 stations there was a good supper laid. The 
 Peninsular and Oriental Company must injure 
 their passengers' healths by overfeeding them. 
 Thus we travelled over an interminable desert of
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 355 
 
 sand. No trees were there, no verdure; the soil 
 seemed to grow nothing but rocks, which cropped 
 above the surface. The cold bright moon shed 
 her rays upon us, and the keen winter wind swept 
 across the waste. 
 
 Jan. 12. — Arrived in Caij^o at half-past ten a.m. 
 Visited the Citadel, and the new Mosque built by 
 Mehemet Ali. From the heights of the citadel 
 I saw new and old Cairo, the many-mosqued, 
 lying beneath me in the distance ; the Nile, with 
 banks lined with palaces, floating gently down 
 through its narrow and most fertile valley; and 
 beyond the arid Desert, having on its confines 
 the Pyramids of Gizeh and those of Sakhara, all 
 looking very small. The mosque is of white 
 marble, and glowing with costly decorations. 
 Glass chandeliers hang from the roof, and the 
 pulpit and tomb of the late Pasha are conspicuous 
 objects; the former for its richness, the latter for 
 its simplicity. The building is large and im- 
 posing, and its centre dome of striking dimen- 
 sions. 
 
 Jan. 13. — Hear that Achmet, the celebrated 
 sorcerer, performed before a party last night at 
 Shepheard's Hotel. He is a venerable-looking 
 old man of 80. He insisted on being paid be- 
 fore he commenced, and thus obtained between 
 20 and 30 dollars. After making the accustomed 
 incantations, he failed miserably in describing all
 
 356 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 the personages who were mentioned to him. His 
 boy and he made sad blunders indeed. For 
 instance, Mr. Disraeli was described as wearing 
 a dress coat, white waistcoat and cravat, top 
 boots, and moustaches. Went to the slave- 
 market, a very dirty place, where were kept in 
 miserable rooms men, boys, and girls, brought 
 down by slave-merchants from Nubia, Abyssinia, 
 and Galla. They were all very dirty, but 
 seemingly not at all miserable. On the con- 
 trary they seemed cheerful, and rather rude, 
 especially the women ; for as I was retiring they 
 seized my hand and demanded money, until the 
 master came and gave them some blows with a 
 light cane, at which they ran away laughing. 
 After I left the building I discovered that the 
 small-pox and the itch were raging among the 
 inmates. Afterwards I visited various parts of 
 Cairo, which is accounted the most Oriental city 
 of the East. Scenes of the "Arabian Nights" are 
 re-enacted every day. There is to be seen the 
 stately mosque, with its slender minaret delicately 
 carved, and the narrow street lined with fortress- 
 looking mansions, with gateways of exquisite 
 Saracenic architecture, full of fantasy, variety, and 
 originality. The shops are very small — little boxes, 
 in fact — stored with goods behind. In front, close 
 on the street, is a little stage carpeted; on which 
 the shopkeeper, leaving his slippers below, almost
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 357 
 
 in the throughfare, sits tranquilly smoking his 
 chibouque or narghilly; and where the buyer 
 must sit also, if he would avoid being trampled 
 under foot by the crowd. And what crowds ! 
 what a living torrent of animal life rushes through 
 the narrow ways ! Here jostle one another 
 Franks, Arabians, Turks, Egyptians, Nubians, 
 carriages, camels, horses, mules, donkeys, dogs, 
 and goats. All is in motion, and rapid motion. 
 Here comes a stately camel sweeping along with 
 outstretched neck, his head in horizontal posi- 
 tion, and a supercilious expression of counte- 
 nance. He has a doubtful-looking eye, and 
 an angry pout on his lip. If he is loaded, va 
 viatori! for he sweeps down all opposition with 
 his protruding burden. If he is crouching down, 
 loading or unloading, va viatori! — for he twists 
 about his long neck in every direction, gnash- 
 ing his teeth in an agony of rage or pain, and 
 fills the air with cries difficult to describe, corn- 
 pounded of a grunt and a groan and a roar and 
 a squeak. Then comes the gentleman or officer, 
 loaded with gay clothes, prancing by on his high- 
 mettled horse, sitting at ease in the comfortable 
 saddle all covered with housings. Then one 
 sees a sleek, fat mule, carrying a sleek, fat, con- 
 sequential eunuch — precious companionship! — 
 through the yielding crowd. Then come grave 
 Orientals, merchants, Jews, money-changers, and
 
 338 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 hatted Franks, bestriding small active asses. 
 Among these latter the Englishman may be dis- 
 tinguished, by his having the same supercilious 
 touch-me-not expression of countenance as the 
 camel ; and by his riding his donkey through the 
 crowd at full gallop. Then there are the women 
 — the better classes — muffled up in the yasmak, 
 going a-shoppingj sitting on ass-back a la four- 
 chette ; the lower classes exposing their mascu- 
 line, but not unhandsome features, to the gaze of 
 men. There, too, are the sweetmeat-sellers, laud- 
 ing with loud voice the excellence of their bon- 
 bons. The air is filled with shouts; everybody is 
 gesticulating; and the expressive Arabian tongue 
 is applied to praying, cursing, blessing, lying, 
 trafficking, and shouting to the animals — all in 
 simultaneous discord. Every animal has a driver, 
 and every driver maintains an animated conver- 
 sation with his charge. This is but a faint 
 description of the bustle in the streets of inde- 
 scribable Cairo. I hear that Egypt still keeps up 
 its reputation of being the most licentious country 
 in the world. I find, too, that a great jealousy 
 exists between Cairo and Damascus; especially 
 with regard to the breed of horses. I am told also, 
 that the Desert is a most healthy place for invalids 
 to visit who require change of air. Of course it is 
 necessary to take tents and every convenience. 
 Jan. 14. — Visited the Pyramids of Gizeh and
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 359 
 
 tlie Sphinx. Started at early morning ; and as 
 we proceeded through a labyrinth of narrow 
 streets, the moon poured a flood of light on 
 mosque and minaret, massive palace and sculp- 
 tured portal. Heard the muezzin's monotonous 
 chant from a neighbouring minaret. Met a 
 group of women going, as I was told, to offer 
 presents at the tomb of Mehemet Ali. A camel 
 bore them, and they wailed lugubriously. Crossed 
 the Nile in a sailing-boat, and drank of the un- 
 transparent waters. Found them sweet and 
 pleasant to the taste. The cold at sunrise was 
 intense. Groves of graceful date-trees were 
 scattered here and there, and much land was laid 
 down with wheat. Just beyond the verge of cul- 
 tivation stands, amidst its lesser fellows, the 
 Great Pyramid of Gizeh, and quite close is the 
 Sphinx raising its mutilated face above the sand. 
 In consequence of the enormous bases of these 
 structures, and of there being no other structure 
 near by which to institute a comparison, it is im- 
 possible to realise their great height. There they 
 stand alone, sand-embedded, on the verge of a 
 great desert, its untiring sentinels, under the 
 clear, rainless sky of Egypt. It is well to con- 
 sider this, else one is disappointed by their ap- 
 parent want of magnitude, or, rather, of height. 
 As I walked along the base of the Great Pyramid 
 it seemed but 100 feet high — it is 476. We
 
 300 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 were immediately assailed by Bedouin Arabs, 
 offering their services as guides, each vociferating 
 his own peculiar excellences. This dogging about 
 and vociferation lasted until we left, and entirely 
 destroyed all possibility of thought and reflec- 
 tion, and, consequently, the pleasure which I 
 anticipated from beholding such renowned ob- 
 jects. The Pasha has permitted that the Pyramids 
 shall be a source of profit to a certain troop 
 of Bedouins. The Sheikh fixes himself in the 
 immediate vicinity, arranges everything, and re- 
 ceives on behalf of his tribe one dollar from 
 each visitor. For this he gives guides, and this 
 guiding is undertaken by the whole tribe in ro- 
 tation. The actual guides then bend their ener- 
 gies to get something out of the traveller on 
 their own account; and this attempt at extortion 
 comes to little short of actual robbery. Their en- 
 deavour is to get the traveller into a defenceless 
 position, such as at the top of the Pyramid, or 
 in an inner chamber, and then to commence a 
 system of importunities which it requires a strong 
 mind to resist. It must, however, be borne in 
 mind, that the Sheikh, who remains below, is 
 answerable to the Pasha for everything which 
 transpires, so that there are no real grounds for 
 fear. Trusting myself to two of these people, 
 I commenced the ascent of the Great Pyramid 
 of Gizeh, which has a four-sided base of 750 feet
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 361 
 
 in length, and covers an area of eleven acres. It 
 is formed by a succession of stages, consisting of 
 huge stones, piled one on the other in symmetry. 
 Every upper stage is less in circuit than its fellow 
 below. The visitor ascends by stepping from 
 stage to stage. The stones are of great size, and 
 three or four feet high; so that, unless I had 
 been dragged upward by two stalwart Arabs, 
 one to each arm, I should have found it a work 
 of time to get up at all. When two or three 
 travellers are mounting at the same time, it is 
 the great endeavour of each couple of Arabs to 
 get their man or woman (for women sometimes 
 so far forget the dictates of decency as to ascend) 
 up to the top first, regardless of his remon- 
 strances. This happened when I ascended; and 
 I was almost fainting from want of breath and 
 pains in my sinews, when, after an infinity of 
 struggling, stumbling, and falling, the wild hur- 
 rahs of my Arabs proclaimed my victory over 
 my fellow-victims in this extraordinary race. And 
 for this dearly-bought and unwilling victory they 
 demanded " baksheesh," as they termed it. This 
 ascent of 206 irregular steps, or rather layers 
 of stone, each step having a height of from 2^ 
 to 3 feet, up the side of a pyramid measuring 
 470 feet in perpendicular altitude, at an acce- 
 lerated pace, after a donkey-ride of eight to ten 
 miles, and before breaking the morning's fast,
 
 362 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 was a most fatiguing operation. From the sum- 
 mit were to be seen the Pyramids of Sakhara; the 
 Nile flowing through its verdant valley, closed in 
 with desert ; and in the distance the Citadel, frown- 
 ing upon the city of a thousand mosques. On 
 the area at the summit many travellers' names 
 were engraved. An Arab offered to cut mine into 
 the stone for two piastres. I think he told me, 
 that oftentimes people who did not go up em- 
 ployed him to carve their names on this work of 
 Cheops. Declining this dubious immortality, I 
 engraved a cross on the monument of the Pha- 
 raohs, and descended as I best could, dropping 
 painfully from block to block. I had descended by 
 nine a.m. Afterwards I entered the Pyramid by 
 a doorway in the centre of the north side. After 
 creeping down a dark and narrow passage, 100 
 feet in length, at an angle of perhaps 30°, I 
 was dragged up an inclined plane until I 
 arrived at a chamber, having walls of granite, 
 called the " King's Chamber," or " Sarcophagus 
 Chamber/' from a sarcophagus having been found 
 near it. Here the Arabs began a savage dance, 
 which I stopped ; and on my refusing them money 
 which they demanded, showed great insolence ; 
 which I also stopped, by sitting down and threaten- 
 ing to report them to the Pasha. I then entered 
 another chamber, called the "Queen's Chamber," 
 and emerging from the painful gloom went close
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 3G3 
 
 up to the Sphinx. Found the face of this mon- 
 strous creation more mutilated then I expected. 
 The head and neck rise twenty-seven feet above 
 the level of the surrounding sand. A French an- 
 tiquarian is now engaged in discovering, if pos- 
 sible, an entrance into the building, which forms 
 a base to the head. After a combat between my 
 dragoman and the Arabs, in which the poor fel- 
 low was roughly handled, I turned my back on 
 these monuments of the long ago ; trotted through 
 some wheat-grounds ; re-crossed " old Nile ;" passed 
 the stately palace of Soliman Pasha, the French 
 renegade; entered the gate of Cairo ; wound my 
 way through a busy crowd of men, women, asses, 
 and camels; and finally dismounted at my ex- 
 cellent hotel, the Hotel d'Orient. These Pyramids 
 and the Sphinx are wonderful to see ; but all ro- 
 mance, all contemplation, all religious commun- 
 ings, are destroyed by the crowd of debauched 
 assassins which infest the traveller from his arrival 
 to his exit. 
 
 Jan. 15. — Rode to Boulac, the port of Cairo 
 on the Nile, in an hour. We then embarked in 
 a commodious steamer for Atfeh, 130 miles down 
 the river, where we arrived in ten hours. The 
 low banks of the Nile are singularly uninterest- 
 ing here. In some places the Desert swept down 
 close to the river, in others it was visible in the 
 distance. Here and there a miserable mud village
 
 36 L DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 deformed the banks, and sometimes was to be 
 seen a grove of date-trees shadowing some tomb. 
 The river was running at about three miles an 
 hour. In an hour and a half we passed the great 
 work called the barrage of the Nile, constructed 
 by French engineers ; and, as some say, a great 
 engineering blunder. At half-past seven we 
 arrived at Atfeh, and were then shifted aboard 
 a large covered boat towed by a steamer, which 
 took us into the Mahmoudie Canal — the canal 
 connecting the Nile with Alexandria. All the 
 very selfish passengers rushed forward and se- 
 cured for themselves the insufficient accommo- 
 dation which there was. I could get no place ; 
 so I sat out in the moonlight. By and by these 
 selfish passengers came out of the cabin one after 
 the other, all stamping with their feet, blas- 
 pheming, and saying that the fleas had got into 
 their very boots. But I had no fleas. So, even- 
 tually, they were no gainers by their selfishness. 
 
 Jan. 16. — We arrived at Alexandria, a dis- 
 tance of forty-eight miles from Atfeh, by five a.m. 
 Went to see the stables of Said Pasha, which 
 were dirty and neglected. He had one very fine 
 horse, a bay, ten years old, for which — so the 
 groom told me — he had refused 800/. The stables 
 were a disgrace to a prince. 
 
 Jan. 17. — Went and saw the usual sights of 
 the city of Athanasius, such as the Catacombs,
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 365 
 
 Pompey's Pillar, Cleopatra's Needle, the Pasha's 
 Palace, the Greek Church, the Anglican Church, 
 and the Gardens of a son of Ibrahim Pasha. On 
 the elegant granite column overlooking the sea, 
 called Pompey's Pillar — because Pompey had 
 nothing to do with it, I suppose — three Anglo- 
 Saxons, of the respective names of Button, W. 
 Thompson, and Bland, having affixed their sig- 
 natures in large black letters, have, by thus de- 
 filing an historical souvenir, aimed at immortality. 
 The Pasha's Palace, under an unpretending ex- 
 terior, is superbly fitted up. In the Anglican 
 Church I conversed with an Italian who was 
 laying down mosaic in the body of the church. 
 It is built in the Byzantine style, and ornamented 
 after the manner of the mosque of the Sultan 
 Hassan at Cairo. It has been seven years in 
 construction, and if its internal fittings corre- 
 spond with its exterior, it will hold a high rank 
 among our churches for its imposing appearance. 
 The Greek Church is loaded with gilding and 
 decorations. It has some very rare and old 
 marble columns, partly imbedded in a brick wall, 
 and plastered over. A large camp of soldiers is 
 formed here at present. Some of the recruits are 
 very young, twelve or thirteen years old, perhaps ; 
 and they stagger under the weight of their mus- 
 kets. The women here have a very stately walk. 
 They carry their little ones astride upon their left
 
 366 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 shoulders. Saw several goats followed by four 
 kids. My dragoman declares that his goat has 
 had six at a birth. The population of Alexandria 
 js under 100,000; and a very motley population 
 it is, composed of Greeks, Turks, Egyptians, 
 Negroes, French, German, Italians, and English. 
 Some very strange-looking people are seen about, 
 who look as if they were a compound of all these 
 nationalities. The distinguishing characteristic 
 of Alexandria is its mixture of Oriental and Occi- 
 dental customs, manners, and architecture. It 
 is a very mongrel place indeed, in every way. 
 
 Jan. 21. — Embarked on board the Peninsular 
 and Oriental Company's steamer " Ripon," the 
 commander of which, Captain Moresby, is an 
 approved seaman and an excellent man. 
 
 Jan. 22 (Sunday). — Celebrated full Service. 
 Eighty persons were present. 
 
 Jan. 24. — Arrived at Malta, and stayed there 
 during the night. Going on shore I toiled up 
 many steps in the dark, until I arrived at the 
 principal street. 
 
 Jan. 25. — Sailed out of the harbour in the 
 morning. Observed a church built by Queen 
 Adelaide. I was not exactly able to discover its 
 prevailing style of architecture. 
 
 Jan. 29 (Sunday). — Passed near Malaga, and 
 distinguished its large Cathedral, and four or five 
 factory chimneys. No trees appear but fruit-
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 367 
 
 trees on the barren-looking hills which closely 
 back up Malaga. They have been all cut down, 
 as I hear. Soon after saw the frowning rock of 
 Gibraltar on our right, and his brother-sentinel 
 on the African coast on our left, girded with 
 vapour. Rounded the rock, and moored in the 
 harbour for the purpose of coaling. I saw scarce 
 anything of this renowned fortress, for at the 
 end of a long travel the eye gets satiated of 
 seeing wonders. 
 
 Jan. 31. — Nearly ran down a Portuguese 
 lugger : her boom was carried away. Entered 
 the Bay of Biscay. 
 
 Feb. 1. — On board this steamer we are treated 
 just as sumptuously as on the Indian side. A 
 brass band plays before dinner; a full band after 
 tea, in the cuddy. A programme of the evening 
 concert is regularly issued. This evening we had 
 (I copy from the programme) :— 
 
 Pietro le Grand 
 
 Jullien. 
 
 Overture to Norma 
 
 Bellini. 
 
 Waltz 
 
 Strauss. 
 
 Overture to Zampa 
 
 Herold. 
 
 Songs of the Thames. 
 
 
 Schottische. 
 
 
 God save the Queen. 
 
 
 The bill of fare of to-day gives thirty dishes for 
 forty-five passengers, and the gluttonous con- 
 sumption on the part of some of them is wonder-
 
 368 DIARY OF A WORKING CLERGYMAN 
 
 striking. Selfish propensities are, I find, highly 
 developed by travelling. Some grave divine 
 (Thomas a, Kempis, I believe) says truly, " peri- 
 grination tendeth not to sanctification." 
 
 Feb. 4. — Landed in the Southampton Docks 
 amid a drizzling rain, thus revisiting my country 
 after an absence of four years and four days. 
 During my absence I have come in contact with 
 numberless individuals of many races of men, 
 and I have found that, however diverse and 
 varied they may be in aspect and physical deve- 
 lopment, their moral tendencies are precisely 
 similar, and that the vanity and self-love pre- 
 vailing in the breast of the naked Australian 
 savage, as well as in the breast of the more 
 refined Hindoo and the more energetic European, 
 declare that all are equally descended from the 
 first erring couple, Adam and Eve. Thus, if 
 climate has modified the perfect physical type of 
 the primeval pair in their descendants, it has by 
 no means changed the moral type. In that 
 respect we seem all cast in the same mould. To 
 check the inordinate selfishness of mankind, to 
 prevent the world from becoming a moral chaos, 
 or, in plainer terms, to turn us away from spear- 
 ing and eating one another, as the wretched 
 Australians do, various religions have been be- 
 stowed upon us ; and I have found that, in pro- 
 portion as a religion is pure, and its ministers
 
 IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 369 
 
 faithful, so do the people practising that religion 
 advance towards social and political perfection. 
 As, judging from effects, we may surely assume 
 that Christianity is infinitely superior to all other 
 religious persuasions; so likewise, judging from 
 effects, we may be permitted, I think, to assure 
 ourselves that that peculiar form of Christianity 
 practised by the body of people who have made 
 the greatest advances in the arts, sciences, and 
 all the humanising virtues of life — a form of 
 Christianity equally remote from tendency to 
 Atheism on the one hand, and to Superstition on 
 the other — is unquestionably the most deserving 
 of our unbounded love and veneration. 
 
 London :— Printed by G. Barclay, Castle St. Leicester Sq. 
 
 B B
 
 Morb IttMigfyb 
 BY HATCHARD AND CO. 
 
 Tupper's Proverbial Philosophy. 16mo. cloth 
 
 extra, gilt leaves, price 5*. 
 Also, the Illustrated Edition, 4to. cloth, gilt leaves, 31s. Gd. ; 
 
 morocco extra, 21. 8s. 
 Also, the Library Edition, crown 8vo. cloth, 8s. 
 
 Ethel Woodville ; or, Woman's Ministry. A 
 
 Tale for the Times. 2 vols. fcap. cloth, 12s. 
 
 Chillon ; or, Protestants in the Sixteenth Cen- 
 tury: an Historical Tale. By Jane Louisa Willyams. 
 2 vols, post, cloth, 10s. 
 " A book of considerable ability." — British Quarterly Review. 
 
 Three Lectures on Education, By the Rev. 
 
 S. A. Pears, D.D., Head Master of Rupton School. 18mo. 
 cloth, Is. 
 
 " We recommend this little book to the notice of every teacher and 
 head of a family " — Beacon. 
 
 Over the Sea ; or, Letters from an Officer in 
 
 India to his Children at Home. Edited by the Rev. S. A. 
 Pears, D.D., Head Master of Repton School. Fcap. cloth, 
 4s. 6rf. 
 " The tone of these letters is manly, sensible, and affectionate, with a 
 pervading element of unobtrusive religious principles " — Guardian. 
 
 " These letters possess two valuable qualities — reality and simplicity." 
 Record. 
 
 Scripture and Science not at Variance ; with 
 
 Remarks on the Historical Character, Plenary Inspiration, 
 and Surpassing Importance of the Earlier Chapters of Genesis. 
 By John H. Pratt, M.A., Archdeacon of Calcutta, Author 
 of the " Mathematical Principles of Mechanical Philosophy." 
 Third Edition, 8vo. cloth, 3s. 6d. 
 
 Holy Places ; and other Poems. By Mrs. 
 
 Hay, Author of " The Moral of Flowers," &c. Fcap. 
 cloth, 5s. 
 
 " There is vigour and freshness about these poems, combined with much 
 real earnestness of purpose." — Bell's Messenger. 
 " Chaste, sweet, and musical." — Critic.
 
 Works Published by Ilatchard and Co. 
 
 Help to District Visitors : being Plain and 
 
 Practical Remarks on some Portions of the Gospels ; par- 
 ticularly the Narratives and Parables. With an Appendix of 
 Prayers selected from the Liturgy. By the Rev. W. Maxwell 
 Smith, Rector of Lufton, and Perpetual Curate of Tintinhull, 
 Somersetshire. Fcap. cloth, 3s. 6d. 
 
 The Old and New Dispensations Compared : 
 
 showing in what respects they differ ; what things are peculiar 
 to the former ; and what are common to both. By Walter 
 Alford, M.A., Perpetual Curate of Muchelney, Somerset. 
 Crown 8vo. cloth, 12*. 
 
 " A work of great value." — Record. 
 
 Sermons to a Country Congregation. By 
 
 Augustus William Hare, A.M., late Fellow of New Col- 
 lege, and Rector of Alton Barnes. Eighth Edition. 2 vols, 
 cloth, price 14s. 
 
 Light in the Dwelling ; or, a Harmony of the 
 
 Four Gospels. With very Short and Simple Remarks adapted 
 to Reading at Family Prayers, and arranged in 365 sections 
 for every day of the year. By the Author of " Peep of Day," 
 " Line upon Line," &c. Fifteenth Thousand, crown 8vo. 
 cloth, 85. ; or in 8vo. large type, 10*. 
 
 Sermons Preached in Country Churches. By 
 
 R. Drummond Rawnsley, M.A., Vicar of Shiplake, Oxon, 
 Author of " Village Sermons." 12mo. cloth, 6*. 
 
 A good volume ; we can safely recommend it." — St. James's Chronicle. 
 
 History of Rome for Young Persons. By 
 
 Mrs. Hamilton Gray. Second Edition. With Illustrations, 
 12mo. cloth, 8*. 
 
 A very ingenious attempt to bring the recent discoveries of the critical 
 school into working competition with the miserable Goldsmiths and Pin- 
 nocks of our youth." — Christian Remembrancer. 
 
 " The clear, lively, and pleasing style of narration is admirably calcu- 
 lated to awaken and sustain the attention." — Athenaeum.
 
 February 1859. 
 
 BY 
 
 HATCHAKD AND CO. 
 
 187 PICCADILLY, LONDON, W. 
 
 ABERNETHY, Dr. J.— Memoirs of John Abernethy, 
 
 F.R.S. With a View of his Lectures, Writings, and Character, 2nd 
 Documents relating tc his Keligious Views, &e. By George Macil- 
 wain, F.B.C.S. Third Edition, with two Portraits. 8vo. cloth, 10s. 6d. 
 " We recommend it as reph te with interest and instruction." — Record. 
 
 ALFORD, Rev. W.— The Old and New Testament 
 
 Dispensations compared; showing in what respects they differ; what 
 things are peculiar to the former; and what are common to both. By 
 Walter Alford, M.A. Perpetual Curate of Muchelney, Somerset. 
 Crown 8vo. cloth. 12s. 
 
 '* Mr. Alford has bestowed 11 great deal of labour on tliis volume, and executed his 
 
 design in a leal ned and pious manner. He is properly sensible of the intiinai unexion 
 
 of the two lestami nts, both as to the in-, iring powi 1 v bich 1 ■ rvadi s thcm^thi ub- 
 stantiali icness of tlieir design and tl > continuity of divine opernl n froi the ci n- 
 mencementof the one to thi cl f the other. Wi recommend the ' orl si useful 
 
 " This is a book of great value on a subject of far higher importance than at first new 
 might appear. The work, it will be scon, necessarily embraces a vast variety of subjei ts. 
 !i is certainly admirably adapted to the wants and nquireinent'- of theological students 
 111 the present day. \\v cordially recommend the entire volume. Alter the work has 
 been carefully read through, as it deserves to be, it is well calculated for standing 
 usefulness as a book 01 rcS 11 nee."— Record^ 
 
 ANDERSON, Rev. R. — A Practical Exposition of the 
 
 Gospel of St. John. By the late Kev. Robert Anderson, Perpetual 
 Curate of Trinity Chapel, Brighton. 2 vols. 12mo. cloth, 14^. 
 
 Ten Discourses on the Communion Office of 
 
 the Church of England. With an Appendix. Second Edition. 12mo. 
 cloth, To.
 
 ANLEY, Miss C. — Earlswood: a Tale for the Times. 
 
 By Charlotte Anley. Second Thousand. Fcap. cloth, 7s. Gd. 
 
 "A pleasing and gracefully written tale, detailing the process by which 1 1 
 
 times perverted to Romish error." — English Review. 
 " This talc is singularly well conceived." — Evangelical Magazine. 
 "We can recommend it with confidence." — Christian J - 
 
 Influence. A Moral Tale for Young People. 
 
 Fourth Edition, fcap. cloth, Gs. 
 
 Miriam ; or, the Power of Truth. A Jewish 
 
 Tale. Tenth Edition, with a Portrait. Fcap. cloth, Gs. 
 
 BABINGTON, T. — A Practical View of Christian 
 
 Education in its Early Stages. By Thomas Baeincton', Esq. Ninth 
 Edition. 12mo. cloth, 55. 
 
 BACON, Rev. H. B. — Lectures for the Use of Sick 
 
 Persons. By the Rev. H. B. Bacon, M.A. Fcap. cloth, 4s. Gd. 
 "The Lectures possess two very great recommendations. First, — they are brief, 
 concise, and to the point; and secondly, — the language is plain, free from ambiguity, 
 and scriptural, &c. &c. It may be very profitably meditated upon by the sic!; : and 
 young clergymen will not lay it down after perusal without having derived some instruc- 
 tion." — Christian Guardian. 
 
 BATHER, Archdeacon. — Sermons, chiefly Practical. 
 
 By the late Edward Bather, M.A. Archdeacon of Salop. Vols. I. and 
 III. 8vo. boards, each 8s. 
 
 Bible Stories, selected from the Old and New 
 
 Testament, familiarised for the Use of Children ; in Portions. By the 
 Author of " Questions on the Epistles," &c. Third Edition. 2 vols. 
 18mo. half-bound, each 2s. Gd. 
 
 BIDDULPH, Bev. T. — The Young Churchman 
 
 Armed. A Catechism for Junior Members of the Church of England. 
 By the late Rev. Theophilus Biddulph, A.BI. Minister of St. 
 Matthew's, Bristol. 18mo. cloth, Is. 
 
 BIRD, Rev. C. S. — Romanism Unknown to Primitive 
 
 Christianity. The substance of Lectures delivered in the Parish Church 
 of Gainsborough. By the Kev. C. S. Bikd, M.A, F.L.S. Vicar, Canon 
 of Lincoln, and late Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. Fcap. cl. 5s. 
 
 The Parable of the Sower. Four Sermons 
 
 preached before the University of Cambridge, in May, 1845. Fcap. 
 cloth, 2s. Gd. 
 
 For Ever ; and other Devotional Poems, 
 
 particularly Hymns adapted to the Earlier Psalms. Second Edition. 
 32mo. silk, 2s. Gd.
 
 Hatch a rd and Co. 187 Piccadilly. 
 
 BLUNT, Rev. H. — Posthumous Sermons. By the 
 
 late Rev. Henry Blunt, M.A. Rector of Streatham, Surrey. Thin.' 
 Edition, with a Portrait. 3 vols. 12mo. cloth, each Gs. 
 
 A Family Exposition of the Pentateuch. 
 
 Fourth Edition. 3 vols. 12mo. cloth, each Gs. 
 
 — Nine Lectures upon the History of Saint Peter. 
 
 Nineteenth Edition. 12mo. cloth, 4*. Gtf. " 
 
 — Eight Lectures on the History of Jacob. 
 
 Seventeenth Edition. 12mo. cloth, 4s. Grf. 
 
 — Twelve Lectures on the History of Abraham. 
 
 Thirteenth Edition. 12mo. cloth, 5s. Gd. 
 
 — Lectures on the History of Saint Paul. 
 
 Eleventh Edition. 2 Parts. 12mo. cloth, each os. Gd. 
 
 — Lectures on the History of our Lord and 
 
 Saviour Jesus Christ. Twelfth Edition. 3 Parts. 12mo. cloth, each 
 5s. Gd. 
 
 — Discourses upon some of the Doctrinal 
 
 Articles of the Church of England. Ninth Edition. l2mo. cloth, 
 5s. Gd. 
 
 — Sermons preached in Trinity Church, Chelsea. 
 
 Seventh Edition, 12rao. cloth, 6s. 
 
 A Practical Exposition of the Epistles to the 
 
 Seven Churches of Asia. Fifth Edition. 12mo. cloth, os. Gd. 
 
 Lectures on the History of Elisha. Fifth 
 
 Edition. 12mo. cloth, 5s. Gd. 
 
 Boswell, Eev. M. — Baptism, considered in its Nature 
 
 and Effects. With an Appendix, containing an Explanation of those 
 Passages of Holy Scripture which relate to the subject. By the Eev, 
 Martin Boswell, M.A. formerly Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge. 
 Fcap. cloth. 
 
 Bow in the Cloud : a Memoir of M. E. H. By 
 
 her Sister, Author of "Ellen Mordaunt." Fcap. cloth, 3s. Gd. 
 
 "A simple, but touching biography. It record-; the trials and the consolations of one 
 whose father died after a lingering illness, shortly before the period of her own dissolu- 
 tion ; and whose mother survived this shook for a few months only. The experience i if 
 sorrow is thus sketched, under no ordinary circumstances, by the only surviving member 
 of the family. There is notliing of maudlin sentimentalism in the book ; it conveys Borne 
 weighty lessons to the Christian reader." — Liverpool Courier.
 
 Works Published by 
 
 BRADLEY, Rev. A. — Sermons, chiefly on Character: 
 
 preached at Hale, Surrey. By the Rev. Abthur Bradley, M.A. 
 Perpetual Curate of Hale, and Michel Fellow of Queen's College, 
 Oxford, Fcap. cloth, 5s. 
 
 BRADLEY, Rev. C. — Sermons, preached chiefly at 
 
 the Celebration of the Lord's Supper. By the Rev. Charles Bradley, 
 Vicar of Glasbury, Brecknockshire. Third Edition. 8vo. cloth, 
 10s. Gd. 
 
 Practical Sermons for every Sunday and 
 
 Principal Holyday in the Year. Fourth Edition. Complete in 1 vol. 
 Svo. cloth, 12*. 
 
 Sermons preached in the Parish Church of 
 
 Glasbury, Brecknockshire, and St. James's Chapel, Clapham, Surrey. 
 Ninth Edition. In I vol. 8vo. cloth, 10*. Gd. 
 
 Sermons on some of the Trials, Duties, and 
 
 Encouragements of the Christian Life. Second Edition. 8vo. cloth, 
 10*. Gd. 
 
 Sunday Questions for Families and the 
 
 Junior Classes in Schools. 18mo. cloth, Is. 
 
 BURTT, J. — Exempla Necessaria; or, Elementary 
 
 Latin Exercises on all the Parts of Speech, and the Substance of 
 Syntax ; containing English Words and Sentences to be turned into 
 Latin, Latin into English, and numerous Examination Questions to be 
 entered on with the Accidence. With an Introduction. By J. Blrtt, 
 Teacher of Latin, &c. Third Edition, much enlarged. 18mo. cloth, 
 2*. Gd. 
 
 CANTERBURY, Archbishop of.— A Practical Expo- 
 
 sition of the New Testament, in the form of Lectures, intended to 
 assist the practice of domestic instruction and devotion. By John Bird, 
 Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. 9 vols. 8vo. cloth (each volume being 
 a separate work), price 'Js. each. 
 
 Christian Charity; its Obligations and Objects, 
 
 with reference to the present state of Society. In a series of Sermons. 
 Second Edition. 8vo. cloth, 9s.; or 12mo. 6s. 
 
 Apostolical Preaching Considered, in an Ex- 
 
 amination of St. Paul's Epistles. Also, Four Sermons on Subjects 
 relating to the Christian Ministry, and preached on different occa- 
 sions. Ninth Edition, enlarged, Svo. cloth, 10s. Gd.
 
 Hatchard and Co. 187 Piccadilly. 
 
 CANTERBURY, Archbishop of. 
 
 Sermons on the Principal Festivals of the 
 
 Christian Church : to which are added, Three Sermons on Good Friday. 
 Fifth Edition, 8vo. cloth, 10s. Gd. 
 
 The Evidences of Christianity, derived from 
 
 its Nature and Reception. Seventh Edition, 8vo. cloth, 10s. Gd. ; or 
 fcap. 3s. 
 
 A Series of Sermons on the Christian Faith 
 
 and Character. Eighth Edition, 8vo. cloth, 10s.' 6rf. ; or 12mo. Gs. 
 
 A Treatise on the Records of the Creation, 
 
 and on the Moral Attrihutes of the Creator. Sixth Edition, 8vo. cloth, 
 10s. Gd. 
 
 CHAMBERS, Miss A.— Comfort in Sleepless Nights. 
 
 Passages selected by Anne Chambers. Royal Svo. (large type) cloth, 
 3s. Gd. 
 
 Christ our Example. By the Author of "The 
 
 Listener." Eighth Edition. Fcap. cloth, 5s. 
 Contents. — 1. In the Object of Life — 2. In the Rule of Life — 3. In his 
 Intercourse with the World — 4. In the Condition of Life — a. In his Sorrows 
 — 8. In his Joys — 7. In his Death. 
 
 Christian Observer, conducted by Members of the 
 
 Established Church. Published monthly, price Is, Gd. 
 
 Christian Sympathy; a Collection of Letters ad- 
 dressed to Mourners. 32mo. cloth, gilt edges, 2s. Gd. 
 
 CHURTON, Rev. H. B. W— Thoughts on the Land 
 
 of the Morning; a Record of Two Visits to Palestine, 1849-50. By 
 H. B. Whitaker Ciiurton.M.A. Vicar of Icklesham, Sussex, Chaplain 
 to the Lord Bishop of Chichester, and late Preacher of the Charter- 
 house. Second Edition, corrected and enlarged. Crown 8vo. v/ith 
 numerous illustrations, cloth, 10s. Gd. 
 
 CLOSE, Dean. — Miscellaneous Sermons, preached 
 
 at Cheltenham. By the Very Rev. F. Close, D.D. Dean of Carlisle. 
 Second Edition. 2 vols. Svo. boards, 21s. 
 
 Common Sense for Housemaids. By A Lady. 
 
 Third Edition, corrected. 12rao. Is. 
 
 Companion to the Book of Common Prayer of the 
 
 United Church of England and Ireland. 24mo. cloth, 2s. Gd.
 
 Works Published by 
 
 Consistency. By Charlotte Elizabeth. Sixth 
 
 Edition. lgmo. boards, 2s. Gd. 
 
 Constance and Edith ; or, Incidents of Home Life. 
 
 By a Clergyman's Wife. Fcap. cloth, 4.?. Gd. 
 
 '■ This is one of those simple quiet tales of English domestic life which afford pleasure 
 to youthful readi rs : its tone is religions and moral, k-ssi ns being also conveyed onnsi fill 
 practical points in regard to behaviour and conduct. It is a tale that may he safely and 
 with advantage put into the hands of children." — Literary Gazette. 
 
 "A well-intentioned and pleasant tale, really consisting of 'Incidents of Home Life.'" 
 
 — Spectator. 
 
 " The story is sufficiently varied in its incidents to sustain the attention of the readers 
 throughout." — Morning Post. 
 
 " This is a pleasing book for young people, and, as such, we are glad to recommend it." 
 
 — Ch urch-of-England Mag* izine. 
 
 This int listing tale will become a great favourite with both parents and children." 
 
 — Morning Herald. 
 
 COURTENAY, Bishop.— The Future States, their 
 
 Evidences and Nature : considered on Principles Physical, Moral, and 
 Scriptural, with the Design of showing the Value of Gospel Revelation. 
 By the Eight Rev. Reginald Courtexay, D.D. Lord Bishop of 
 Kingston, Jamaica. 8vo. cloth, Gs. 
 
 COUTTS, Miss BURDETT. — A Summary Account 
 
 of Prizes for Common Things, offered and awarded by Miss Burdett 
 C'outts at the Whitelands Training Institution. Second Edition, greatly 
 enlarged, 8vO. cloth, Is. Gd. 
 
 CRUDEN, A. — A complete Concordance to the 
 
 Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament; or, A Dictionary and 
 Alphabetical Index to the Bible. In Two Parts. To which is added, 
 A Concordance to the Apocrypha. By Alexander Cbuden, M.A. 
 The Ninth Edition. With a Life of the Author, by Alexander Ciial- 
 mebs, F.S.A. 4to. boards, 1/. Is. 
 
 CUNNINGHAM, Rev. J. W. — Sermons. By the 
 
 Rev. J. W. Cunningham, A.M. Vicar of Harrow, and late Fellow of 
 St. John's College, Cambridge. Fifth Edition. 2 vols. 8vq. bds. U. Is. 
 
 Six Lectures on the Book of Jonah. Fcap. 
 
 boards, 3s. 
 
 The Velvet Cushion. Eleventh Edition. 
 
 Fcap. boards, 5s. 
 
 DRUMMOND, H. — Social Duties on Christian 
 
 lly Hi.MtY Dbukmond, Esq. M.P. Fifth Edition. Fcap. 
 cloth, i .
 
 Hate hard and Co. 187 Piccadilly. 
 
 EDELMAN, Rev. W. — Sermons on the History of 
 
 Joseph. Preached in the Parish Church of St. Mary, AVimbledon. 
 By the Rev. W. Edelman, Perpetual Curate of Merton. 12rao. cloth, 5s. 
 
 The Family Pastor ; or, Short Sermons for 
 
 Family Reading. 12mo. cloth, 'is. (id. 
 
 i EDMUNDS, Rev. J. — The Seven Sayings of Christ 
 
 on the Cross. Seven Lent Lectures. To which is prefixed, a Gospel 
 Harmony of the Passion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. With 
 Explanatory Notes. By the Rev. Jonx Edmunds, M.A. formerly 
 Fellow of the University of Durham. Fcap. cloth, 3s. Gd. 
 
 Sermons, preached for the most part in a 
 
 Country Church in the Diocese of Durham. Second Series. Fcap. 
 
 cloth, 5s. 6rf. 
 
 " The Sermons contained in this volume are generally sound and eminently practical, 
 and admirably adapted for the purpose for which they are published — to be read in 
 families to children and servants on the Sunday evening." — John Bull. 
 
 Eighteen Maxims of Neatness and Order. To 
 
 which is prefixed an Introduction by Theresa Tidt. Twenty-fourth 
 Edition. ISmo. sewed, i')d. 
 
 ELLIOTT, Rev. C. B.— The Rev. C. B. Elliott's Horaa 
 
 Apocalypticse ; Abridged for the School-room, and for Family Reading. 
 Second Edition, revised and corrected. With a Recommendatory Notice 
 by the Author of the " Horre Apocalypticre." Fcap. cloth, 5s. 
 
 I Far off: Part I. ; or Asia and Australia Described. 
 
 With Anecdotes and numerous Illustrations. By the Author of " Peep 
 
 ofDay,"&c. Fifteenth Thousand. Fcap. cloth, 4s. 
 
 " We have sometimes met clergymen who are in the habit of endeavouring to promote 
 
 the Missionary cause in their parishes, who would be thankful for such a little book as 
 
 this. It seems to us just the sort of book that might be read out to a class of young per- 
 
 -oris, either in ^atiuual schools or otherwise, and which would he certain to interest 
 
 leedingly." — English Review. 
 
 Part II. ; or, Africa and America Described. 
 
 With Anecdotes and numerous Illustrations. Ninth Thousand. 
 Fcap. cloth, 4s. 
 
 JENELON. — Extracts from the Religious Works of 
 
 Fenelon, Archbishop of Cambray. Translated from the Original 
 French by Miss Marshall. Eleventh Edition, with a Portrait. 
 Fcap. cloth, 5s.
 
 Works Published by 
 
 FINCHES, J. — The Achievements of Prayer. 
 
 Selected exclusively from the Holy Scriptures. By the late Joseph 
 Finches, Esq. With .a Testimony to the Work by the late James Mont- 
 gomery. Third Edition. 12mo. cloth, 6s. 
 
 The Interposition of Divine Providence. 
 
 Selected exclusively from the Holy Scriptures, 12mo. cloth, Gar. 
 
 FORSYTH, E3V. J. H. — Sermons by the late Rev. 
 
 John Hamilton Forsyth, II. A. Curate of 'Weston-super-Mare, and 
 afterwards Minister of Dowry Chapel, Clifton, Domestic Chaplain to the 
 Marquis of Thoniond. With a Memoir of the Author, by the Rev. 
 Edward "Wilson, M.A. Vicar of Nocton, Lincolnshire. Third Edition. 
 8vo. cloth, with Portrait, 10s. Gd. 
 
 "The character of :.Ir. Forsyth is cue which we greatly admire," &c— Christian 
 Observer. 
 
 GARBETT, Archdeacon. — Christ on Earth, in Hea- 
 ven, and on the Judgment-seat. By the Ven. James Garbett, M.A. 
 Archdeacon of Chichester. 2 vols. 12mo. cloth, 12s. 
 
 "No one can read these volumes without great delight and profit."— Christian 
 Observer. 
 
 Parochial Sermons. 2 vols. 8vo. cloth, 
 
 each 12*. 
 
 Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King ; being a 
 
 Vindication of the Church of England from Theological Novelties. In 
 Eight Lectures, preached before the University of Oxford, at Canon 
 Eampton's Lecture, 1842. 2 vols. 8vo. cloth 1 1, is. 
 
 The Beatitudes of the Mount. In Seventeen 
 
 Sermons. 12mo. cloth, 7*. 
 
 " There is a depth and a solidity in these discourses, which favourably distinguish 
 
 them from so many of the superficial productions with which tin- press is teeming. 
 
 tder cannot but feel 1 1i;> t ii ■ has something worth thinking of presented to kirn : 
 
 and the more ho ponders them the greater will be his profit." — Church of England 
 
 ■ .inc. 
 
 GIBBON, E. — The History of the Decline and Fall 
 
 of the Pioman Empire. By Edward Gibbon, Esq. New Edition. 
 8 vols. Svo. cloth, 'il. 
 
 GIBSON, Bishop. — The Sacrament of- the Lord's 
 
 Supper Explained; or, the Things to be known and done to make a 
 worthy Communicant. Midi suitable Prayers and Meditations. By 
 EDMDND Gibson, D.D. late Lord Bishop of London. New Edition, 
 Fcap. cloth, 2s. del.
 
 Hatcltard and Co. 187 Piccadilly. 9 
 
 GIBSON, Bishop. 
 
 Family Devotion; or, an Exhortation to 
 
 Morning and Evening Prayer in Families : with two Forms of Prayer, 
 suited to those two Seasons, and also fitted for the use of one Person in 
 Private, &c. (Reprinted from the Eighteenth Edition.) F cap. doth, Zs. 
 
 The Gipsies. Dedicated, by permission, to James 
 
 Oiabb, the Gipsies' Friend. Fcap. cloth, is. 6d. 
 
 GOODE, Rev. F. — The Better Covenant practically 
 
 Considered, from Heb. viii. 6, 10-12; with a Supplement on Philip, ii. 
 12, 13, and Notes. By the late Rev. F. Goode, M.A. Fifth Edition. 
 To which is added, A Sermon on Jer. xxxi. 31-34. Fcap. cloth, 7s. 
 
 GOODE, Rev. W.— The Nature of Christ's Presence 
 
 in the Eucharist ; or, the True Doctrine of the Real Presence Vindi- 
 cated; in opposition to the fictitious Real Presence asserted by Arch- 
 deacon Denison, Mr. (late Archdeacon) Wilberforce, and Dr. Pusey: 
 with full proof of the real character of the attempt made by those 
 authors to represent their doctrine as that of the Church of England 
 and her divines. By William Goode, M.A. F.S. A. Rector of St. Mar- 
 garet, Lothbury. 2 vols. 8vo. cloth, 24s. 
 
 Aid for Determining some Disputed Points 
 
 in the Ceremonial of the Church of England. Second Edition, Hvo. 
 clothf4s. 
 
 A Vindication of the Doctrine of the Church 
 
 of England on the Validity of the Orders of the Scotch and Foreign 
 Non-Episcopal Churches. 8vo. cloth, 5s. 
 
 ■ The Doctrine of the Church of England as 
 
 to the Effects of Baptism in the case of Infants. With an Appendix, 
 containing the Baptismal Services of Luther and the Nuremberg and 
 Cologne Liturgies. Second Edition. 8vo. cloth, 15s. 
 
 The Gospel of Other Days ; or, Thoughts on Old 
 
 and New Testament Scriptures. By the Author of " Seed Time and 
 Harvest." 18mo. cloth, 2s. 
 
 " We heartily welcome, the little book .... As a found and pminently practical 
 compression of a great subject into a very small compass, we can heartily recommend 
 
 it."— Bickersteth's Weekly Visitor. 
 
 GRAGLIA, C. — A Pocket Dictionary of the Italian 
 
 and English Languages. By C. Gkaglia. Square ISmo. bound, 4s. Gd 
 
 A 2
 
 10 Works Published by 
 
 GRIFFITH, Eev. T.— The Spiritual Life. By the 
 
 Rev. Thomas Gbiffith, A.M. Minister of Ram's Episcopal Chapel, 
 Homerton. Eighth Edition. Fcap. cloth, 5s. 
 
 Live while You Live ; or, Scripture Views of 
 
 Human Life. Sixth Edition. 18mo. cloth, 'Is. dd. 
 
 — The Lord's Prayer, contemplated as the Ex- 
 pression of the Primary Elements of Devoiitness. Second Edition. 
 Fcap. Svo. cloth, 3s. Orf. 
 
 — Confirmation and the Baptismal Vow : for 
 
 Catechumen;;, Communicants, Parents, and Sponsors. Fourth Edition. 
 Fcap. Svo. cloth, 3s. Grf. 
 
 — Confirmation ; its Nature, Importance, and 
 
 Benefits. Fourth Edition, Ad. ; or 'is. Gd. a dozen. 
 
 Our Baptismal Standing practically Con- 
 
 sidered. 12mo. Is. (jrf. 
 The Lord's Supper; its Nature, Requirements, 
 
 and Benefits. Third Edition. Fcap. Svo. cloth, 2s. Grf. , 
 
 GRAY, Mrs. H. — History of Rome for Young 
 
 Persons. With numerous Wood Engravings. Second Edition, corrected. 
 By Mrs. Hamilton Gray. 1 vol. 12mo. cloth, 8s. 
 " A very ingenious attempt to bring the recent discoveries of the critical school into 
 working competition with the miserable Goldsmiths and Pinnocks of our youth.' — 
 Christian Hemembrancer. 
 
 " The clear, lively, and pleasing style of narration is admirably calculate! to awaken 
 and sustain the attention.' — Athenaum. 
 
 - Emperors of Rome from Augustus to Con- 
 
 stantine: being a Continuation of the History of Home. 1 vol. 12mo. 
 with Illustrations, Ss. 
 
 ' So many application? are made to ns for histories suited to a period oflife when 
 the mind is beginning to develope its power, and to find satisfaction in connecting the 
 past with the present and the future in human affairs, that we are induced to reconi- 
 iii'inl these volumes, which, however widely circulated, have not. half the circulation 
 which they deserve. Tlieyarecli i tywritl i. The; neither minister to childish im- 
 becility, nor take for granted a mea ureol mowl dgi wliichi innot be lawfully-expected 
 of the young. They present the page of hi! to! ; a I il really is— not a series of dry 
 details, nor of gorgeous spectacles, but with enough of plain fact to instruct the under- 
 standing, and of romantic incident to kindle the sympathies and affections."— 
 Chiuatiaii i ihm-r ccr . 
 
 "We have no hesitation in saying, that this is one of the best histories of the Soman 
 Empire for children and young p ■■ ile which has o line under our notice. Sirs. Hamil- 
 ton Gray hasinade herself acquainted ■. .! ; a les t some of the more important ancient 
 writers on the subject of whi .1. ti ts, and ah i frith the criticisms of Niebuhr and 
 other modern investigators of Roman histor; ."—Atheneum. 
 
 "It may be recommended as a clear, rapid, and well-arranged summary of facts. 
 pointed by frequent but brief iv;hvti hk. . . . The hook is a very good compendium 
 of the Imperial History, primarily designed for children, but useful tor all." — Spectator. 
 
 "II would lie an erroneous impression to convej of this Volume, that it is written 
 Bolely for schools and children, in realitj it is an abridgment Eai moi ill] ly tobi ase- 
 ful to grown-up persons, who can' reflect anon thi i fit ; oi neral l its, and make 
 their own oh ervations upon men and tilings, ^.striking characteristic of the book is 
 tii mpartiality of its political tone, ami its high moral feohng."— Examiner.
 
 J 1<i I chard and Co. 187 Piccadilly. 11 
 
 GRAY, Mrs. H. 
 
 The History of Etruria. Part I. Tarclmn 
 
 and his Times. From the Foundation of Tarquinia to the Foundation 
 of Rome. Fart II. From the Foundation of Rome to the General 
 Peace of Anno Tarquiniensis, 839, B.C. 348. 2 vols, post 8vo. cloth, 
 each 12 s. 
 
 " A work which we strongly recommend as certain to afford pleasure and profit to 
 
 every reader." — Aflienavaa. 
 
 Tour to tlie Sepulchres of Etruria in 1839. 
 
 Third Edition. With numerous Illustrations, post 8vo. cloth, \l. Is. 
 
 " Mrs. Gray has won on honourable place in the large assembly of modern female 
 writers." — Qua rterly Revieic. 
 
 " We warmly recommend Mrs. Gray's most useful and interesting volume."— 
 Edinburgh Review. 
 
 GRAY, Miss A. T.— The Twin Pnpils; or, Educa- 
 
 tion at Home. A Tale addressed to the Young. By Ann Thomson 
 Gbat. Fcap. cloth, 7s. Gd. 
 
 " The story is well planned, well varied, and well written." — Spectator. 
 
 " More sound principles and useful practical remarks we have not lately met in any 
 work on the mush-treated subject of education. The book is written with liveliness as 
 weil as good sense." — Literary Gazette. 
 
 " A volume of excellent tendency, which may be put witli safety and advantage into 
 the hands of well-educated young people."— Evangelical, Magazine.' 
 
 GRIMSTQ1T, Hon. Miss.— Arrangement of the Coin- 
 
 mon Prayer-Book and Lessons. Dedicated, by Permission, to Her 
 
 Majesty. 
 
 The peculiar advantage of this arrangement consists in having the entire 
 Morning and Evening Services printed in a large clear type, in two portable 
 volumes, one for the Morning and the other for the Evening. 
 
 The following are the prices : — 
 
 Royal ISmo. morocco, elegant 
 Ditto plain 
 
 Ditto calf, gilt leaves 
 
 Royal 32mo. morocco, elegant 
 Ditto plain 
 
 Ditto calf, gilt leaves 
 
 
 J 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 1 
 
 15 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 ] 
 
 10 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 4 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 16 
 

 
 12 Works Published by 
 
 HANKINSON, Rev. T. E. — Poems. By Thomas 
 
 Edwards Hankinson, M.A. late of Corpus Christi College.^Cambridge, 
 and Minister of St. Matthew's Chapel, Denmark Hill. Edited by his 
 Brothers. Fourth Edition. Fcap. cloth, 7s. 
 
 Sermons. 8vo. cloth, 10s. 6d. 
 
 HARE, Rev. A. W. — Sermons to a Country Con- 
 gregation. By Augcstus William Hare, A.M. late Fellow of New 
 College, and Hector of Alton Barnes. Eighth Edition. 2 vols. 12mo. 
 cloth, price 1 4s. 
 
 " They are, in truth, as appears to us, compositions of very rare merit, and realise a 
 notion we have always entertained, that a sermon for our rural congregations there 
 somewhere was, if it could bo lilt off. which in language should be familiar without being 
 plain, aud in matter solid without being abstruse.'' — Quarterly lteciew. 
 
 HASTINGS, Rev. H. J. — Parochial Sermons, from 
 
 Trinity to Advent. By Henry James Hastings, M.A. Honorary Canon 
 of Worcester, Rural Dean, Rector of Martley, Worcestershire. 8vo. 
 cloth, 12s. 
 
 HATCH ARD, Rev. T. G. — The Floweret Gathered; 
 
 a Brief Memoir of a Departed Daughter. By T.Goodwin Hatchard, 
 
 M.A. Rector of St. Nicholas, Guildford. Third Thousand. Square 
 
 !6mo. 1.--. 
 
 'This is an account of one of the lambs of Christ's fold, who exhibited the truest 
 simplicity and natural charactc r of a child, united to unwavering trust in anil love to 
 that Saviour, who took her early to himself. It i^ calculated both to interest, and, we 
 trust, greatly to profit, our young friends, as apattern of early piety." — Church of England 
 Sunday-sclwol Monthly Magazine for Teachers. 
 
 " No one can rise from the perusal of this little volume without feeling deeply inter- 
 ested in the lovely character of the dear Addie.'' — Jewish Intelligence. 
 
 " This is a touching little narrative for the young. Tew will read it without a full 
 heart, and th" shedding ota tear of sweet sympathy with ' The Floweret Gathered."' — 
 Children's Jewish Advocate. 
 
 • Thanksgiving ; or, The Wave-Offering and 
 
 the Heave-Offering. A Harvest Sermon preached in Havant Church, 
 on Sunday, August 20, 1854. Svo. price G<2. 
 
 The German Tree ; or, a Moral for the 
 
 Young. Price \s. 
 
 Feed My Lambs : a Lecture for Children in 
 
 Words of One Syllable ; to which is added a Hymn. Seventh Thousand. 
 32mo. 'id. ; or 2s. (irf. per dozen.
 
 Hatchard and Co. 187 Piccadilly : 13 
 
 HATCHAED, Eev. T. G. 
 
 Food for my Flock : being Sermons delivered 
 
 in the Parish Church of Havant, Hants. Fcap. cloth, 5*. 6d. 
 
 "These Sermons are marked by unaffected piety, great clearness of exposition, and a 
 direct plainness of style and purpose which render them pre-eminently practical."— 
 Britannia. 
 
 "A set of plain, spirited discourses, which are not unlikely to disturb the repose of 
 the drowsy, and to send home simple truths to the marts that heed them. The Sermons 
 arc, besides, scriptural in their doctrinal views, charitable in temper, unpolemical, 
 rather asserting the truth than contending for it." — Christian Observer. 
 
 HATHEEELL, Eev. Dr.— The Signs of the Second 
 
 Advent of our Blessed Lord, collected from the words of Jesus and ap- 
 plied to our own times. In Twelve Sermons, preached during the season 
 of Advent, in the years 185C and 1857, in the Church of St. James, "West- 
 end, Southampton. By James Williams Hatiierell, D.D., Incumbent. 
 )2mo. cloth, 5s. 
 
 HEY, Mrs. — The Holy Places, a series of Sonnets; 
 
 and other Poems. By Rebecca Hey, Author of " The Moral of 
 Flowers," "The Spirit of the Woods," "Recollections of the Lakes," 
 &c. &c. Fcap. cloth, 5s. 
 
 HIFFEENAN, Eev. J. M. — Sketches from Our 
 
 Lord's History. By the Rev. J. M. Hiffernan, A.M., Author of 
 " Characters and Events in Scripture," " Watch unto Prayer." Fcap. 
 cloth, 5s. 
 
 Hints on Early Education and Nursery Discipline. 
 
 Sixteenth Edition. 12mo. cloth, 3s. tirf. 
 
 Hints for Reflection. Compiled from various Au- 
 thors. Third Edition. 32mo. cloth, 2*. 
 
 HOAEE, Eev. E. — The Scriptural Principles of our 
 
 Protestant Church. By the Rev. Edward Hoare, A.M. Incumbent of 
 Trinity Church, Tonbridge Wells. Second Edition. 12mo. cloth, 3s. 
 
 The Time of the End; or, the World, the 
 
 Visible Church, and the People of God, at the Advent of the Lord. 
 Third Edition. 12mo. cloth, Is. Gel. 
 
 The Communion, and the Communicant. 
 
 ISmo. 3s. per dozen.
 
 14 Works Published ly 
 
 HODGSON, Rev. C— Family Prayers for One Month. 
 
 By various Clergymen. Arranged and Edited by the Rev. Charles 
 Hodgson, M.A. Rector of Barton-lc-Street, Yorkshire. Abridged 
 Edition. To which have been added, Prayers for Particular Seasons. 
 
 Amongst the Contributors are His Grace the Archbishop of Canter- 
 bury, the late Rev. Chancellor Raikes, the Ven. Archdeacon Sandford, 
 the late Rev. J. Haldane Stewart, Rev. Charles Bridges, Rev. C. A. 
 Thurlow, the late Rev. E. Bickersteth, &c. &c. Fcap. cloth, 3s. 6<f. 
 
 Holidays at Lynmere; or, Conversations on the 
 
 Miracles of our Lord. By a Ladt. Edited by the Rev. Ciiables F. 
 Mackenzie, M.A. Fellow of Caius College, Cambridge. 18mo. cloth, 
 3*. 6d. 
 
 HOPE, Dr.— Memoirs of the late James Hope, M.D. 
 
 Physician to St. George's Hospital, &c. &c. By Mrs. Hope. To which 
 
 are added, Remarks on Classical Education, by Dr. Hope. And 
 
 Letters from a Senior to a Junior Physician, by Dr. Burder. The 
 
 whole edited by Klein Grant, M.D. &c. &c. Fourth Edition. Post 
 
 8vo. cloth, 7s. 
 
 " The general, as well as the medical reader, will find this a most interesting and 
 instructive volume." — Gentleman's Magazine. 
 
 " A very interesting memoir to every class of readers."— Christian Observer. 
 
 HOPE, Mrs.— Self-Education and the Formation of 
 
 Character : Addressed to the Young. By Mrs. Hope. Second Edition, 
 
 Revised. 18mo. cloth, 2*-. Grf. 
 
 "Parents and teachers will gain many useful hints from the perusalof this volume."— 
 Record. 
 
 HUME and SMOLLETT.— The History of England, 
 
 from the Invasion of Julius Caesar to the Death of George the Second. 
 By D. Hume and T. Sjiolleit. 10 vols. Svo. cloth, 4/. 
 
 JACKSON, Eev. F.— Sermons. By the Rev. Fee- 
 
 deric Jackson, Incumbent of Parson Drove, Isle of Ely. 2 vols. fcap. 
 
 cloth, each 5*. 
 
 " Discourses addressed to a village congregation. The chief .aim of the preacher has 
 been 1 1 » enforce practical conclusions for the guidance of the humblest, from some of the 
 most striking events or sentiments of Scripture. The style is plain and forcible."— 
 Spectator. 
 
 JEWSBURY, Miss M. J.— Letters to the Young. 
 
 By Maria Jane Jewsbuuv. Fifth Edition. Fcap. cloth, 5s.
 
 Ilatchard and Co. 187 Piccadilly. 
 
 The Interrogator; or, Universal Ancient History, 
 
 in Questions and Answers. By a Lady. 12mo. roan, 5s. 
 
 Light in the Dwelling ; or, a Harmony of the Four 
 
 Gospols, with very Short and Simple Remarks adapted to Reading at 
 Family Prayers, and arranged in 3fi"> sections, for every day of the year. 
 By the Author of " The Peep of Day," " Line upon Line," &c. Revised 
 and Corrected by a Clergyman of the Church of England. Fifteenth 
 Thousand. Post 8vo. cloth, 8s. ; or in 8vo. large type, 10». 
 
 Line upon Line ; or, a Second Series of the Earliest 
 
 Religious Instruction the Infant Mind is capable of receiving ; with 
 Verses illustrative of the Subjects. By the Author of " The Peep of 
 Day," &c. Part I. Seventy-sixth Thousand. Part II. Sixty-fifth 
 Thousand. ISmo. cloth, each 2s. <itf. 
 
 LITTON, Rev. E. A. — The Mosaic Dispensation 
 
 considered as Introductory to Christianity. Light Sermons preached 
 before the University of Oxford, at the Bampton Lecture for 1856. By 
 the Rev. Edward Arthur Litton, M.A., late Fellow of Oriel College. 
 Svo. cloth, 10s. Grf. 
 
 "We most earnestly direct the deep and serious attention of undergraduates at our 
 universities, and theological students generally, to these weighty and important 
 lectures."— Record. 
 
 Jt'NEILE, Rev. Dr. — Lectures on the Church of 
 
 England, delivered in London, March 1840. By Hugh M'Neile, D.D. 
 Hon. Canon of Chester, and Incumbent of St. Paul's Church, Prince's 
 Park, Liverpool. Eighth Edition. 12mo. cloth, 5s, 
 
 Lectures on the Sympathies, Sufferings, and 
 
 Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, delivered in Liverpool during 
 Passion Week and Easter Day. Third Edition. 12mo. cloth, 4s. Grf. 
 
 MARRIOTT, Rev. H. — Sermons on the Character 
 
 and Duties of Women. By the Rev. Harvey Marriott, Vicar of 
 Loddiswell, and Chaplain to the Right Honourable Lord Kenyon. 1 2mo. 
 cloth, 3s. Cd. 
 
 Four Courses of Practical Sermons. Svo. 
 
 each 10s. Cd.
 
 16 Works Published by 
 
 MARSDEN, Rev. J. B.— The History of the Early 
 
 Puritans ; from the Reformation to the Opening of the Civil War in 
 1G12. By J. B. Marsden, M.A. Second Edition. 8vo. cloth, 10*. 6rf. 
 
 The History of the later Puritans; from the 
 
 Opening of the Civil War in 1G42, to the Ejection of the Non-conforming 
 Clergy in MJG'2. Second Edition. 8vo. cloth, 10s. <Jd. 
 
 MARSHALL, Miss. — Extracts from the Religious 
 
 Works of Fenelon, Archbishop of Cambray. Translated from the 
 Original French by Miss Marshall. Eleventh Edition, with a Por- 
 trait. Fcap. cloth, bs. 
 
 MEEK, Rev. R. — The Mutual Recognition and Ex- 
 
 alted Felicity of Glorified Saints. By the Rev. Robert Meek, M.A. 
 Rector of St. Michael, Sutton Bonnington, Notts. Sixth Edition. Fcap. 
 cloth, 3s. Sd. 
 
 Practical and Devotional Meditations on the 
 
 Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion. 18mo. cloth, 2s. Gel. 
 
 Passion Week ; a Practical and Devotional 
 
 Exposition of the Gospels and Epistles appointed for that Season, com- 
 posed for the Closet and the Family. 12mo. boards, is. 
 
 Mid-Day Thoughts for the Weary. 32mo. cloth, 2s. 
 More about Jesus ; a Sequel to " Peep of Day/' 
 
 By the same Author. Eleventh Thousand. Ismo. cloth, with Illustra- 
 tions by Harvey, 2s. Gd. 
 
 Near Home; or, the Countries of Europe described 
 
 to Children, with Anecdotes. By the Author of "Peep of Day," 
 " Light in the Dwelling," &c. Illustrated with numerous Wood En- 
 gravings. Twenty-sixth Thousand. Fcap. cloth, Da. 
 
 "it must be very interesting to children. Those to whom we have read 
 taken at random, clap their little hands with delight." — English Journal o/Edw ■ 
 
 " A well iirrai 1,','cil urn I wdl-wri tt m bo.. 1< for children ; compiled from [ha best writers 
 on the various countries, and full of sound and useful information, pleasantly com 
 for the most part in the hi melj monosyllabic Saxon which children learn from I 
 moth, i ■.■■■. and nurses." — Athenav/m.
 
 Hatchard and Co. 187 Piccadilly. 17 
 
 New Manual of Devotions; containing Family* and 
 
 Private Prayers, the Office for the Holy Communion, &c. 12mo. bd. 4s. 
 
 NEWNHAM, W. — A Tribute of Sympathy Ad- 
 
 dressed to Mourners. By W. Newnham, Esq. Eleventh Edition. 
 Fcap. cloth, 5s. 
 
 Contents: — 1. Indulgence of Grief. — 2. Moderation of Grief. — 3. Ex- 
 cessive Sorrow. — 4. Advantages of Sorrow. — 5. Self-examination. — G. Re- 
 signation. — 7. Sources of Consolation. 
 
 Night of Toil; or, a Familiar Account of the 
 
 Labours of the First Missionaries in the South Sea Islands. By the 
 Author of " The Peep of Day," " Near Home," &c. Fourth Edition. 
 Fcap. cloth, is. 
 
 NIND, Rev. W. — Lecture- Sermons, preached in 
 
 a Country Parish Church. By William Nind, M.A. late Fellow of 
 
 St. Peter's College, Cambridge, and Vicar of Cherry Hinton. Second 
 
 Series. 12mo. cloth, ijs. 
 
 " Sermons distinguished by brevity, Rood sense, and a plainness of manner and expo- 
 sition which well adapt them for family perusal, especially as their style is neataud 
 simple, not bare." — Spectator. 
 
 " The many who have read the first volume of these sermons will welcome, no doubt 
 with joy, the appearance of the second. They are readable and preachable ; and those 
 of the second volume are even plainer and simpler than their predecessors. We recom- 
 mend both volumes most heartily." — English Iicview. 
 
 NORTHESK, Countess of.— The Sheltering Vine. 
 
 Selections by the Countess of Noktuesk. With an Introduction by 
 the A'ery Rev. R. C. Tkench, D.D., Dean of Westminster. Sixth 
 Thousand. 2 vols, small Svo. cloth, 10s. 
 
 The object of this Work is to afford consolation under the various 
 trials of mind and body to which all are exposed, by a Selection of Texts 
 and Passages from Holy Scripture, and Extracts from Old and Modern 
 Authors, in Prose and Poetry, with a Selection of Prayers adapted to 
 the same. 
 
 A Selection of Prayers and Hymns, for the 
 
 Use of her Children. In Two Parts, 12mo. sewed, Is.; cloth, 2s. 
 
 NUGENT'S Pocket Dictionary of the French and 
 
 English Languages. The Twenty-sixth Edition, revised by J. C. Taever, 
 French Master, Eton, &c. Square iSmo. bound, is. Oof.
 
 18 Works Published by 
 
 OAKLEY, Rev. C. E. — The English Bible, and its 
 
 History. A Lecture delivered in the School-room at Tortworth Court, 
 Gloucestershire, January 23, 1854. By the Rev. C. E. Oaklet, B.A. 
 Rector of Wickwar, Gloucestershire, and Domestic Chaplain to the 
 Earl of Ducie. Fcap. cloth, 1*. 6<i. 
 
 OXENDEN, Rev. A.— The Cottage Library. Vol. I. 
 
 The Sacrament of Baptism. By the Rcv.^Ashton Oxendex, Rector cf 
 Pluckley, Kent. ISmo. sewed, Is.; or cloth, Is. OV. 
 
 " A little book of probably lavge usefulness. It avoids disputed poii 
 
 clear rind simple view of tin- holy rite oi l.:.ptisin. It. is admirably suited I i thecotl ge, 
 as well as to all places in which ign irah i reigns upon tbe subject."— Church and State 
 Gazette. 
 
 ■ The Cottage Library. Vol. II. The Sacra- 
 
 mer.t of the Lord's Supper. Third Edition. 18mo. cloth, 1*. 
 
 — The Cottage Library. Vol. III. A Plain 
 
 History of the Christian Church. Second Edition. 18mo. cloth, I#. 
 
 — The Cottage Library. Vol. IV. Fervent 
 
 Prayer. 18mo. 
 
 — The Cottage Library. Vol. V. God's Message 
 
 to the Poor: being Eleven Plain Sermons preached in Pluckley Church. 
 Second Edition. 18mo. cloth, 2s. 
 
 The Cottage Library. Vol. VI. The Story 
 
 of Ruth. 18mo. cloth, 2s. 
 
 OXFORD, Bishop of. — Four Sermons, preached 
 
 before Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria in 1S41 and 1842. 
 By Samuel, Lord Bishop of Oxford, Chancellor of the Most Noble Order 
 of the Garter, Lord High Almoner to the Queen. Published by Com- 
 mand. Third Edition. Fcap. bvo. cloth, 4s. 
 
 PARKER, Miss F. S. — Truth without Novelty; or, 
 
 a Course of Scriptural Instruction for every Sunday in the Year prin- 
 cipally designed for Private Family Instruction and Sunday Schools. 
 By Fbances S. Parker. Second Edition. Fcap. cloth, 3s.
 
 Hatchard and Co. 187 "Piccadilly. 19 
 
 PARRY, Sir W. E. — Thoughts on the Parental 
 
 Character of God. By Rear- Admiral Sir William Edward Parky, R.N. 
 late Lieut. -Governor of Greenwich Hospital. Fifth Edition. 18mo. cl. 
 Is. 6rf. 
 
 Paterfamilias's Diary of Everybody's Tour. Bel- 
 gium and the Rhine, Munich, Switzerland, Milan, Geneva, and Paris. 
 (By Martin F. Tupper, Esq.) 1 vol. 12mo. cloth, 5s. 
 
 " Thoroughly lively, sparkling, ami witty, without reserve, from o::e end of the little 
 volume to the other." — Literary Gazette. 
 
 " Strikingly illustrates the power of a clever writer to throw fresh attractions around 
 the oldest topics." — Morning l'ost. ^ 
 
 "The comments on Sunday-trading abrnafi, idolatry, and the religion of mere rites 
 and ceremonies, do infinite credit to the genuine Protestantism of the Author. We 
 thoroughly approve ofthe spirit of the comments, and have no hesitation in pronouncing 
 ' Paterfomnnifi's Diary' the most amusing work of the kind we have ever perused." — 
 Britannia. 
 
 PEARS, Rev. S. A. — Over the Sea; or, Letters 
 
 from an Officer in India to his Children at Home. Edited hy the Rev. 
 S. A. Pears, D.D. Head-Master of Repton School. Fcap. cloth, with 
 •Illustrations, is. del. 
 
 "These letters from 'Over the Sea' contain just the kind of information that one 
 wish, s to have about the country and the people of India, and the mode of life of the 
 English in the East. The description of scenery and sketches of native character and 
 customs are graphic and entertaining, and the pictures are all the more vivid from the 
 style being such as was deemed most adapted for youthful readers." — Literary Gazette. 
 
 "... their tone is so manly, sensible, and affectionate, with a pervading element of 
 unol trusive religious principle, that it is impossible to read them without a feeling of 
 regard for the anonymous writer, and interest in his youthful correspondents." — 
 Guardian. 
 
 " These letters possess two valuable qualities — reality and simplicity." — Record, 
 
 Three Lectures on Education. 18mo. cloth. 
 
 PEARSON, Rev. J. K — Sunday Readings for the 
 
 Family and the Closet. By the Rev. J. Norman Pearson, M.A. 
 
 12mo. cloth, 7*'. 
 " Sound and practical." — British Magazine. 
 " .V most valuable work." — Chunk of England Magazine. 
 
 The Days in Paradise, in Six Lectures. 
 
 12mo. cloth, 3s. 
 
 Peep of Day; or, a Series of the Earliest Religious 
 
 Instruction the Infant Mind is capahle of receiving. With Verses 
 illustrative cf the Subjects. Hundred and Twenty-third Thousand, 
 revised and corrected. 18mo. cloth, 2*. 
 
 Part II.; or, More about Jesus. ~By the same 
 
 Author. Eleventh Thousand. ISmo. cloth, 2s. 6rf.
 
 20 Works Published by 
 
 Practical Suggestions towards Alleviating the Suf- 
 ferings of the sick. Part II. Fourth Edition. 12mo. cloth, Gs.Grf. 
 
 PSAYERS, Family and Private. 
 
 A Form of Prayers, Selected and Composed for 
 
 the Use of a Family principally consisting of Young Persons. 
 Thirteenth Edition. 12mo. cloth, 2s. Grf. 
 
 A Manual of Family and Occasional Prayers. 
 
 By the Rev. "William Sinclair, M.A. 18mo. cloth, Is. Grf.* 
 
 A Selection of Prayers and Hymns. For the 
 
 Use of her Children. By the Countess of Noktiiesk. In Two Parts, 
 12mo. 2s. cloth : or sewed, Is. 
 
 Family Prayers. By the late Henry Thorn- 
 ton, Esq. M.P\ Thirty-sixth Edition. 12mo. cloth, 3*. 
 
 Family Prayers for One Month. By various 
 
 Clergymen. Arranged and Edited by the Kev. Chakles Hodgson", 
 M.A. Rector of Barton-le-Street, Yorkshire. Abridged Edition. 
 To which have been added. Prayers for Particular Seasons. Fcap. 
 cloth, 3s. Grf. 
 
 Seventy Prayers on Scriptural Subjects: being 
 
 a Selection of Scripture Daily Readings for a Year ; with Family 
 Prayers for a Month. By Clergymen of the Church of England. 
 Fifth Ten Thousand. 12mo. cloth, 2s. 
 
 Family Prayers. By the late W. Wilberforce, 
 
 Esq. Edited by his Son. Eleventh Edition. Fcap. Svo. sewed, Is. Grf. 
 
 Family Prayers for Every Day of the Week. 
 
 Selected from various portions of the Holy Biblo, with References. 
 Third Edition. !2mo. boards, 2s. 6 I. 
 
 Family Prayers for Every Day in the "Week. 
 
 By (i.: an i -. 1 3mo. cloth, Is. Grf.
 
 Hatchard and Co. 187 Piccadilly. 21 
 
 PRAYERS, Family and Private. 
 
 Prayers and Offices of Devotion for Families 
 
 and for Particular Persons, upon most occasions. By Benjamin 
 Jenks. Altered and Improved by the Rev. Chahles Simeon. 12mo. 
 roan, 4*. Crf. ; or 18mo. 3*. 
 
 Short Family Prayers for Every Morning and 
 
 Evening of the Month. Selected and Arranged from the Liturgy, 
 Psalms, and various eminent Writers. By William Soltau, 
 Esq. Member of the Church of England. Second Edition. 12mo. 
 cloth, 3s. 
 
 A Course of Morning and Evening Prayers, for 
 
 the Use of the Families of the Poor. 12mo. sewed, Grf. ; or bs. per 
 dozen. 
 
 Private Prayers for Young Persons. By M. A. 
 
 Fcap. cloth, 2s. 
 
 A Few Plain Short Prayers, intended to be 
 
 sent with each set of Baby Linen lent to Poor Women. 21mo. 
 sewed, 3d. ; or 2s. 6d. per dozen. 
 
 A Companion to the Altar, with Occasional 
 
 Prayers. By George A. E. Marsh, A.M. Rector of Bangor, 
 Flintshire. Third Edition. Boards, Is. Gd. ; sheep, 2s. ; calf, 3s. 
 
 Newly- Arranged Manual for Communicants at 
 
 the Lord"s Supper, including the Service for the Holy Communion. 
 24mo. bound, 3s. 
 
 PRINCE, Mrs. L. C— A Glimpse of the Wonders of 
 
 Creation. By Leonora C Prince. 12mo. cloth, 4s. 
 
 Prussian Oculist. A Manual of Information re- 
 specting the Ober Medicinal Rath de Leuw of Griifrath. By An Eng- 
 lish Clergyman. Second Edition, 18mo. cloth, 2s. 
 
 Questions and Practical Remarks on the Portions 
 
 of Scripture selected as the Epistles for each Sunday in the Year. By 
 the Author of " Questions on the Gospels," &c. 18mo. cloth, 2s. Gd.
 
 RAIKES, Rev. H. — Sermons and Essays. By the 
 
 Rev. Henry Raises, late Chancellor of the Diocese of Chester. 8vo. 
 cloth, 9i'. 
 
 "It is needless to say that everything in the volume bears the impress of Kb 
 author's mind and character. Sound evangelical ■ L< >.- 1 iim- is exhibited in elegant 
 language, and illustrated from the resources of a cultivated understanding aiid a 
 refined taste ; w Idle the whole is pervaded with Christian toleration and sound 
 sense." — Evangelical Christendom. 
 
 RAWNSLEY, Rev. R. D. B. — Sermons Preached in 
 
 Country Churches. By R. Drusimond 15. Rawnseey, M.A. Vicar of 
 Shiplake.Oxon ; late Fellowof Magdalen College, Oxford. 12mo. cloth, 6*. 
 
 ■ \ i : t b of short, plain, and pithy sermons, adapted to the character and C01 
 sion ofa nival congregation." — S} ■■■tutor. 
 
 "A good volume ; we can safely reeommi nd it." — St. James's Chronicle. 
 
 Village Sermons. Second Series. 12mo. 
 
 5s. Grf. 
 " Enforces the practical duties of religion and the beauty of holiness." — John Bull. 
 " This is a volume of plain sermons in a simple unpretending style, adapted to the 
 comprehension of the villagers to whom they are addressed, and inculcating many 
 
 useful practical lessons." — Church of England Magazine. 
 
 ■ Sermons, chiefly Catechetical. 12mo. cloth, 
 
 5s. Gtf. 
 
 '■' Their plainness brings thru; within the comprehension of the most illiterate, whilst 
 their exposition and illustration < f Gospel truth render them a medium of usefulness, 
 which cannot be without the very best results." — Bell's Messenger. 
 
 Reading without Tears ; or, a Pleasant Mode of 
 
 Learning to Read. By the Author of " Peep of Day," &c. With 
 
 numerous Woodcuts. Third Thousand. Square, cloth, 3s. 
 
 %* In this little work the attempt is made, by the classification of 
 
 words, removing all perplexity, to prevent tears, and by a succession 
 
 of pictures, furnishing constant entertainment, to preserve the smiles of 
 
 happy childhood while learning to read. 
 
 " That this elementary volume is ihe work of the authoress of the ' Peep of Pay ' v. ill 
 be a Bure passport to the hearts of thousands, both parents and children. But apart 
 from its authorship, the book itself is admirable ; the arrangement, pictures, typo- 
 graphy, and . a. ling exercises being alike adapted to realise the idea of the title, li 
 mg to read 'without tears.' Teachers are addressed in some valuable prefatory remarks. 
 The auth ii ■-- la . s great t ess on the exclusion of the element of fiction from the 
 narratiYi w] ich lie has introduced as. lessons."— Record. 
 
 The Rector in Search of a Curate. Post 8vo. 
 
 cloth, 9s. 
 Contents— 1. The Parish — 2. The Curate — 3. The Temporary Curate — 
 4,5. The Evangelicist — (>. The Evangelicals — 7. The Unfortunate Man — 8. 
 The Scholar — 9. The Millenarian — 10. The Anglo-Catholic — II. The 
 Approved — 12. The Ordination. 
 
 "A lively and entertaining book." — Chri ' ■ 
 "Intere iting and attractive."— Sp n tator.
 
 Hatchard and Co. 137 Piccadilly. 23 
 
 RIPON, Bishop of. — Means of Grace. Lectures 
 
 delivered during Lent, 1851, in St. John's Church, Clapham Rise. By 
 the Right Rev. Robekt Bickersteth, D.D. Lord Bishop oi' Ripon. 
 Fcap. cloth, 3*. 6rf. 
 
 "Mr. Bicltersteth's Lectures are very sterling in point of doctrinal teaching and 
 practical enforeemi at."— Chriatlan Thins. 
 
 "Thesaaa i plain, unaffected, and stn~. ■■. - setting forth the great outlines 
 
 of Christianity and urging the necessity of holiness and obedience." — English licciew. 
 
 RUPERT'S LAND, Bishop of.— The Net in the Bay; 
 
 or, Journal of a Visit to Moose and Albany. By David Anderson, 
 D.D. Lord Bishop of Rupert's Land. Second Edition, with a Map of 
 the Diocese. Fcap. 
 
 Notes of the Flood at the Red River, 1852. 
 
 Fcap. cloth, 2s. Gd. 
 
 RUSSELL, Dr. — The History of Modern Europe. 
 
 With an Account of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire ; and 
 a View of the Progress of Society, from the Rise of the Modern King- 
 doms to the Peace of Paris in 1763. In a scries of Letters from a Noble- 
 man to his Son. New Edition, continued to the present time. 4 vols. 
 8vo. cloth, 11. 12s. 
 
 Scenes in our Parish. By a Country Parson's 
 
 Daughter. 2 vols. 12mo. boards, each 5s. 
 
 SCOTT, Rev. T. — Essays on the most Important 
 
 Subjects in Religion. By the Rev. Thomas Scott, late Rector of 
 Aston Sandford, Bucks. With a Memoir of the Author. Fifteenth 
 Edition. 12mo. 5s.; 18mo. 3s. 6c'. 
 
 Scripture Catechism ; extracted chiefly from the 
 
 Rev. Edward Bickersteth's " Scripture Help." Designed to assist the 
 Young in acquiring a Knowledge of the Holy Bible, and to commend it 
 to their love. By E. W. 18mo. Is. sewed; Is. dd. cloth. 
 
 Sermons and Extracts Consolatory on the Loss of 
 
 Friends. Selected from the Works of the most eminent Divines. 
 Third Edition. Svo. cloth, 12s. 
 
 SHAKSPEARE.— The Plays of William Shakspeare, 
 
 accurately printed from the Text of the Corrected Copies, a History of 
 the Stage, and a Life of Shakspeare. By Alexander Chalmers, F.S.A. 
 8 vols. svo. 31. 12*. ; or 1 vol. 8vo. 10s. Gd.
 
 24 Works Published by 
 
 SHERWOOD, Mrs.— The Golden Garland of Inesti- 
 
 mable Delights. By Mrs. Sherwood. 12mo. cloth, 6«. 
 
 " It possesses greater reality, and ev n interest, than snrao more ambitious-looking 
 tales ; everything in ' the Golden Garland ' bears the stamp of truth." — 8pe> tator. 
 
 " It serves as a vehicle to inculcate the soundest moral precepts," kc—IIZrald. 
 
 ■ ■ The Mirror of Maidens in the Days of Good 
 
 Queen Bess. 1 2mo. cloth, 6s. 
 
 The History of John Marten. A Sequel to 
 
 " The Life of Henry Milner." 12mo. cloth, 7s. Gd. 
 
 — The History of Henry Milner. 3 vols. 12mo. 
 
 cloth, each 6s. 
 
 — The History of the Fairchild Family; or, 
 
 The Child's Manual. Nineteenth Edition. 3 vols. 12mo. cloth, each 5s. 
 
 — Julietta di Lavenza. A Tale. 18mo. cl. 2s. 
 
 — Victoria. 12mo. boards, 4s. 
 
 — The Orphans of Normandy. Third Edition. 
 
 12mo. boards, 2s. 
 
 — The Little Momiere. 12mo. cloth, 2s. 
 
 SHERWOOD, Rev. H. M.— Outward Baptism not a 
 
 Condition of the Christian Covenant, and Paul altogether Supreme over 
 the Gentile Churches, proved by Holy Scripture. By the Rev. H. M. 
 Sherwood, Rector of Broughton Hocket, and Vicar of White Ladies' 
 Aston, Worcestershire. Fcap. cloth, 3s. Gd. 
 
 SHIRLEY, Bishop. — Letters and Memoir of the 
 
 late Walter Augustus Shirley, D.D. Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man. 
 Edited by Thomas Hill, B.D. Archdeacon of Derby. Second Edition, 
 revised. With a Portrait, Svo. cloth, 14s. 
 
 Sermons preached on Various Occasions. 
 
 12mo. cloth, Cs. 
 
 "A iiivc-ot piaiiiuos i..f style ami purpose, which had the effect of force.aad 
 r testantfei
 
 Hatchard and Co. 187 Piccadilly. 
 
 SHIRLEY, Bishop. 
 
 Letters to Young People. By the late Right 
 
 Rev. Walter Augustus, Bishop of Sodor and Man. Fcap. cloth, 3s. Gil. 
 
 "The volume consists of letters chiefly addressed to his son and daughter; and 
 exhibits the writer in a very amiable, affectionate, pious, and sensible lijrht. Some of 
 the opistles to his sou contain judicious advice on study and critical remarks on books." 
 —Spectator. 
 
 We like the general tone of these letters much. They are cheerful, unaffected, 
 kindly, i\ ii limit overweening conceit or laborious condescension. They refer, too, to real 
 incidents and events." — Atlwiueum. 
 
 SIMEON, Rev. C. — Memoirs of the Rev. Charles 
 
 Simeon, JM.A. Iato Senior Fellow of King's College, and Minister of 
 Trinity Church, Cambridge ; containing his Autobiography, together 
 with Selections from his Writings and Correspondence. Edited by the 
 Rev. William Cauls, M.A. Canon of Winchester. Third Edition. 
 12ino. cloth, with Portrait and Facsimile, 5s. 
 
 SMITH, Rev. T. D. S.— Life : an Enquiry into the 
 
 Source, Actings, and Results of the Divine or Spiritual Life. By the 
 Rev. Tuos. D. S. Smith, B.A. Curate of Bishopstoke. Crown 8vo. 
 cloth, Gs. 
 
 SMITH, Rev. W. M.— Help to District Visitors. 
 
 Being Plain and Practical Remarks on some Portions of the Gospels; 
 particularly the Narratives and Parables. With an Appendix of 
 Prayers selected from the Liturgy. By the Rev. W. Maxwell Smith, 
 Rector of Lufton, and Perpetual Curate of Tintinhull, Somersetshire. 
 Fcap. 8vo. cloth, 3.S. Grf. 
 
 Solace of a Mourner. Fcap. cloth, 4s. Gd. 
 STEPHEN, Sir G-.— Anti-Slavery Recollections: in 
 
 a Series of Letters addressed to Mrs. Beeches Stowe. Written by Sir 
 George Stephen, at her Request. Fcap. cloth, 4s. 
 
 STEWART, Rev. J. H.— Memoir of the Life of the 
 
 Rev. James Hal dan e Stewart, M. A. late Rector of Limpshcld, Surrey. 
 By his Son, the Rev. David Dale Stewart, M.A. Incumbent of All 
 Saints', Maidstone. With a Portrait. Second Edition. 12mo. cloth, 5s. 
 
 The Family which Jesus Loved ; or the 
 
 History of Martha, and Mary, and Lazarus. In Seventeen Lectures. 
 By the late Rev. J. H. Stewart. Third Edition. Fcap. cloth, 5s.
 
 26 Works Published by 
 
 STOKES, Rev. E. — Sermons by Edward Stokes, 
 
 M.A. Student of Christ Church, Rector' of Staines, late Whitehall 
 Preacher, and Select Preacher in the University of Oxford. Fcap. 
 cloth, 5s. Gd. 
 
 "Our great advantage of English sermons over those of most fori — 
 
 we speak of good specimens of either class— is, that the former will bear re; 
 well as healing. Those now bi fore as, by Mr. Stokes, illustrate this good quality ; they 
 do not deal with any emit, <, and wry little with doctrine at all: !m; tie re 
 
 is a tone of real piety and of love towards Christ pervading them, which stamp them as 
 essentially Christian sermons." — Literary Churchman. 
 
 STOWELL, Rev. H.— Tractarianism Tested by Holy 
 
 Scripture and the Church of England, in a Series of Sermons. By 
 Hugh Stowell, M.A. Incumbent of Christ Church, Salford, Honorary 
 Canon of Chester, and Rural Dean. 2 vols. 12mo. cloth, each 6*. 
 
 N.B. The object of this work is not merely nor mainly to confute 
 Tractarianism, but rather to inform and establish the minds of Church- 
 men on certain perplexing questions, respecting which definite views 
 are much needed. 
 
 THOMPSON, Rev. F. E. — Twelve Lectures preached 
 
 in St. George's Chapel, Old Brentford, in the Season of Lent, 1844 and 
 1845. By the Rev. F. E. Thompson, B.A. of Trinity College, Cam- 
 bridge, and Incumbent of Old Brentford. 12mo. cloth, 5s. 
 
 " In a theological point of view his object is very successfully accomplish! d 1 y Mr. 
 Thompson. In a literary sense the plan of the writer gives | ir] «, vai . and inte- 
 rest to his discourses. Biography and applied morality are superadded : | a< ,1 
 matter of a sermon. The style 'is agreeable— the manner rapid and impri - .-. . — 
 Spectator. 
 
 THORNTON, H.— Female Characters. By the late 
 
 Henry Thornton, Esq. M.P. With Prayers adapted to the Lectures. 
 Second Edition. Fcap. cloth, 3«. 
 
 Family Commentary on Portions of the Pen- 
 tateuch ; in Lectures, with Prayers adapted to the Subjects. Second 
 Edition. Thick 8vo. cloth, L2s: 
 
 On the Ten Commandments, with Prayers. 
 
 Second Edition. 12mo. cloth, 2.?. Gil. 
 
 Family Prayers, in a Series for a Month. 
 
 Thirty-sixth Edition. 12mo. cloth, 3, . 
 
 Family Commentary upon the Sermon on the 
 
 Mount. Second Edition. Fcap. cloth, 3s.
 
 Hatchard and Co. 187 Piccadilly. 27 
 
 TRACTS for Distribution. 
 
 The Angel's Message; or, the Saviour made 
 
 known to the Cottager. By the Author of" Peep of Day." Third 
 Thousand. Square lCmo. price Gd. 
 
 Also, by the same Author, 
 
 Teaching Myself; or, an Abridgment of 
 
 " Reading without Tears." For the Cottager in his own Home. 
 Third Thousand. Square 16mo. price Gd. 
 
 By the sume Author, 
 
 Tracts for Children : or, Fifty -two Facts from 
 
 the Bible for the Fifty-two Sundays of the Year. Thirteenth 
 Thousand. In a packet of Fifty-two Tracts; or, bound together 
 in a volume, cloth gilt, price 2s. 
 
 The German Tree. A Moral for the Young. 
 
 By the Rev. T. Goodwin Hatchard, M.A. Rector of Havant, 
 Domestic Chaplain to the Marquis Conyngham. Is. 
 
 By the same Author, 
 
 Feed My Lambs. A Lecture for Children in 
 
 Words of One Syllable ; to which is added a Hymn. Seventh Thou- 
 sand. 32mo. oil. ; or Is. Gd. per dozen. 
 
 My Duty. The Christian Duties, taken from 
 
 the Church Catechism, printed in red and black within an orna- 
 mental Gothic Tablet ; intended for Parochial Distribution, id. 
 each ; or 3s. Gd. per dozen. 
 
 The Fourth Commandment Explained. By a 
 
 Sunday-School Teacher. 3d. ; or 2s. Gd. a dozen. 
 
 The Teacher's Assistant in Needle-work. 6d. 
 
 each, or 5s. per dozen. 
 
 The Knitting-Teacher's Assistant. 6d. ; or 5s. 
 
 per dozen. 
 
 A Misfortune Changed into a Blessing. 12mo. 
 
 Gd. ; or Is. cloth. 
 
 Eliezer; or, The Faithful Servant. 12mo. 3d. ; 
 
 or 2s. Gil. per dozen.
 
 28 Works Published by 
 
 TEACTS for Distribution. 
 
 How can I go to Church? or, a Dialogue 
 
 between a Lady and a Poor 'Woman. 3d. each. , 
 
 Why should I not go to the Meeting-House? 
 
 3d. each. 
 
 Seed -Time and Harvest. Some Account of 
 
 " Schools for the Destitute." By the Author of " The Gospel of 
 Other Days." Third Edition. Gd. 
 
 A Friend to the Sick and Afflicted. 3d.; or 
 
 2s. Gd. per dozen. 
 
 Thoughts on the Sabbath. 12mo. 3d. 
 Reflections on the Sabbath. By Sir Henry 
 
 Dymoke. 12mo. 3c?. 
 
 Repairing the Church. 3d.; or 2.s. 6d, per doz. 
 Village Conversations on the Liturgy of the j 
 
 Church of England.' By the Right Rev. Geokge Davis, Bishop of I 
 Peterborough. 18mo. Gtf. 
 
 Hy the same Author, 
 
 Village Conversations on the Principal Offices ! 
 
 of the Church. Forming a Sequel to the above. ISmo. Gd. 
 
 Narrative of Poll Peg, of Leicestershire. 3d.; 
 
 or 2s. Gd. per dozen. 
 
 The Curate Catechising; or, an Exposition of 
 
 the Church Catechism. By the Rev. W. Thistlethwaite, A.M. 
 
 Sixth Edition. 18mo. Is. 
 
 By the. same Author, 
 
 The Church Communicating ; or, an Exposition 
 
 of the Communion Service of the Church of England. !8mo. 6 I.
 
 Hatchard and Co. 187 Piccadilly. 29 
 
 TRACTS for Distribution. 
 
 A Short Catechism ; or, Plain Instruction, con- 
 taining the Sum of Christian Learning, set forth by the authority 
 of his Majesty, King Edward the Sixth, for all Schoolmasters to 
 Teach, a.d. 1553. 18mo. Orf. ; or 5*. per dozen. 
 
 The Parochial Minister's Letter to the Young 
 
 People of his Charge .on Confirmation. By the Rev. John Lang- 
 ley, Rector of St. Mary's, Wallingford. 1 2mo. 2s. per dozen. 
 
 Confirmation : its Nature, Importance, and Be- 
 nefits. By the Rev. T. Griffith, A.M. Ad.; or 3s. Qd. per dozen. 
 
 A Plain and Affectionate Address to Young 
 
 Persons about to be Confirmed. By the Right Rev. D. Wilson, 
 late Lord Bishop of Calcutta. 12mo. id. 
 
 By the same Author, 
 
 A Plain and Affectionate Address to Young 
 
 Persons, previously to Receiving the Lord's Supper. 12mo. 4s. 
 
 TUPPER, M. F.— Proverbial Philosophy. By Mar- 
 tin F. Tupper, D.C.L. &c. Post 8vo. cloth, with Portrait, 8s. 
 
 An Illustrated Edition of Proverbial Philo- 
 
 sophy. 
 
 The Designs bt 
 
 C "W. Cope, R.A. 
 
 Fred. R. Pickersgill, A.R.A. 
 
 John Tenniel. 
 
 Edward II. Corbould. 
 
 George Dodgson. 
 
 Edward Duncan. 
 
 Birket Foster. 
 
 John Gilbert. 
 James Godwin. 
 William Harvey. 
 J. C. Horsley. 
 William L. Leitch. 
 Joseph Severn. 
 "Walter Severn. 
 
 The Ornamental Initials and Vignettes by Henry Noel Humphreys. 
 In 4to. bound in cloth, gilt edges, \l. lis. G<Z. ; morocco, 11. 8s.; mo- 
 rocco by Hayday, 11. 12s. fjtf. 
 
 The Pocket Edition. 16mo. cloth, gilt 
 
 leaves, 5s. 
 
 J
 
 30 Works Published by 
 
 TUPPEK, M. P. 
 
 Probabilities: an Aid to Faith. Third Edi- 
 tion. Fcap. cloth, 4s. 
 
 "It is difficult to convey, by extracts, the charm which is diffused over this little 
 book. There is. in the infinite variety of subject, a continuous line of thought, which 
 
 fixes the attention to its progress, an.l leaves the mind amused and editied with the 
 perusal." — Christian Remembrancer. 
 
 TYTLER, Miss A. P. — Leila; or, the Island. 
 
 Eighth Edition. Fcap. 8vo. cloth. 
 
 Leila in England. A Continuation of "Leila; 
 
 or, the Island." Sixth Edition. Fcap. cloth, (is. 
 
 Leila at Home ; a Continuation of " Leila in 
 
 England." By Ann Fraser Tytler. Fourth Edition. Fcap. 8vo. 
 cloth. 
 
 " ' Leila at Home,' in continuation of ' Leila in England,' is written in the same 
 pleasant style, and conveys similar lessons of an instructive and religious tendency."— 
 Literary Gazette. 
 
 Mary and Florence; or, Grave and Gay. 
 
 Tenth Edition. Fcap. cloth, 5*. 
 
 Mary and Florence at Sixteen. Fifth Edition. 
 
 Fcap. cloth, Gs. 
 
 " These works are excellent. Miss Tytler's writings are especially valuable for their 
 religious spirit. She has taken a just position between the Rationalism of the last gene- 
 ration and the Puritanism of the present, while the perfect nature and true art with 
 which she sketches from juvenile life, show powers which might be more ambitiously 
 displayed, but cannot be better bestowed." — Quarter!!/ Review. 
 
 TYTLER, Miss M. P.— The Wooden Walls of Old 
 
 England: or, Lives of Celebrated Admirals. By Margaret Fraser 
 Tttler. Containing Biographies of Lord Rodney, Earls Howe and St. 
 Vincent, Lords de Saumarez and Collingwood, Sir Sydney Smith and 
 Viscount Exmouth. Fcap. cloth, 5s. 
 
 Tales of the Great and Brave. Containing 
 
 Memoirs of Wallace, Bruce, the Black Prince, Joan of Arc, Richard 
 Cceur de Lion, Prince Charles Edward Stuart, Nelson, and Napoleon 
 Bonaparte. Second Edition. Fcap. cloth, 5s.
 
 Hatchard and Co. 187 Piccadilly. 31 
 
 VEN1T, Rev. H. — Memoir and Selection from the 
 
 Correspondence of the Rev. H. Venn, M.A. Edited by the Rev. Henry 
 Venn, B.D. Prebendary of St. Paul's. Seventh Edition. Fcap. 
 cloth, 7s. 
 
 Verschoyle. A Roman Catholic Tale of the Nine- 
 teenth Century. 12mo. cloth, Gs. 
 
 VICTORIA, Bishop of. — Lew-chew and the Lew- 
 
 chewans; being a Narrative of a Visit to Lewchew, or Loo-Choo, in 
 October, 1850. By George Smith, D.D. Bishop of Victoria. Fcap. 
 cloth, 2s. Gd. 
 
 — Hints for the Times; or, the Religions of 
 
 Sentiment, of Form, and of Feeling, contrasted with Vital Godliness. 
 Fcap. sewed, Is. Gd. 
 
 ' A sensible ami seasonable little treatise."— Cii i-ittian GiKirJinn. 
 
 WEBB, Mrs. J. B.— The Beloved Disciple. Reflec- 
 
 tions on the History of St. John. By Mrs. J. B. Webu, Author of 
 " Naomi," " Reflections on the History of Noah," &c. Fcap. Svo. cloth, 
 4s. Gd. 
 
 " Verysensible and well-written reflections on the History of St. John. We can safely 
 
 recommend it." — Christian Gutinlinii. 
 
 WHITE, Rev. G.— The Natural History and Anti- 
 
 quities of Selborne. By the Rev. Gilbert White, M.A. A New 
 • Edition, with Notes, by Edward Turner Bennett, Esq. F.L.S. &c. 
 Svo. cloth, 18s. 
 
 J WILL YAMS, Miss J. L. — Chillon; or, Protestants 
 
 of the Sixteenth Century. An Historical Tale. By Jane Louisa Wil- 
 liams. 2 vols. 8vb. cloth, 10s. 
 
 "We think highly of this pathetic storj . A true spirit, of cheerful piety pervades its 
 
 pages : the characters are nicely disurimiuated, and many of the scenes are very vividly 
 portrayed. All who read i". may derive benefit from its perusal." — Britannia.
 
 32 Works Published by Hatchard and Co. 
 
 WOLFE, Rev. C. — Six Plain Sermons, preached to 
 
 a Rural Congregation. By the Rev. Charles Wolfe, late Curate of 
 Kemsing, Kent. Fcap. cloth, Is. dd. 
 
 Words of Wisdom for my Child ; being a Text for 
 
 Every Day in the Year, for the use of very Young Children. Second 
 Edition. 32mo. cloth! 2s. 
 
 WOODWARD, Rev. H.— Thoughts on the Character 
 
 and History of Nehemiah. By the Rev. Henky Woodward, A. 51., for- 
 merly of Corpus Christi College, Oxford ; Rector of Fethard, in tin. 
 Diocese of Cashel. Fcap. 8vo. cloth, 3s. Oil. 
 
 Short Readings For Family Prayers, Essays, 
 
 and Sermons. 8vo. cloth, Vis. 
 
 YORKE, Rev. C. J. — Original Researches in the 
 
 Word of God. By the Rev. C. T. Yorkc, M.A. Rector of Shenfield. 
 Fcap. cloth, 5s. . - «►». 
 
 I. Christ Known before His Advent. 
 II. The Beauty of the Mosaic Law. 
 
 III. Inspiration and Genius. 
 
 IV. The Divine Recognition of the Spiritual Church. 
 V. The Development of Pure Religion. 
 
 VI. The Apostolic Motive. 
 
 VII. God Apparent in His Miracles and Prophecies. 
 VIII. Scriptural Imagery : its Uses, Marks, and Sources. 
 IX. God Traced in the World, and Found in Christ. 
 X. The Human Conscience.
 
 University of California Library 
 Los Angeles 
 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. 
 
 /Q 
 
 
 Za{ Ctiy 

 
 L 006 176 183 9 
 
 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 AA 000 832 940 1