REMINISCENCES
OF
TRAVEL
IN
Australia, America, and Egypt.
BY
RICHARD TANGYE.
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY E. C. MOUNTFORT.
London:
SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, SEARLE, AND RIVINGTON.
CROWN BUILDINGS, 188, FLEET STREET.
1883.
(All rights reserved.)
PRINTED BY
WRIGHT, DAIN, PEYTON, AND CO.,
AT THE HERALD PRESS, BIRMINGHAM.
Having made several voyages to Australia, I have often been asked how I managed to relieve the monotony of so long a period on the water. I have never felt this monotony, simply because on each occasion I have set myself something to do.
In Mr. Trevelyan’s “Life of Lord Macaulay” it is stated that when returning from India, that statesman set himself the task of mastering the German language, and accomplished it during the voyage. I did not attempt anything so ambitious, but during my last voyage I occupied the time in writing the following pages; and as they were written under many difficulties, I feel I may confidently rely upon the indulgence of those who may do me the honour of reading them.
R. T.
Gilbertstone, 1883.
CONTENTS.
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PAGE.
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Chapter I.—At Sea:—Early Troubles—Cabin’d, Cribb’d, Confin’d—Travelling Companions—“Ordered Abroad by the Doctor”—“In the Bay o’ Biscay O”—Ship Stewards—Racing under Difficulties—A Selfish Amusement—Musical Discords—The Ship’s Newspaper—Our Ship goes too Fast—Why Ship Captains are Tories—Ixion goes Mad—Burial at Sea—The Parson “quite at Sea”—A Congregation Guaranteed—Look Out for Sharks!—“Let the Soup pass, Sir”—The “Scarlet Lady.”
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1
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Chapter II.—At Sea:—“Working off the Dead Horse”—“Poor Old Man!”—“May your Shadow never Grow Less!”—The “Blatant Beast”—The “Generous” Gambler—A Fiery Celt—The “Classic” Dolphin—“Get your Letters Ready”—“A Man of Peace now”—Mixing his Degrees—Good enough for the Colonies!—“Now Fridolin was a Pious Youth”—A Bootless Errand—Cross Signals—Tristan d’Acunha—A Parson Wanted—“The Rolling Forties”—A Hot January Morning.
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21
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Chapter III.—In Victoria:—The Black Death in Melbourne—Melbourne—Education—A Caustic Smile—“All Work and no Play”—“A New Way to Pay Old Debts”—“Happy Land” in Victoria—“Hush! prohibited”—An Opening for “Gentlemen”—“Hallelujah Claim”—The Black Spur—A “Soafler”—Comforting the Widow—Hard Fare—Pioneering—Lovely Marysville—The Five Deadly Poisons—Back to Melbourne.
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40
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Chapter IV.—In Tasmania:—Cologn–ial Smells—Launceston—A Tonsorial Palace—Harvest in February—The Land of Snakes—Der Dichter spricht—“The Dangers of the Seas”—“Sweet Vale of Avoca”—A Charming Village—Where’s Falmouth?—A Lonely Burying-place—A Narrow Escape—Snakes!—“Scotched, but not Killed”—“Acres many, People few”—The Rabbit and the Thistle—Breaking the Pledge—Hobart the Beautiful—Jericho to Jerusalem via Bagdad—Farewell, Tasmania.
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60
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Chapter V.—In New South Wales:—Off to Sydney—“What d’ye think of our Harbour?”—A “Southerly Buster”—Oysters on Trees—A rather particular Couple—Mount Victoria—A Tremendous Leap—A wicked Parrot—“Bail up”—The Laughing Jackass—Let Sleeping Bull-dogs Lie—An Election in Sydney—Beer and Bible—Through Wagga-Wagga—In the Bush—Track-making—Sighing for Old England—“Tommy”—Albury and Wodonga, a contrast—The Bush-rangers.
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80
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Chapter VI.—In Australia:—Victoria, Protection—The Dog subsisting on its own Tail—Cabby over-rides the Tramway—His Profit was not “quite enough”—Protection with a Vengeance—“Quite right to Cheat the Government”—Free Trade, New South Wales—A Genuine “Native Industry”—How Population is attracted—A Prosperous Colony—Demand for Agricultural Labourers—“Young Australia.”
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101
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Chapter VII.—On the Pacific:—Homeward Bound—Ten Months’ Drought—Auckland—Fiji—Kandavu Harbour—A Fearful Voice—Sharks and Dark Skins—Dropping a Day—A Colonial Doctor—Man Overboard—Honolulu—A Square Meal—Dressmaking in Honolulu—A “Brownie”—“Yes, for a Dollar”—A Plague of Centipedes—A Bilious “Down-Easter”—Jefferson Brick, Junior—“Mister”—“A Personal Favour!”—Through “The Golden Gate”—Earning a Cent anyway.
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113
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Chapter VIII.—In America:—San Francisco—The Palace Hotel—Chinese Washermen—The National Habit—Flats and Sharps—Qualifications for a State Governor—John Chinaman in California—The Missing Link—Little Min-ne, a Chinese Bride—Am claimed as a Chinaman—Pacific
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