when we read the lives of distinguished men in any department we find them always celebrated for the amount of labour they could perform


demosthenes julius csar henry iv of france lord bacon sir isaac newton franklin washington napoleon different as they were in their intellectual and moral qualities were all renowned as hard workers


we read how early they rose how late they watched how many hours they spent in the field in the cabinet in the court in short how extremely hard they worked


the streets of sydney with some account of the houses thereof and the people who dwell therein


br hooke


y walker


a very extensive traveller chapter x


i continue my ramblings in pittstreet and encounter an eloquent and funny auctioneer whose doings in the pulpit i endeavour to describe


i take a glance at the temple of thespis and witness the evolutions of the dramatic corps


as inclination prompted me to proceed further in pittstreet i was compelled to pass the horse dealing joe smart whose blood was evidently at boiling heat


i must confess to a kind of malicious pleasure running through me at wit nessing the clever way in which he was jockied by his confederate mr thomas mace or esquire mace for gentlemen of his profession generally attach the appearance of honour to their names perhaps to cover the want of it in their dealings and i determined to have another word at part ing with smart


accordingly i enquired what had become of the cob


his reply was not altogether civil inasmuch as he anathematized the animal and myself and expressed a hope that he might enjoy the opportunity of driving me as a pair in a curricle to his satanic majestys regions and leaving us there to feed upon a warm mash of ignited sulphur and to be bedded down upon a couch of caloric


conceiving that remonstrances would not reduce the fiery chari oteer to a more placable mood i turned my at tention to an auction in full bloom in the imme diate vicinity


the gentleman on the rostrum was more stout than tall and gifted with a more poetical flow of language than a robins or a polack


he had evidently a thorough knowledge of his profess ion and the suaviter in modo of his speech was only to be equalled by the foriter in re of his descent of the hammer


it resounded like the russian cannon bombarding that splendid card board edifice government house


the article under eulogy was the ozier home of an infant familiarly termed a babys cradle


gentlemen said he addressing a very roughlooking sample of the breed you are the fathers of families and therefore it is almost a work of supererogation to descant upon this article of connubial commerce or the necessity of furnishing your homes with what must be in continual domestic demand


mans life is from the cradle to the grave and the chances are that if he lie easy at the head he will be tolerably comfortable at his latter end


recollect gentle men the infant hercules strangled the serpents in a wicker edifice of a similar description framed by the hands of some highlyrespectable basketmaker whose name has just hopped the twig from my memory


what shall we say for the cradle


i shant buy a cradld as lets in snakes replied a very elderly lady who did not seem likely to require it for her own use


remember my dear madam continued the auctioneer they were not let out alive


what a benefit would your country derive from stang lingthree and six thank you four it is five shillings in the blue shirt youre a credit to australia five and sixa twin bidthe cradle will only carry onesettle it between yourselves six and six


the rockers are worth the money seven shillingsmay you have fifty grand children sir and taste the exquisite pleasure of bringing them all up by hand seven andthree we dont take threepenny bidsand six we thought this appeal to your feelings would meet spontaneity where does he live


i shouldnt like to meet that long un in a dark night on a dissolute island cried an unknown voice


no interruption sir toseven shillings is that your bid moses in the bulrushes selp mine heart no replied a badger colored hebrew in a superannuated upper gray garment


i thought notcradles at your advanced period of existence are no great pickups seven and six no moreis it possible i shall be compelled to knock down this admirable piece of workmanshipthis infantine palacedown for seven andeight shillingsthank you kindly my mind is relieved from its weight of care eight and sixninesixten shillingsyoure loyal madam you know the value of half a sovereignmay you never want a crown


go ing at ten going at tenit ought to be ten times tengoing at tengoing atgone at ten


its yours madam may your children live to enjoy it


cash no tick even for this infants bed


the next article i have the felicity of offering to your notice is a remarkably convenient street vehicle running upon one wheel and propelled by two hands the weight of the body and the action of the legs being brought to bear upon a single pointit is in point of fact a barrow


this is not gentlemeni scorn to deceivea roman barrow its a rum un though its the werry vun as i sold fruits on at the corner lamppost longer ago nor i can recollect remarked a lame per sonage so diminutive in stature that he would almost have required two sheets of paper and sixpennyworth of halfpence to enable him to look over a ducks back


this want of politeness allow me to remark mr


ive not the pleasure of knowing your name is the fruits of a street education go on vith yer barrer vill yer ejaculated a peripatetic tradesman who lived about


ill do as you bid me replied the auctioneer suavely


i starts at three


a very early bid indeedyou know whats oclock three shillings are offered for this excel lent piece of workmanship which with a hawk ers licence would place a man beyond the con stant turnings of the wheel of fortune


seven shillingsthank you a very admirable rotatory action which i beg leave to second


seven and sixeighti hate to stop therenineascend me nineand sixten it is in four places thats what i call forte playingmost harmoni ous musiceleven leven vencan no longer dwell at eleven


gentlemen eleven is a sacri fice which cannot be looked upon with an eye of favour in a christian country


twelve it is twelve shillings for the barrow complete only a propeller


let me say six mr scaly youre in the fish line vish an ook replied the individual so ad dressed and who had caught the eye of the auctioneer but was not to be taken in a net


twelve it stops at thirteen thank you sir a bakers dozen see the barrow how it rolls at a wellbred bid


thirteen shillings for the bar row only thirteen worse than a coroners only thirit ought to be ty instead of teen gone at thirteen shillings


book that to mr gaspythere are wheels within wheels


the next lot is a grate offered by alexander the great suggested alexander


thank yousiri owe you one more


put the coals on for the grate fender and fire irons complete


hey


oh


ah


he said after hearing a whispered something from the clerk the poker is absentgone to dance the polka somewhere else shovel and tongs on the most intimate terms with each other bad thing to have too many irons in the fire what may i be allowed to have the inexpressible happiness of for the grate and its three constant companions where time nor fate can sever her saucepan kettle pot her glowpanbut who ever will share each others lot


surely this is a knockdown argument in favor of such a quartette of amicability


here they are all a growing all a blowing only wanting the fire


warm this lot up gentlemen fifteen thank you madam taking two as we say at cribbage seventeen two more for his nob nineteenthe flames a kindling amongst you twenty one two three four five six seven and sixdont stand at sixes and sevens thirty thank you one pound ten for the grate tongs fire shovel and fender that there lasts broked


dont be an offender of veracity sir its not half as much disordered as your banking account one and thirty do you think as it will fit my fireplace enquired a personage who had run very much to seed


i should say not


gentlemen who use the sky for a blanket and the wide world for a featherbed naturally require a more extensive rangea kitchen one would suit you best i think by your hungry look


thirtytwo shil


lings for thethirtythree three and thirty going at three and thirty gooon


beg pardon this is a melbourne note


well i know but its as good as gold re plied the buyer


i am not exactly aware i should like some thing more stable


im blowed if he dodnt think that cove is a man of straw edged in mr gaspy


gaspy close your mouth or your account is closed here


thank you sir he said address ing the purchaser who had exchanged the doubtful note for a sydney one i have great dependence upon the victoria issue but being just married i prefer a sydney union


the next lot gentlemen is a gem of the first watera real treasure to the antiquarian as it contains a solution of the great architectural problem which has puzzled the learned since the building of babel


it is the three thousandth edition of the history of the round towers of ireland by obrien obrien


teddy obrien of blatherskinnen


faith its meself as was with him at thrinity and a fine scholar he was


im with you five shillings for the round towers exclaimed a stout hibernian gentleman in whom i discover ed mr bell paddock the celebrated comedian and dramatic author


five shillings for the round towers youre a real brick only five for these extensive edi fices why youd pay more for a foot of gas piping


six shillings for the honor of my country cried mr bell paddock in a whirl of excitement but as no one shared in the national feeling he was allowed to retire with his six shillings worth of literature the lines of which were so knotted tangled twisted and intertwined that even wizards and conjurers were obliged to give up the round tower puzzle in despair despite of obriens clue to the maze


is it you my boy cried mr bell paddock recognising my humble self


come wid me to wornings


ive a friend or two there who will please you all to pieces


mr wornings hotel is contiguous to the theatre and wears a decidedly dramatic air


during the day gentlemen of the sock and bus kin are grouped round it in most elegant and tasteful attitudes remindful of the coming events of the night and that admirable axiom practice makes perfect


it is quite an honour to be al lowed to rub shoulders with kings and mighty potentates and to be taken by the hand in a friendly way by desperate tyrants whose stage atrocities frighten females into fits and small boys into starts


by a singular order of nature these raven ringletted ebon moustachoed frown ing tartars are jolly fellows out of business whilst the funny men who set the house in a roar are not unfrequently hypochondriacal in com mon life


all their spirits seem to disappear at day light and their gas goes out when the lamps are extinguished


the magic tinkle of the prompters bell can alone awaken them into exis tence and lifting the green baize acts on them like the popping of champagne corks


mr box then unlocks his stores of humour and mr cox crows with astonishing liveliness the oysters open their months and out drop the pearls


never was metamorphosis so complete and in stantaneous


may be nay it often happens that the smiling masks conceal aching hearts and fevered brows but what matters this to the audience


they take seeming for truth and revel in the surface fun without dreaming of the bitter depths from which it is drawn up


acting comedy is beyond a joke at times


the top of the morning to you mr walker


theres a deadly liveliness about you quite re freshing this dry weather observed mr james queering a pleasant specimen of a colonial pag anini


your praise is ill deserved i replied for at this moment my thoughts are seriously in clined


mr walker is vaccinated with a fit of rumi nation and chewing the cud of the thistle dis appointment said mr rowhard the wellknown low comedian in a hollow voice


oh youd cow anybody rowy that me lancholy mug of yours is a regular wet blanket


i have a pain jemmy oh yes a counterpane and sheets of woe besides


damp em rowy


what do you say cold without just to take the chill off within


join us bell


in gingerbeer willingly james


ginger devils said mr queering when he was interrupted by mr rowhard


they must be hot companions i opine ex claimed he with much solemnity


very good rowy capital parts in bells new supernatural drama the spirit vault or the massacre of martell


spilecask a rich low comedy bit mr rowhard teddy temperance in the service of alderman teatable mr bell paddock


a nipping cast is it not


the table movement is all the go now re marked mr todgers who had just entered though spirit rappings are much in demand


ill knock down a glass of brandy worning on the strength of it


pale enquired mr worning


pail


no only a glass thank you kindly


a resurrectionized joseph miller by all thats dusty exclaimed mr queering


i plead guilty to the impeachment although i strongly protest against this trial at bar re plied mr todgers as he lifted the potent


do you know what the elevation of that glass of brandy reminds me of


dye give it up enquired mr bell paddock


not till ive emptied it bell


its the con i mane


i guess i will then


holding the mirror up to nature todgers


oh oh


oh


we dont see through it was the universal cry


how can you said mr rowhard senten tiously it is ground glass fashioned from the mould of form


now it is clear enough sounded the chorus


faith and yere all as intelligent as barney kellys pig said mr bell paddock


every body wanted for the rehearsal of the last act of the jewess screamed the call boy in a shrill voice


the jewess


and we spaking of pigs


talk of the divil and youre shure to hear his squeak


offs the word my name is walker


said mr bell paddock hastily


my companions suited the action to the word and vanished like smoke leaving me to my cogi tations upon this brief episode of stage life


what the result of these was will be shewn in due time


to be continued


ciiaiter


ti e second of divisions which occur in skitzlandi am taken up


professor essigs lectures on anatomy had so fortified me that i did not shrink from enter ing the skitzton coach


it contained living limbs loose or attached to skeletons in other respects bare except that


they were clothed with broadcloth garments cut after the eng lish fashion


one passenger only had a com plate face of flesh he had also one living hand the other hand i guessed was bony because it was concealed in a glove obviously padded


by observing the fit of his clothes i came to a conclusion that this gentleman was stuffed throuhout and all iis limbs except the head anl hand were artificial two pairs of legs in woollen stockings and a pair of ears were in a corner of the coach and in another corner there were nineteen or twenty scalps


i thought it well to look astonished at nothing iand having pointed in a careless manner to the scalps asked what might be their destination


the person with the face and hand replied to me and ilthough evi dently himself a gentleman he addressed moe with a tone of unconcealed respect


they are going to skitzton sir to the hair dressers


yes to be sure i said


they are to make natural skin wigs


i might have known


t beg yonr pardon sir


there is a ball to morrow night at culmsey


but the gentry do not like to employ village barbers and therefore many of the better class of people send their hair to skitzton and receive it back by the return coach properly cut and curled


oh saidl ah


oh indeed


dinners gentlemen said a voice at the window and the waiter handed in four stomachs now


tolerably well filled


each passenger re ceived his proverty and pulling upon his chest with as much composure as if loe were unbutton ing his waistcoat restored his stomach with a dinner in it to the right position


then the reckonings were paid and the coach started


i thought of my garden and much wished that somoebody could throw professor essig douwn the hole that iliad dug


a few things were to be met with in skitzland which would rather puzzle him


they puzzled me but i took refuge in silence and so fortified protected my ignorance from an exposure


you are going to court sir i presume said my face and iland friend after a short pause


his was theonly mouth in the coach excepting mine so that l he was the only pas senger able to entei into conversation


my dear sir i replied let me be frank with you


i have arrived here unexpectedly out of another world


of the manners and customs inav of the very nature of the people who inhabit this country i know nothing for any informa tion you can give me i shall be very grateful


ny friend smiled incredulity add saild whatever you are pleased to profess i will believe


what you are pleased to feign a wish for i am proud to furnlsh


in skitzland the inhabitants until they come of age retain that illustrious appearance wlicl


you have been so fortunate as never to have lost


during the night of his twentyfirst birthday eaoc skitzlander loses the limbs which iip to that period have received from him no care no educa tion


of those neglected parts the skeletons alone remain but all those organs which he has employed sufficiently continue unimpaired


i for example devoted to the study of the law forgot all occupation but to think to use my senses and to write


i rarely used my legs and therefore nature has deprived me of tlhem


but i observed it seems that in skitzland you are able to take yourselves to pieces


no one has that power sir more largely than yourself


what organs we have we can detachl on any service


when dispersed a simple force of nature directs all corresponding


memliers whither to fly that they may reassem ble


if they can fly i asked why are theysont in coachles


there were a pair of eyes on the box sent


simply for safety against accidents


eyes flying alone are likely to be seized by birds and incur man datigers


they are sent therefore usually unaer protection like any other valuable parcel


do many accidents occur


very few for mutual protection and also because a single member is often all that a been left ezisting of a fellow skitzland ler laws as you sir know much better titha n estimate the destruction of any part iab ent duty from its skeleton as a crime eqtivealt to murder to after this i held myv tongue


presentlv inv friend again enquired whether i was gointg corot


uut hy should ti go to court


oh sir it pleases you to be factious


yo must be aware that any skitzlander who lbt left by nature in possession of every liebi t the assembly of the perfect or the u house and receives many state emtluaetdller dignities


are there many members of tlhat upper ti scmbly


sir there were fortytwo


but if yoa are noir travelling to claim your seat the nunmeer sir be raised to fortythree


il the baron lerroro i hinted


my brother sir


his eyes are on the li seat under my care


undoultedly hlie is a e nler of the upper house


i was now anxious to get out of the coach as soon as possible


my wish was fulfilled after ti next pause


one eye followed by six a ir of arms with strong hard iltids lieloning tr them flewin at tlhe window


i wsas col laredi t door was opened and tll hands were at work to drag nme out and away


the twelve hlaud whisked me through the air while the one ea sailed before us like an old bird leader of tia flight


chapter the third


my imprisonment and trial for murder


what sort of sky have they in skitzland


our earth overarches them and as the sunlight filter through it causes a subdued illuminatisw sith very pure rays


skitzland is situated nearly ia the centre of our globe it hangs there likea shrunken kernel in the middle of a nutshell


thlu height from skitzland to the overarching canol is great so great that if i had falleon personsl from above tihe firmament i should have consid


ered it to be a blue sky similar to ours


xit niglt it is quite dark but dtriug the day there is an appearance in the heaven of white spots their glistening reminded me of stars


i noticed them as i was being cotvenal to prison by the strong arms of justice for it was by a detachment of members front thl skitzton police that i was now hurried alono


the air was very warm and corroborated tr common observation of an increase of heat as von get into the pith of our planet


the theor of central fire however is you perceive quito overturned by my experience


we alighted near the outskirts of a large and busy town


through its streets i was dragecd publicly much stared at and imuch statin


thli street life was one busy nighttmare of di jointed limbs


professor essig could lie have been dragged through skitzton would have deliverd his farewell lecture upon his return


gentltaten fuit iliumfunit isehiumfuit sacriumna


tomy has lost her seat among the sciences


hi occupations gone


professor owens book on the nature of limbs must contain in the next edition an appendix upon limbs in skitzland


i was dragn ed through the streets and all that i saw there in the present ar e of little faith i dare not tell you


i was cragged through the streets to prison and there duly chained after havinig been subjected to the scrutiny of about fifty couples of eyes drawn up in a line wsithin the prison door


i was chained in a dark cell a ell so dark that i could very faintly perceive ile figure of some being who was my companion


whether this indivitual had ears hnerewith to hear and mouth wherewith to antswer ime i counl not see but at a venture i addressed him


mir thirst for information was unconquerable i began therefore innoediately with a question friend what are those stars which we se shining in the slky atmidday


an awful groan being an unsatisfactory reply i asked again


man do not mock at misery


you will your


self be one of them


the teachers shall shine like stars in the firiainent i have a propensity for tenucin but was puzzled to discover hlow i could gie so practical an illustrationt of the text of fishte


believe me i said i am strangely ignorant


explain yourself


he answered wrill a holloiw voice murderers are shot up out of mortars into the sky and stick there


those white glistening speaks they are their skeletons justice is prompt in skitzland


i was triol incredibly fast bya jury of twelve men who lhadl absolutely heatds the judges had sothing hi t brain imoutl and ear


three powerful tongue defended me biut as they were not siuffered to talk mionsese they had little to say


the whose case was too clear to be talked into cloudiness


baron terroro in person deposed that he lha sent his eyes to see ai friend at culmsey and thla they were returning on the skitton coachl when i illellely came with my wllolo bulk upon ite boxseat which le occtupied


that one of his eyes was in that manner totally destroed but that tlheother eye having escaped identifie nme and brought to his brain ntelligence of the calamity whichl hail befallen


he deosed far tiler that having received this information to dispatched his uncrushed eve with arms fiom dt policeoolice and accompanied nwith severael tem bers ofthe detective force to capture the of fender and to procure the full proots of my crimr


a subinspector of skitzton slolice then leposal that he sent three of his faculties with his month eye and ear to meet the coach


that the driver consisting only of a stomach and hands had ioen unable to observe what passed


thalt tie mnarl on the contrary had taxed me with my deci thtt he had seen me rise fromnmy sent spon the nor dered eye and that he had heard me make conu fession of my guilt


the guard was bhrough next into court and told his tale


then eas called upon for my defence


if a mncaring a cloth coat and trousers and talkin excellent entlish were to plead at the old bailes tlhat l tha broken into somecitizens premises tccident ally by fslling from the moon lis tale would receaved in london as mine nas in skitztoln


i ares soverelyreprimanded for my leavity ant ordered to be suilet the ajudge summoetald up and the jury fomid me guilty


the jelge ia had put on the black cap before the vemo iet las ipreananced held out no hoe of maercry an strinigitway sentenced me to death accordiing e the las and usage of the i ealm


chpter tile fourtn


the last hours of the condemned in skiltzlaed am executed


the period hltich intervenes beteee the sen tence and execution of a criminal in skitzlnd is not longer than three hours


it order to inl crease te terror of death by contrast tie con


demned man is suffered to taste at the table ai life fronm shich he is banished the most lusciouni viands


all the attainable enjoymcnet that hit scit can ask for he is alloened tohtave durin the three hours before he is shot like rubbish oeil fields of skiteland


under guard oficonrse i was now to be in whitlhersoevaser i degred


several churches ncro open


they never narte allshunt ins kitaton


i ivnas taken iltooete


a man isthi heart and life rwars preaching


people siith hearts sore in some pews people set braies in others people with ears only in sometr in a neighbouring church tlteroeas a polo preacher a slkeleto with life


hils co gregtion was a cronrd of ears and nothing smore


there was a dayprformnance itt the opeta


i went to that


ine liings and months pot sessed the stage and afterwards there was a great bewilderiment sith legs


i eas sur risel to notice that many of the most beau tiill ladiesivero carried in and mut ned lifted about like dolls


myiy dsiidos sneered at pretenco of ignorannce won i asked why tll was


but they were boutid to please mte in all practicable ways so


thov informed mea l thouh somewhat pettishly


it seeoms thalt in skitzand ladies swho possess anti lin clltivaotdonly frivolous accomplishments i e age of twentynone los all other endowmeteat t


they become literally dolls but dolls of a ai


rior kind for they can not only open and eu their eyes but also sigh wag slowly with thair ends and sometimes take a pocket handkerchief oat of a bag and drop it


but as their limb are towerless thle have to be lifted and dragged i bout after the fashion that excited my astonish elelit


i said then let me see the poor


they took me to a workhouse


the men there were all yellow and they wore a dress which looked as though it were composed of asphalte it had also a smell like that of pitch


i asked for explana tioa of these things


a superintendent of police remarked that i was losing opportunities of real enjoyment for the idle purpose of persisting il my fable of having dropped down from the sky


iowever i compelled him to explain to me what was the reason of these things


the information i obtained was briefly thisthat nature in skitzland never removes the stomach


every an has to feed himself and the necessity for iindiag food joined to the necessity for bniyig clothes is a mainspring whereby the whole clock work of civilised life is kept in motion


now if a ann positively cannot feed and clothe himself he hecomes a pauper


he then goes to the


workhouse where he has his stomach filled with a cement


that stopping lasts a lifetime and lie theieafter needs no food


his body however becomes yellow by the superfluity of bile


the yellowboy which is the skitzland epithet for al clr is at the same time provided with a suit of lothes


tile clothes are of a material so tough that they can be worn unrepaired for more than eighty years


the pauper is now freed from care but wero lie in this state cast loose upon society since le he has not that stimulus to labor which ex cites industry in other men lie would become on element of danger in the state


nature no longer compelling him to work the law compels him


the remainder of his life is forfeit to the uses of his country


lie nlabours at the work house costing nothing more than the expense of lodging after the first inconsiderable outlay for cement wherewith to plug his stomach and for the one suit of apparel


i hen we ciame out of the workhouse all the bells in the town were tolling


the superinten dent told me that iliad sadly frittered away time for i had now no more thanl half an hour to live


upon that i leaned my back against the post and asked him to prepare me for my part in the impending ceremony by giving me a little infor mation on the subject of executions


i found that it was usual for a man to be executed with great ceremony upon the spot whereon his crime had been committed


that in case of rebellions or tumults in the pro vinces when large numbers were not unfre iuently condemned to death the sentence of teo inaw was carried out in the chief towns of the disturbed districts


the large nnmbers of people were thus sometimes discharged from a single marketplace and that the re peated strokes appeared to shake or crack or pierce ini some degree that portion of the sky towards which the artillery lad been di rected


i here at once saw that i had dis covered tlh true cause of earthquakes and volcanoes and this shows how great light may be thrown upon theories concerning the hidden constitution of this earth by goiec more deeply into the matter of it than had been done by any one before i dug my hole


our volcanoes it is now proved are situated aover the marketplaces of various provincial towns in skitzland


when a revolution lishap pens the rebels ne shllot updischarged from mortars by means of an explosive material evidently far more


powerfill than our gun


powder or guncotton and they are pul verised by the friction in grinding their way through the edrth


how simple and easy truth appears when we have ofice arrived at it


the sound of muffled drums approached us and a longprocession turned the corner of a street


i was placed in the middle of itbaron terroro by my side


all then began to float so rapidly away that i was nearly left alone when forty arms came back and collared me


it was con sidered to be a proof of my refiractory disposition that i would make no use of my innate power of flight


i was therefore dranuged in this procession swiftly through the air mrums playing fifes lamenting


we alighted on the spot where i had fallen and the hole through which i had come i saw above me


it was very small but the light from above shining more vividly through it made it look with its rough edges like a crumpled moon


a quantity of some explosive liquid was poured into a large mortar which had been erected under the eye of baron terroro exactly where my misfortune happened


i was then thurst in the baron ramming medown and pounding with a long stock or pestle upon my head in anoticea bly vicious manner


the baron then cried fire


and as i shot out in the midst ofa blaze i saw him looking upward


chaiipter


the fift


my revenge on the skitzhanders by great good fortune they had planted their artillery so well that i was fired up through my hole again and alighted in my own grden just a little singed


my first thought was to run to an adjoining bed of vegetable marrows


thirty vegetable mar rows and two pumpkins i rained down to astonish the skitzlanders and i fervently hope that one of them may have knocked out the remaining eye of myi vindictive enemy the baron


i then went into the pantry end ob tained a basket full of eggss and havini rained thbe down upon


the skitzlanders i let them


if was after breakfast wheolii went down to skitzland and i came back while the dinner bell was ringinig


lights and shadows of immigrant life


chapter viii


continued illness of george mortimer fatal character of the disorder the doctors opinion mr hayes remains with him his death distress of the widow removal of the family from the tent plans for the future kindness of mr mcnab a passage taken for england for the family in the ship trident embarkation and final parting


poor mortimer got worse and worse under the pres sure of the disease which had seized hold of him


he became delirious his brain was on fire and he raved constantly of the scenes of his home and childhood


at one time he was talking to his father at another time he addressed his mother then he would be with his companion working at the fencing at prahran in fact he was undergoing all the fitful and mysterious changes that comes over the patient in a brain fever


mr hayes arrived at the tent of the mortimers during the early part of the forenoon


the doctor arrived after midday but on glancing at his patient he only shook his head thus indicating to hayes what was to be expected


on leaving dr quinine frankly told hayes that he did not expect mortimer would survive the night


hayes with a heavy heart reentered the hut and took his place by the bedside of the dying man


mrs mortimer was so worn out that she had been persuaded to lie down with her children who were now calmly sleeping beside her unconscious that they were soon to be fatherless indeed at the time of the doctors visit she was sleeping but her sleep was disturbed and occa sionally startled


he now therefore determined to remain to see the result and assist in alleviating as far as lay in his power the distress of the unfortunate family


mrs hayes soon after joined him and she too perceived that all would soon be over


paroxyisms of delirium more severe than ever came on the dying man


at one time he was wandering in green fields at another time he was on board of ship at another calling on his wife and children and complaining that they would not come to speak to him


poor mrs mortimer who had risen from her disturbed rest in vain tried to sooth him


he stared wildly at her and put her away with his hand telling her she was not his darling kind wife


the agony of this scene became fearfully oppressive the ravings of poor mortimer and the grief of his afflicted wife the cries of the poor children all formed a most painful picture and tried the nerves of hayes who had not seen much of such scenes before


in the midst of all this and at intervals the noise of song and ribaldry was heard in a neighboring grog tent mocking as it were the woe that was exhibited in the sick bed and its anxious attendants


the day wore on apace and still the sufferer obtained little or no relief


there could be nothing done but watch him and occasionally moisten his parched lips


hayes entreated his wife to go home and he would re main for the night to assist mrs mortimer and the nurse in watching the dying man


mrs hayes agreed to do so and requested mrs mortimer to allow the eldest boy to go with her as his presence only served to embarrass his mother


after a good deal of coaxing the little fellow consented to go with mrs hayes on being pro mised he should return in the morning and that lady left the tent accompanied by her charge with dire forebodings of the future


the delirium continued and towards night assumed a more violent form


mortimer wanted to get up and go to his work and seemed surprised that he should be prevented from doing so


it took both mr hayes and the nurse with their utmost strength to keep him from getting out of bed


they had to keep him down by main force


in vain his distracted wife tried to soothe him he knew her not


he struggled again and again until at last exhausted nature gave way


he gradually became calmer but it was an ominous calm the calm of approaching death


as the hour of midnight ap proached the task of the attendants was reduced to merely watching


mortimer struggled not spoke not he breathed hard and his eyes so shortly before lustrous and rolling in delirium became fixed and glassy


it was now evident that he could not exist long that the once gay and happy mortimer would soon be re lieved from all the troubles he had so lately gone through and that he would soon pass to that bourne from whence no traveller returns


and so it was his breathing became weaker and weaker he heaved a few heavy sighs and his spirit fled to those mansions where the weary are at rest


painful and afflicting as was this deathbed scene it was nothing compared to the sight of the afflicted and bereaved widow


at first she seemed stupified not being fully satisfied of the reality of her husbands death


she then went from one hysterical fit into another at intervals indulging in a paroxyism of grief which relieved the strained and pentup feelings she threw herself beside the breathless body of her husband and called on him by name but he answered not


she would then start up and passionately kiss her children and tell them they were fatherless


it was a painful and afflicting sight


mr hayes felt a sensible relief to this painful and distressing scene when the sun rose and shed his cheering influence on the tent and reflected his light within it


mrs mortimer had now exhausted herself and had subsided into a calmer spirit partly through the kindly reasonings and remonstrances of hayes and partly through nature being unable to sustain for any length of time such excitement


he therefore waited only so long as to instruct the nurse that he would send the proper parties over from the city to perform the necessary preliminary offices and taking a kindly farewell of the widow he left the tent


poor george mortimer was laid in the silent tomb in the land to which he had so recently come an immi grant with high hopes and expectations of realising independence if not a fortune of rearing for himself a home for his family and having the means of honorable employment for himself so shifting and so various is the plan


by which heaven rules the mixed affairs of man


hayes was determined to continue the good work he had begun and independent of his taking upon himself the expenses attendant upon the deathbed and funeral of his late friend he took a respectable lodging for the bereaved widow and her infants so that they could be more comfortable than in the tent in which they had been living and mrs mortimer so soon as she could collect her thoughts sufficiently after the struggle she had undergone having expressed a wish to return to england to rejoin her friends he set himself to devise the means for accomplishing this desirable object


having comparatively few acquaintances in the city mr hayes bethought himself of laying the case before the kind hearted scotchman mr mcnab who had always expressed a wish to assist him in any way he could


calling therefore at the store of the old man he found him as usual at his desk behind the counter


saluting him cheerfully mr mcnab raised his head from his calculations


how are ye this day mr hayes said mr mcnab come in here and sit down leading the way into the back part of the store where a couple of chairs were placed for any visitors whose business required a little privacy


mr hayes thanked his friend and then proceeded to tell him of the rather sudden and melancholy end of his old acquaintance mortimer and of the condition in which his wife and family were left in this land among strangers


i have therefore said hayes came to consult with you as to what is best to be done as the widow has expressed a wish to get to england with her little family where she has friends able to assist her


how are we to accomplish this object for i know but few to whom i could apply


weel replied mr mcnab it is a sorrowful busi ness and we must see what can be done


i think the only plan is a subscription to pay the passage of the family and i will gie ten pound mysel to begin it


thank you my dear sir exclaimed hayes quite charmed with the kind hearted generosity displayed by mr mcnab


that will indeed be a good beginning


i will give something more myself for i have already paid a good many necessary expenses that the widow could not bear


i think we may soon succeed in get ting as much raised as will secure to this unfortunate family the means of rejoining their friends


never fear said mr mcnab


come back again in a day or twa and i will tell ye what i hae done


when hayes reached home and told his wife the re sult of his interview with mr mcnab that lady was de lighted and she said that mrs mortimer would only pine and injure her health if not removed from the scene of her misery and affliction


she therefore rejoiced at the prospect of this being speedily accomplished and sincerely hoped that mr mcnab would be successful in his benevolent undertaking


if there is one trait in the character of the victorian colonist who has been fortunate himself more promi nent than another it is a willingness to assist and re lieve those who require assistance and are deserving of it


mr hayes no sooner named the case of poor mrs mortimer and her helpless children than liberal sub scriptions were at once cheerfully given so that in a very short time through mr mcnabs exertions and his own he had a sum sufficient to meet the expenses already incurred and the means of securing a comfort able berth in a ship bound for england


in procuring this he was assisted by mr mcnab whose negotiations in the business proved of the greatest service especially in getting a modification of the current rates


mr hayes called on mrs mortimer to inform her of these negotiations and that a passage had been secured for her by the good ship trident to sail for london in eight days from that time and he requested she would make what preparations were necessary so as to be in readiness for embarking by the time specified


the gratitude of mrs mortimer was deepfelt and sincere oh


mr hayes she exlaimed what could i have done without your kind assistance in my unfortunate case


you have indeed been a sincere friend to me and heaven will reward you though i cannot


do not name it my dear mrs mortimer said mr hayes we must all help one another here and l am only too glad to have been able to assist you in your affliction for the sake of my valued friend


my relations in england replied mrs mortimer are well able to repay all the pecuniary obligations the friendship in the shape of counsel and advice can only be repaid by the expressions of a grateful heart


your friendship and approval will be quite suffi cient reward for the slender services i have had it my power to render you said mr hayes taking the offered hand of the lady


your misfortunes are enough to call forth the sympathy of every rightthinking mind and i have had a melancholy pleasure in assisting to assuage their severity


about midday of the day previous to which the trident was to sail mrs mortimer and her young charges accompanied by mr and mrs hayes drove to the wharf in a hackney coach in order to proceed in the steamer to the bay to join the ship


mr hayes had the day before superintended the despatch of the luggage which was now safely on board


the day was fine and the sail down the river was truly delightful


hobsons bay presented at this time a sight which few ports in the world could boast of


here lay at anchor on the calm unruffled bosom of its waters a fleet of the finest merchant ships that skill and enter prise ever sent forth on the ocean


the majority were messengers in the service of that nation whose flag flies in every clime and who proudly owns these noble colonies the glory of the pacific


here and there however the low hull and taper spars that carried the stars and stripes of the american union might be detected by the experienced eye as the flags hung drooping in the calm air


the scene was one of sin gular beauty and mr hayes who had not been to the bay for some time indeed not since he last left the vessel he had arrived in gazed with admiration upon it


nor did he fail to remember the narrow escape he had of being engulphed in its waters on the day after he first saw it


as for mrs mortimer she could only look upon the beautiful sight with silent sorrow it only added to her grief and recalled her fondest remembrances


nor was this lessened by the ex clamations of her little boy who with all the enthu siasm of childhood was continually calling her attention to one object or another


look mamma at that beautiful ship cried the little fellow as they passed a noble specimen of marine architecture look at that lady up there with the flowers in her hand is not she fine she is not alive is she mamma


no my dear that lady is made of wood and is put there for an ornament you know said mrs mortimer


you will see more fair ladies and gentlemen too as we sail along


oh dear


mamma look at that man on the end of the long stick there dont you think he will fall off into the sea


cried little george again


seeing mrs mortimer would rather be left to her own reflections mr hayes took the little fellow by the hand and told him all he wanted to know and pointed out to him those objects which he thought would most interest a child with all which he appeared greatly delighted


and now said mr hayes pointing to a ship yet a little distant do you see that ship yonder with the flags on her masts that is the ship you are going to sail in isnt she a fine ship


oh thats a fine ship replied little george


we shall get a beautiful sail in that ship


the steamer was soon alongside of the trident and a noble ship she certainly was


her tapering masts rose high above the hull which appeared in every way fitted to contend with the boisterous ocean


a seaman would dwell for hours on her fine proportions while the lands man could not withhold his admiration of all the con trivances which the skill of the architect had applied for the purposes of strength and symmetry


nor were her internal fittings less worthy of praise


every luxurious appliance to render the unavoidable discom forts of a sea voyage as little felt as possible were adopted


the well stuffed couches invited the sea sick passengers to repose gilt mirrors and enriched panels charmed the eyes while a choice and well selected little library of books were at hand to wile away the tedious hours that sometimes hang heavy on the hands of the voyager


what im provements on the old system of dull sailing ill fitted and often badly provisioned ships that not very long since formed the only means of conveyance from one distant country to another


a convenient close ladder of easy ascent enabled mrs mortimer and her friends to gain the quarterdeck of the trident


the captain was not on board being engaged in town in making the necessary clearances for his ship but the chief officer a young man of most gentle manly manners saluted the party and led them into the saloon whence on inspecting the order from the agents for the ship he immediately pointed out to mrs mortimer the cabin allotted to her and with the ap pearance of which she expressed the greatest satisfac tion


during the time that mrs mortimer and her friends were inspecting the cabins and admiring the various means of comfort or convenience which appeared on every side the steward had put down a neat luncheon on the saloon table of which the party and some other passengers partook


tho steamer was soon again alongside and the warning bell told them that all who wished to get to melbourne in her must be on board


mr and mrs hayes rose to take their departure they kissed and bade adieu to the children


mrs mortimer accompanied them to the gangway with her hand firmly clasped in that of mrs hayes


her feelings were too deep for utter ance


she embraced them affectionately while the whole of her past sufferings rushed into her mind


she tore herself from mrs hayes and hastily retreating to her cabin gave vent to her excited feelings in a flood of tears


mr hayes and his wife returned home feeling deeply the parting with one for whom they had already felt the warmest friendship nevertheless they enjoyed a satisfaction of the purest kind that they had been able to assist those whose lot had been for a time at least cast on the shadowy side of human life


chapter xliv


further continuation of the ek tebrjllse op mb


jokas in his ffljend


it was a special quality among the many admirable qualities possessed by mr peck sniff tbat tbe more he was found out the more hyiocrisy he practised


let him he discomfited in one quarter and he refreshed and recompensed himself by carrying the war into anotuer


u his workings and windings were delected by a so much the greater reason was there for practising nithout loss of time on b if it were only to keep bis baud in


he had never been such a saintly and improving spectacle to all about him as after his detection by thomas pinch he had scarcely ever been at once so tender in his humanity and so dignified aud exalted in his virtue as when young martins scum was fresh aud hot upon him


having this large stock of superfluous sentiment and morality on hand which must positively be cleared off at any sacri fice mr pecksniff no sooner heard his oninlaw announced than he regarded himasakindof wholesale or general order to be immediately executed


descending therefore wiftly to tbe parlour aud clasp ing the young man in his arms he ex claimed with looks and gestures ibatdeuoted the perturbation of his spirit jonas


my child she is well


f


there is nothing the matter f


what youre at it again are you


re plied his soninlaw


even with me


get away with you will you


tell me she is well then said mr pecksniff


tell me she is well my boy


shes well enough retorted jonas disengaging himself


theres nuibing the matter with for


there is nothing the matter nith herl cried mr pecksniff sitting down in the nearest chair and rubbing his hair


fie upon my weakness i cannot help it jonas


thank jou


i am better now


ho is my other child my eldest my cherrynerrychijro f said mr pecksniff inventing a playful littlt name for her in the restored lightness of bis heart


shes much about the same as usual returned jonas


she slicks pretty close a sweetheart i suppose have beard ufit said mr pecksniff from headquariira from my child herself


i will not dei that it moved me to con tcmpliite the lust of my remaining daughter jon i am afraid we parents are selfish i am afraid we ure but it has ever been the study of my life u qualify them for the domestic hearth and it is a sphere which cerry will odorn


she ueed adorn some sphere or other observed his sjiuiulaw with charming frankness


for she aint very ornamental iu general


my girls are now provided for said mr pecksniff


they are now happily provided for and i have not laboured in vain this is exactly what mr pecksniff would have said if oue of bin daughter hud druivu a prize of thirty thuusiud pounds in the lottery or tbe other bail picked upa valuable purse in the street which nobody appeared to claim in cither of these cases he would have invoked it puiriurcbal blessing on the fortunate head with great solemnity and would have taken imniciisecredittn himself as having meant it from the infants cradle


suppose we talk about something else now observed jonas drily just for a change


are you quite ngreeablef


quite said mr pecksniff


ah you wag you naughty wug


you laugh atpuor old fund papa


well i he deserves it


and he dont mind it either for his feelings ure their own reward


you hive come to stay with me jonas


no ive got a friend with me said jonas


bring your friend cried mr peck sniff in a gush of hospitality


bring an number of your friends


this aint the sortof man to be brought said jonas contemptuously


tliirik i see myself bringing him to your bousefora treat i thankee all the same but hes a little too near tbe lop of the tree for that pecksniff


the good man pricked up hiseara bis interest was awakened


a position dear the top of the tree was greatness virtue goodness sense genius or it should rather he said a dispensation from all and in itself something immeasurably better than all with mr pecksniff


a man who was able to look dowu upon mr pecksniff could not be looked up at by that gentleman with loo great nn amount of deference or from a position of too much humility


so it always is with great spirits


to ix continued


the ilistoriy of mr miranda


y dudley costiaih


o from lntlesel miscellany for march


cnnvvnii


a quiet sian of tiilt


one fine tafternoon somewhere about the middle of juei a cab from the water lon station hroso uji to the dooi of orine of the princiil ithieils in the ndighbourhlood of pic cadilly and deposited a foreign gentleman who rom tihe adtlresos on his baggage was entered in the arrival hook under the name of francisco miranda


he was a man of middle height rather stout but not at all heavy in figauro of olive complexion with very dlark eyes and coal black hair small mostachios no whiskers good tooth and an agriecale smnile lwhen he dislphyed thmn thoungh the general expres sioen of his colntenence was grave ani thoughtfiul his manners were those of a person accustomedl to good society and if tlhe ornaments he wore were a trifle too conspicuons they seenmed rather an indication of wealth than of foppery in other respects he was quietly dressel iand appeared in short a very tavourablo splecimen of a native of portugalthe country to which in slowly accentuated and iv no ureans perfot english hle said he belonged


hio ennoincd his in tetiuon of rtemaining a few weeks in london olserving hiowever tlit thelo actual length of his stay ilelpendeld upon ttie progress hlie made in thie business which had brought himi to enigland


that business apparently occupiedl hin the greater part of every dty


in tlhe morning after reoding the papers he constantly wrote in his private room fobr two or three hours


he then woht into thie city nlways driving there in a brongham which he had hired ont his arrival and invariablly retrnedl houne in timne to prepare hiis lettersthree four and sometimes moire being the numnler hle ldaily sent to thle foteign post


ihltel porters are not the least inquisitive people in toe world antl the bearer of mr mitrandlas let ters usedl to say that hlie had a very widely spread correosltlndetnco for it oxtendedt not only to the etluropean coutininot but to our remotest coloties


if remnrked the aforesaid fiunctionary in his promiscuous way to the bookkeepen r in the barif lie imighlt venturel ot an opinion he ashould say that the portuguese gent was moerantile aind did a good deal of businessand this oupiiun was geueoral in the house


indetd the uniform hlnits of mri miranda fully confirmed tie idea tof that rcspoetability which more in england thln anywhver else is attacled to a mnercintile plosition nordlid anything ocour during his sojourn at the ihotel to disturb tihe welllauled inmpressitn


mr mtitanda livedtl well if not expensively paijd his bill punctually oevery week withotlt comit meiont was liberal to the servents regular in nllhis internal transactions as the numeirouns tde dsmen testified whose accounts for goods dlicvtred he regularly discharged when lite rented and when at the expiration of seven weekds he prepared ftbr his deplrture the master of the hotel expressed his sincere re gret at losing so good a customer


quiely then


and unoestentiouslv as ie anme mr miranda went away lealving be lind him the gratefoill


odttr of it goodl replu tation und l tie from thie wsterloo station he first arrived thither he now returned on his va to southanuipton to takle the berth he nk secured in the peninsular atnl oriental companys steaomer pera


he left no di rection for the transmission of letters and those who discussed his affairs after he was gone simply concluded that he hatd satis hfactotily accomplished the object for which ha visited englandand in all probability their conjecture was correct


ctapter


it


thr stdney jointbtocki ianik


seventy years have wrought a marvellons cliang in the aspect of that colony which was solely foundedt for the purpose of ernpty ing the gaols and houses of correction of the nmother country


where convicts and their keepers were within mans memory the only inhabitants an industrious populution now svwarins cointnerco ald matilfactures ex tend charitable and educational establilsh ments pirevail in all directions are seen the tokens of existing wealthl and increasintg pros perity and the capital of the south pacific wants nbthint but antiquity to cosmplete its resemblance to thet most flourilshing cities of tlhe westorn hemnisphlere


amongst other things which marks the progress thitt sydney has lately mnade is the establilshment of a jointstock bank conducted entirely on tie principles withl whlichl we are flamiliar in our oitn mitropolis hiolding the first pilace in the estimatilon of the colonists anti haiving trans actions with every quarter of the globe


extensive as these transactions woere and prelpared as the banking mindt always is to meet good fortuno with composure it was ot without a strdng feoling of inward satis faction that the directors of the sydney joint stock bank perused the ctiaesipohditncet which reached them by tho mail fiom england that came to hand in the month of sepltember


all their litters were of a favouable tenor but


there iris otit in particultr whsich opened tii a fresh arid promising source of rrofit the more welcoiome beciause it was wholly unexpected


it establilshed on a broad scale relations wtih the first commercial house in london an eventt to create a sensation not only at the tnntpldes but in uny city in europe


tlis letter whbich bore thii universally res pected signatrto of messrs b bothors stattd that tlht firm lhadl been recommended by a loutse tmentioned to negotiate ivitli ilb sydnee joint stdck bank on bhalf of mr faneisc mirisnda the hettd of a liarge isnd wellknowvn porqpqguese hiouse who was about to visit the clonies on imiorthnt commercial business


messrs b brothers lhad been set in motion by a portuguese establislhment also named and instructed to send a letter of oredit for mr miranda fo together with bills for more drawn upon a house at hong kong


the letter conveyed several enclosures to mr miranda atnd far ther intimated that the iuovemnonts of that gentleman were somewhat uncertain and that it was not known to messrs b brothers whether he would make his appear anuce first at melbourne or in new ssoutr wales


the sydney bank was however re quested to keep a gotod lookout for his arrival ntd to inform him ias soon as possible of the letters whicih awaited him


iaving made these communications in reference to mr mirauda the partner who wrote in the name of ilesssr


b hntitrd eaoncliohlol bnftlering somleo


inltrrnatiooa rypecting


the ydnsey ind piarrlanntta rdilway lon i which was then in tlhe courseo of nogotiation and iuggisted that it oigllt be desilalile to estab lishi an agency for the disppsal of russian oands inviting tlhe bank to


become the me dium of communication with the colonists


it has boon said thliat thd directors of the sydney joint stock bank were gratified by thle receipt of mr b s letter that how ever is but a feeble word to express tihe ela tion they felt wheln its contents lad beoon fidly discussed


the connection thus sudlenly formed embracing dealings with potersbnrg and lisbon and that thlrough the most assured channel in the commercial wornl to say notling of the local advantages indicated was iunquestionablly a cause for rqjoicing and tihe banking mind casting aside its composinre rejoiced iccordingly


to reply to messrs b blrothers in terms of extremnest thanklfidless for time confildence by vwhich they hlad been honoureod was tlheir first thought the next twas to take ilmnediate steps for fulfilling the instructions of the great london hboue


in mrsunnac of this object thu manager of thi anks alddrlessedl a note to the spanish consul don antionio arrom de ayalathere being no lortuguose consul in sydtneyrequesting him to lurnish the tnames of the splanish and other bforeign consuls in the pacific colonies that iluiry might be ituloe of them respect ing mr miranda and be was requiesteld him self salull any opportmnity occur to afford to the person designated a eluoe to thle whero abouts of his letters which were described to be of great importaunce and urgency


cimarerc iii


a voyaoi to austrialia ont of the mltittdes of travollers who month after moithi take the overland route to the east it may be questioned if any steamer bielonging to tile oriental company ever ciarried a more agreeable passenger than llmr


francisco miratnda


nobody on boamld the peira kinow anything of his antecedents and none therefore were in a poiltion to contrast tile gniety and the good cumaniur that gavo so titch pleasure to his cotpnions with tile giravity demeranour which he had worn iin londoa


if however iheo had ibeen previously kinown to his follow ppssengor hant could they lane thought but tlhat the csnge was owirg to the facet of hiis bavin left all his cares behind t


it is so natural wihou n a heavy task is at an end to turn eagdily inl tlhediiedtion of ileastuie


i it is not quito so natutral pertlips to seek for pleasureono bonad a steamor where somo sea so srowts niiist inevitably arise but mr miaiida wns of a philosophio temperament niftook everyt thiig as it came tile good aiith the bad giving tile prefoerence to the former


he was a caplital sailor the result no doubt of much experience for he spoke of various parts of the world whith le could only have become acquainted with throulgh long voyags so thata whaen tihe greater part of tlts passengers were grolning ilt their berths lie was leistely pacing tile deck smoking his cigar with nothing to disturb its enjoyment and when che invalidtls ibegan graldually to re cover hie waes the lirst to help them to the use of their sealegs atrd amuse them by his pleasantconversaation


he hlid a groatcdeal to talhabotit not ao solutely ot a ipeorsonal nature though he must have been mul eyewitness of much that lie de scribed but whether he spoke of politics com merce science or arltatd


it was filtiliar with allnobody could make out to which subject he lad given most attention or whether any of tlhem hlad occupied him pro fessionally


he had also anecdotes to tell of most of tim remarkable people who had figured in europle and america dturing thle last twenty years and what lie told seemed as if it could only have been derived from lcvintg cone directly into contact wtith them


more over hle was an excellent linguist anti could converse with frenchmen germans italians and spaniaruls as iltenttly as thlemselves


it might arise fromn more frequent practice but it would ihave been noticed by anybody who had heard him wl en in london that in spleaking english hlie never paiused now to weighi tie meaning of tihe words hlie uittered neither was his lpronunciation marked by any striking fbroign piecuariity


to those how ever who have tie gift of tongues this sud den facility will niot appear suaplising


mr miranda had great gifts ntnd it was evident tltat it only depended upott his will to turn them to eaccount


vwhat was this cosmopolitan persontoge do inlg on boatrd the pertu


returning to his ntive country


no


at lisboni he merely sent a letter on shlore


at cadi hel landled for a couple of hous to obtain a supply of cigaritos


gibraltar and malta hle was con tented tolook at from the deck of the steamor


his destination then was india


at all events hie crossed with tie outward bound fieom cairo to suez


like themo he took his passage thlrongli tihe tied sea but


ifor the greater numtber of tile passengers had been left at indiuan stations ihe still pirsuted his way his travel as hie now ndmitted extend intt to port phlillli rnds when tlo alrived thlre only one other ueisoh biesido


iisillf rb mained of all awho hadt oriinallyembaiked at southlampton


but blelbourne after all ivan iot mirandas ultimnate destination


the goldfields were not the aotraetioni that had taken lhim to the australian shores


toile inded hlie p ilared to consider as tioe agent only fotr actual necessities for haltho gh on ins alrrival in tihe goldten city hie lesentied a letter of cre tlit it a bank tir o


irdm the london i house of c anid co he only in the first instance took up the small aum ofq


it is triue however that afuiew ldays subsequently he obtained the fluther amount of t but on sailing for sithey lwhich lie did anl most imneodiately tfterwnrds he left un totuched the hlargo balance retmaining on his letter of credit with the melbourne bank


chaptrei iv


a vailuabll concixion


on the th october don antonio arteom do ayaln tile spanish consul at syd ney was busily engaged in iris oltice when a person of about ave anti forty years of age miade his appearance and with the manners ofa gentleman totnounced himself in slantish as a portuguese requiring some informtition whiclh in tile ablence of a consul of his own cointrv he was unable to obtain


don antonili repllied tltt i was tlhn very mulch pressed ltbr tine and could not enter into coversattion but he sthould be prepared to render himnl assistanrce


when more at losullre


on receiving tlhis intination the stranger bowed observed with great politeness that he oull not think atithnatsmmer t of trespatssing on the consuls valuiible tine and at once withdrew leavirig his card on which was vwritten i mr miiranda pettys hotiel


the spanish consul having coinploted the bilsiness of the day rosa to quit hiis office when his eye caught the card on tlhe table


miranda is not an uncommon name but ihav ing looked at it for a moment it occurred to him that it was mentioned in the note which hlie had received from the manager of the joint stock bank and that this might be the person sought after by him


having found this note at home on tihe next morning the consul called at pettys lhotel and inqurired tf his visitor of the dliy before


lie was shown to the room where the portuguese gentleman was sitting


have i the pleasure he said i of speaking to mr miranda of the house of miranda and company of lisbon


the same sir replied the portugnose


ini that case said the consul youi ex poet letters


lottersand something more returned mr miranda smiling


i urrived only yesterday from englandlast from mel boorneand being disoriente in this placd took the liberty of troubling you in your official capacity before i occupied myself with the business which has brought me to this colony


passports continued mi


miranda


smiling again are not anmnst a traveillers reqruisites when lie visits a itish colony but as some credentials lire neuivary in the present instance i beg you will ime the fivour of examiniing this document


as he spoke mr mirnnda tookl from his desk a morocco case whlich he unfolded and laid befobre the consul


it contained a por tuguese passport


duly signed by the foreign minister do loule countersigned by the secretarygenersl montavorde with several visas attached arid was altogether in perfect order as at a glance don attonio perceived


and now sii said the consnl retiining the passport commandl my services


ii was given to understand nearly amonth agui that letters stated to be of some importanem ad dressed to yourself whose aequaintince i have now the happiness to make were lying for you at the sydney joint stock bluk


yes said miirida i expectlettcis and remittances but i was desirous of establish ig my identity before i proceeded to claim themn


the first point loing settled repliid the consll bowing tlheio reihains only to put you in possession of your own


i tii well


awvare of the rolutation of your house mr miranda thibugh until the presuent titii hadl not the honour


of a persoial kiowljge of any member of the firm and if you wlil per mit ine i shall have the pleasure of taking you to the bank


sbeing an utter stranger in sydney mr miranda gladly accepted the coensuls polite otfier nd together tlhey at once proceeded to georgestreet where the bank swas situated


lthel manager on being inquirel for canie firom an iiner room and the consul smiliegly addressed him


here sir lie said is the geontlematn respecting whose arrival youi havo been so solicitous


allow me to present mr miranda f thi sir of tilrads snd gos lbjuldt


are you mir miranda ar askted thelo managel with pleased surprise


as my kind and worthy firiend has told you replied the stranger


you are most welcome sir said tihe manager heartily shluking mr miranda by the hand


then turniog to the consul lie thanked him for self and partners and doin antonio having no furthei business withdrew


and now sir resumed the manager pray step into the pulour


i must make you lknown to oir directors


it lhappened to


blie a board day and the majority of the directors were present


mr miiranda was introduced in due form and after a few words of compliment were passed ac knowledged the letters addressed to him andl remarked thalmt lie expected a letter of credit


oh yes salid the manager we hold a inthler heavy letter of credit on your account


sfrom the house of b blrothlers ob berved mir


miranda


exnotly returned the mahager


are you desirous of drawing to any amount


goldl s very scerlc hiere mr milanlda as perhaps you may ilave heard


this was a little beit of that pleasantrywhichl bankers sometimes ibut not often permit themselves to indulge in


mir


miranda however appeared to he a mee matterof aihct man wlto took everythinguigu pied de lao lectre and answered gravely in the slowand somewhat laboured imnner whlich character ised his inmdo of spealking when in loindon


scarce only i presume just iffter the period otf theoheaviest shipmenets toengland


olo


i do not require an immediate advance


i himdr quite eliouglh money fdrmall my per sohul expenses thohugh tlhly yours is nota cheap


country


wlhepr have looked roiund me a little i may desirio to make in vdeltnionitf ifi find theni suflielid piofitmble


rdtlidiinein time i shtilt h ii


tosee on lwhat atiount idcan oventiuaill ctlate


certainlysaud tid innolmar rising


for tlld phuupose of hiiinself attendilgto the wishes ofti custominr sio highlly c ricoiidmiided i will


lay oir advices bgfote yjdu


he loft the room aird retmurned in a few minutes


in tile first placel he aid here is a letter of credit for from messrs b brothers


good observed mr miranda glancing at tile letter


blutt this is not all


by no means replied the manager


we have also been favoured with bills for moresmaking altogether a sum of


upon whom areo all those bills drawn asked mri miranda


upon yourselves i suppose no said the manager they are drawn upon messrs r of hong kong


mr mirandas countenance darkened


thlat he saidis a piece of gross stupidity on the part oftle intermediate house between oar own and tlmt of messrsb


brothers


i have no intention of going to china those peiople were awareioi that thi t and have fir gotten their instrctiomns


ltheir negligence ill


be of disservice to them


i shall for the futiire employ other agents


no


i never meant togo to hong kong


even if i had those bills would involv the inconvenience of commuting them into dollarsas if i under stasd rightly they liavoe beon made payable sin pounds sterling


it is very true said the imanager you have been correctly infdrined


mr iranluda remasind


i short time silent


ly dilgrees tlhecloud passed from his brow what he inquired of the manager is the present rate of exchange on england


firstclass paper is at a premium of four per cent replied the manager


good


i seehow thiu mistake can be re nmedied


lhe most direct course and the nmost advantageous to us all will be to for wardl these hiong kong bills at once to miessrs b brothlers through you


my credit with the premium added will then re lomain at


thie manager and his codirectors consulted together for a brief space and seeing nothing in the suggestion but what was fair and busi ness liklo at once acceded to mirandas pro position the portuguese capitalist now took his leave with the promlise of lshortly laying be obre the banlk a coamlletse expossi of his inten tions with respect to the money in their handls


a firstrate man of business said the manager who had attended mr miranda to the dloo


hlere was a universal expression of assent on the part of the assembled directors and again they congratulated each other on hav ing formed so valuable a connection


crtea v ilas roe iuipirovins tire colony


about a week elapsed before mr miranda ostensiblly occupied hiinself with the matters that had brought him to new south wales


representing so distinguislled a london firm aiid spoken of with such high encomiulms by the directors of the sydlney jointstock bankl he became an object of increased at tention from don antonio arram de ayala whose courteous hospitality he as courtoously accepted


precipitation seemed to form no part of the character of mr miranda


his experience of manklinrld had doubtless taught hiinto stildv those with whoml he came into contact rather than trust implicitly to the official position which they might chance to occupy


he had learned besides from his own national proverb that it is not the habit that makles the friar and so lie waited till hlie lhad suffi ciently tested tlhe spanish consul


he then took liim into his confidence


don antonio hlie said on one occasion when they were alone together my motives in visiting this colony have riot been based entirely upon the advantages which may accrue to my hlouse in establishing commercial relations with it


i have a mission from my governnmenti may say a twofold mission and encouraged by your kindness i feel i cannot do wrong in asking the cooperation of a man of honour and integrity like yourself in assisting my views which are also those of my sovereign


don antonio made answer in spanish fashion that he was entirely at the disposition of mr miranda


my government said that gentleman has for somne time past entertained the idea of purchasing gold in this country for thie sup ply of the portuguese mint and at a council ofministers hold in may last it was finally resolved to deipatchl an agent hither for tlhat pigrpdose


tliichie of the goveamontfil upllon me but i firankly own to youl don aintonio that my sense of duty was stinmu iuted by private rellresentations being strongly urged to accept tihe mission by imy brothlerinlaw joao de nascimento lupi the directorgeneral of the treasury


here if you will takle the trouble to read it is the official letter of senhor antonio jose davila the minister of finance conferring upon me this appointment


thie spanishl consul persued the letter with attention and although the ternimh in which it was cduclhed might be look upon only in the light of official compliment his respect for mr miranda great as it was bdfore consider ably increasedl


the latter continued but this is not all


the second part of myin mission more directly affects the interest of this colony


the epeated failure of the vintage on tihe douron particularly in the dis trict of lamego has thrown a vast number of vinedressers out of employment in some parts indeed the vine has almost entirely disappeared


now my government being aware from general report that the climate and soil of new south wales are favourable to the production of wine desire to send out a large nunmber of these poor unemployed people and i amn charged to malke purchases of land for their settlement and in addition to this to procure samples of the products of the colony suich as may lay the founldation of large transactions hereafter


butlhero


mr mirandapauised a dilliculty hals arisnii in my mind


it strikes me as highly pro bnble that the priests of portugali know their feeling wvith regard to our ilpeasantry may oppose this projected emigration on rie ligisous grounds and that is one of my lurin cipal reasons fbr appealing to you


if i could obtain the attestation of some high uthlority that the members of the roman citliolio church weore in the enjoynent of fill toldiitibn the ccerical opipoisition whbic i anticipate miglht be reimoved


can youm ad vise me as to the means of irocsrilng such an attestation or tell ne if it is a thing to be expected


my dear sir replied tile spanish consull highly flattered by this request on tlhe question of toleration you may makle yourself perfectly at ease and with regard to the au thorit confirming it i will at once obtain that from the bishop who will only be too glad to increase the number of those already under the pastoral care


respecting the sam ples of produce i can aid you materially in obtaining them and i think your government will have every reason to be satisfied with the capabilities of the colony


in the procurement of the episcopal testi mony which was to satisfy the portugueso priesthood anlt the collection of the necessary samples but little time was consumed


the first mail to europe conveyedl the formor and thie earliest fireighted vessels carried as miuch as worth of specimens of what now south wales could furnish which were con signed to the house at lisbon


these thinigs accomplished the portuguese capitalist turlned his thoughts to the piurchase of an estate lwhereon to empuloy the vinem dressers of lameigo havingas he told the spanish consuldespatchled a very fill and clear report on the subject to the viscount sa de bandeira the portuguese minister of the colonies


without exactly specifying the purpjose for which he wanted this estate thoulgh it was geneailly understood that he was an agent of his government


mr miranda resumed his relations with the sydney joint stock bank requesting their assistance in finding out a property of the iind he requireli


thse bank readily under tooks this task and tihe names of several owners of land who were disposed to sell with every descriptive particular were placed before him


mr mirandal considered eachl offer with tile attention for which he was so remarkable and after carefully balancing their respective merits decided for local reasons in favour of an estate belonging to a mr cohen of port phlillip and the negotiation for its purchase was immediately set on foot


the corres pondence on the subject did not however advance mr mirandans wishes so rapidly as he desired and he began to grow impatient at the delay


he could not afford he said to waste time as precious to a mercantile man as money itself the first month of the noew year was already arrivedl and therefore he rather abruptly came to the conclusion that he must himself go down for a time to port phillip to lhaten the completion of the contract


of all autocrats moneyed men are the most absolute and when he declared that for thel furtherance of his object it was neces sary he should transfer the greater part of his account with the sydney bankl to a lead inn house in melbourne no opposition was ifered to his wishes


it would tiy agreed with mr miranda be much mnore cinvenient to all parties concerned in the sale that he should have agents on the spot with a control over his means and accordingly they fur


nished him with a letter of credit on the bank of australasia in melbourne and in january mr miranda bade a cordialthough as he said but a temporaryifarewell to his friends in sydney


ci lptr vlt prudence tiie hest policy


as with the course of true love so it frea quently hliappens with money mattersthat they do not always run smoothly


on mr mirandas arrival at melbourne he found a geiehoral uneasiness prevailing


people talked of monetary difficulties and an apprehension seemed to bie gaining ground that before long there might be a run on the banks


the ruling element in mr mirandas mind was prudence


ihe could afford the loss of twenty thousand pounds as well perhaps as any man living but they who can best afford to lose are generally the least disposed to submit to that dispensation


besides he held this sum in trust as it were for carrying out the views of his government the emigration plan would be frustrated if any accident pre vented him from realising the amount ona his european remittances and accordingly he lost no time in announcing to the austral asian ioank as well as to the house that held his balance on the letter of credit from messrs c and co of london that he wished to draw out all his funds and receive payment in gold the gentleman who conducted these establishments not being a csuainted like those of sydney with the high and useful purposes to which mr mirandas money was to be devoted were disposed to sneer at the alarm which his proceedings manifested


thley hiowever paid hiis demand the manager of the bank of australasia fromi which he drew upwards of nineteen thousand pounds satirically advisiii him o bur hinis gold iss one of thle exhausted gold fields


tise old smile came over mr miirandas plscid countenance as he listened to this sug gestion which he respectfially but firmly de clined


i have not been fiveandtwenty years in business he said without running risks and some oftthem have been heavy ones


we merchants are not lend of large pereentages when they applmar on the debtor side of the account


i do not travel anprince with an escort neitherido i tell evdrybody i meet that my pocketi are full of money


oh do as you please said the banker only reineniber tbat i warned you in case anything halppens


mr miranda bbre the taint ivith his acn customed patience and philosophy replying quietly that he ifitefidcd to pay a visit to the diggings and when the melbourne banker asked himin amaze for what purpose he was going thither ihe took the opportunity of mnaking knovn the commission witlh wliich he was charged by his government to purchase gold for the portuguese mint


well said the other you know your own concerns best but you run more risk in taking yotir gold up there than in leaving it with is oven during a panic


you will require a good escort i can assure you and those gentry dont lend their protection without ex acting a tolerable perdestage


take my ad vicei ofer it altogether in a friendly spirit tleposit your money in our hands again and draw bills upon us for what you may require


mr miranda returned to the criterion hotel whemre hle ihad taken up his quarters on reaching melbourne and began to makel the necessary prepalrations tfor his journey in land


hie had time sufficient hlie thought for a visit to the diggings pending the con clusion of thile negotinatioi for tlhe property he hand come to piurcliaso


as it so happened mr colhen was away fromi home at the mo ment and mr mirandas presonco in port phillip had failed to accelerate the transac tion


but the portuguese capitalist no longer chafed at the delay which had irritated him so much at sydney probably because he was now the actual master of his property and had it all well in hand


whether mr miranda were a fatalist and therefore thought it useless to endeavour to evade his doom or whether he despised the warning he had received cannot exactly be ascertained buit this much is known that he had his trunks carried to tlhe office of the castlemaine stage at the same time securing andti paying for his place


the porters how over must have brought him wrong informa tion as to the hour at which the coach set out for when mr miranda arrived at the office he found to his great disappointment that the mail was gone and as he had not made his appearance his baggage was left behind


whatever vexation mr miranda fetblt he did not lose hiis tompelr but civilly requested that hiis tsunks might remain at the office intil he could find some other conveyance and the stage coach proprietors who had profited by the tbrfeiture of mr miraindas fare could not refuse his modest desire


this occurrence took place on the th jieisary but to judge by subsequent events the contretemjps experienced by mr miranda could only have been slightfor on the folfl i ir day be called at the oficee and remodi lit tiuhks allioog that he had de cided upon proceeding to ballamat


after this date every trace of the unforti


nate portuguese gentleman in the australian colonies was lost


cuatnn vii


colonialt


encerpnlrie rbwaiedtd


the unfortunate portuguese gerntltiian


no one at that moment il all australia de plored the disappearance of mr miranda more than the spanish consul at sydney


the joint stock bank heard the news with more foititnde or les sensibility for on titi


ing his departure for melbufnem r mirada had left a bialance witl theri of some tig like and although this sum must one day he accounted for to the lisbon house they had the use of the moneyin the inteival


but don antonio de ayala was hidonsol able


his sentiments towards mr mirands had during their intercourse ripened into a strong friendship


mri miranda while


at melbourne had written to him twice and in each letter had assured him tha


as soon as hl had completed the busiriess thri io hand he should return to sydney where he begged li would secure him a private reidence


the fact ot his having converted his bills into gold had become known to the cotsilit witns a thing fobr the rude colonists to make a jesstf and this coupled withlhis interded journey to the di gings led don antonio o the in evitable codaclusion that his friejd add bediv waylaid end murdered by sore sf dih lawleai fellowsvho skidlk in the rusli or naurit the bleak wastes which lie between melbourne and ballaarat


there were great interests associnoated with the safety of mr miranda but indpoeridehtly of this consideration the spanish consul ieas a man of too much kind feeling to think of per


soenal iriconvenience when he might serve the cause of humanity and a whole month hay ing gone by without any tidings he resolved to set out himself for melbourne


immediately on his arrival he set the police in motion foir the discovery of the illfated capitalist whose obstiniate neglect of good counsel had led him as thire banker who had givenit felt certain


to an untimely end


i knew how it would be he said to dor antonio when the latter waited os bianito make sure that mr miranda had cashed his accobhnt i told him to leave his mone hbe hind


depend upon it you will hear that his body hiras been found if ever it is found in one of the muddy waterholes of forest creek or somewhere thereabouts


and this opinion coinciding with that of the spanish consul was reiterated by thd


seciond bankerthe one who had cashed thd letter of credit on messrs c and co of londbnwho in coarse phrase not very humanely added and


sarve him right


i nevertheless the consul was not deterred either by his own misgivings or those of others fioom using every effobrtia his powier to find his friend and after a time greatly to his joy he received a telegraphic message


to the effect that mr miranda was really at the gold fields


a second and a third telegram followed his progress from one to another but all the consuls hopes were dashed to he earth by the receipt of a fourth which an nounced that the person who had been taken for mr miranda was a polish jew who anssweredto his description


what is that wondrous instinct which hike an electric current sauddenly fills men and more particularly commercial men with the conviction that something is not right in affairs which on the face of them bear the very fhirest seeming


in the absence of the spanish consul ant


melbourne a dread of this description took possession of the bosoms of the manager aii directors of thesydney joint stock bank


they venitured to enterstain a ddubt ot thef honesty of mr miranda


inquiry of a kind never set on foot before tended to strengthen this impression and it was resolved to send after the abseltee a clever detective mr singletonhis indime is worth rccordingwho was not lorg iefomrei obtained some intelligence of the gentlepsan so eagerly sought


it was in substance thlis on tho st of january the daiy on whic mr miiranda removed is truins fropi tdi castlermine coachofice a person callbng himselfl


monsieur la prairie took his passager for callaoo on board the fastnstiiliii pper good inirit having previously stipplated that no expense should be spared in iaying in wines and provisions for the voyage ofthe very best quality


from the descriptihbiff


iis person and manrners there idoi o doubt in the mind of mr singleton t xtr


miranda and monsieur la prairie were one and the same individual


i


but there had been already one mistakith identity might not this be another


alas for commercial integrityalas for the cause of portuiguesiemigration alisr for ti


sydney joint stbrkl bankin


als fo


gtiy utterer of the unfeeling remark not lobtip hic quoted the return mails from england brought out the intelligencetthat botlih


e letters of credit as weill as tld hong kesir billsujwereimost ingeious foieries i and thus for the present cnd the hiioq of mr


miranda who in atill probabilityf m still enjoyintthe fruits of ihis colnial o ter


prise min the capital of peru


american notes for general circulation by chaules dickens


vomjmb iichapter ii


some furtiikr account orthk canal boat it domestic economy and its pasrkngbrb


journey to pitts rvro acrossthk allkghanv moun tains


rittsburo


as it continued to rain most perscveringly we ah remained below tlie damp gentle men round the stove gradually becoming rrmotfed by the action of the fire and th dry gentlemenlying at full length opbs the seats or slumbering uneasily ffith their faces on the tnblcs or vyalking of und down the cabin which it was barely passible for n man of the middle height to do without making bald places on his head by scraping it against the roof


at about six oclock all the small tables were pnt together to form one long table and everybody sat down to tea coffee brend imtter salmon had liver steak potatoes pinkies ham ehops black puddings and sausages


will you try said my opposite neigh bour handing me a dish of potatoes broken on in milk and butter will you try some of these fixings


there are few words which perform such various duties as this word lix


it is the caleb quotcm of the american vocabulary


you call upon a gentleman in a country town and his help informs yon that he is fixing himself just now not will be down directly by which you are to understand that he is dressing


yon enquire on board a steamboat of a fellowpassenger whether breakfast will be jeady soon and he tells you he should think so for when he was last below they were fixing the tables in other words hying the cloth


you beg a porter to ollect your luggage and he entreats you not to be uneasy for hell fix it pre sently and if you complain of indis position you are advised to have recourse io doctor so and so who will fix you in no time


one night i ordered a bottle of mulled xvine at an hotel where i was slaying and waiting a long time for it at length it was put upon the tnble with an apology from the landlord that he feared it wastit fixed properly


and i recollect once at a stagecoach dinner overhearing a etem gentleman demand of a waiter who presented him with a plate of underdone roast beef whether he called thal fixing god amightys vittles


there is no doubt that the meal at which the invitation was tendered to me xvhich has occasioned this digression was disposed of somewhat ravenously and that the gentlemen thrust the broad bladed knives nnd the twopronged forks further down their throats than i ever baw the same weapons go before except in the hands of a skilful juggler but no man sat down until the ladies were seated or omitted any little act of politeness which could contribute to their comfort


nor did i ever once on auy occasion anywhere dnring my rambles in america see a woman exposed to the slightest act of rudeness incivility or even inattention


dy the time the meal was over the rain whieh seemed to have worn itself out by coming down so fast was nearly over too and it became feasible to go on deck which was a great relief notwith standing its being a very small deck and being rendered still smaller by the lug gage which was heaped together in the middle under a tarpaulin covering leaving on either side a path so narrow that it became a science to walk to and fro without tumbling overboard into the canal


it was somewhat embarrassing at first too to have to duck nimbly every live minutes whenever the man at the helm cried bridge


and sometimes whn the cry was low bridge to lie down nearly flat


but custom familiarizes one to anything and there wero so many bridges that it took a very short time to get used to this


as night came on and we drew in sight of tlie first range of hills which arc the outposts of the allegbany mountains the scenery which had been uninteresting hi therto became more bold and striking


the wet ground reeked and smoked after th heavy fall of rain and the croaking of tht frogs whose noise in these parts is almost incredible sounded as though a million of fairy teams with bells were travelling through the nir and keeping pace with us


the night wns cloudy yet but moonlight too and when we crossed the sustinehanna riverover which there ts mt extraordinary wooden bridge with two galleries oue above the other so that even there two boat teams meeting may pass without confusionit was wild and urand


i have mentioned my having been in some uncertainty mid doubt at first rela tive to tlie sleeping arrangements on board this boat


i remained iu this same vague state of mind until ten oclock or there abouts when going below i found sus pended on either aide of the cabin three long tiers of hanging bookshelves de signed apparently for volumes of the small octavo size


looking with greater atten tion at these contrivances wondering to find such literary preparations in such a place i vscried on each shelf a sort of microscopic sheet nutt blanket then i be gan dimly to comprehend flint the pas sengers were the library and that they ware to be arranged edgevfise on these helvea till morning


i wm fssisted tg ibis conclusion by seeing some of them gathering lotmd th master of the boat at one of the tables drawing lots with all the anxieties and passions of gamesters depicted in their countenances while others with small pieces of cardboard in their hands were groping among the shelves in search of numbera corresponding with those they had drawn


as soon as any gentleman found his number he took possession of it by immediately undressing himself and crnwling into bed


tile rapidity with which an agitated gambler subsided into a snoring slumbercr was one of the most singular effects i hnvo ever witnessed


as to the ladies they were already abed be hind the red curtains which was carefully drawn and pinned up the centre though as every cough or sneeze or whisper be hind the curtains wns perfectly audible before it we had still a lively conscious ness of their society


the politeness of the person in au thority lind secured to mc a shelf in a nook nenr this red curtain in some degree removed from the great body of sleepers j to which place i retired with many ac knowledgments to him for his attention


i found it on aftermeasurement just the width of an ordinary sheet of bath poat letterpaper and i wnsnt first in some un certainty ns to the best means of getting into it


but the shelf being a bottom one finally determined upon lying upon the floor rolling gently in stopping imme diately i touched the mattress and re mained for the night with that side upper most whatever it might be


luckily i came upon my bnck at exactly the right moment


i wns much alarmed on looking upwnrd to see by the shape of his half yard of sneking which his weight liad bent into an exceedingly tight bag thnt there was a very heavy gentleman above mc whom the slender cords seemed rpiite incapable of holding and i could not help reflecting upon the grief of my wife and family in the event of his coming down in the night


but as i could not hare got up again without a severe bodily struggle which might have alarmed the ladies and ns i had nowhere to go to even if i had i shut my eyes upon the danger and re mained there


one of two remarkable circumstances is indisputably a fact with reference to that class of society who travel in these boats


either they carry their restlessness to such a pitch thnt they never sleep at all or tliey expectorate in dreams which would be a remarkable mingling of the real and ideal


all night long and every night on this canal there was n perfect storm nud tempest of spitting and once my coat being in the very centre of a hurricane sustniucd by five gentlcmon which moved vertically strictly carrying ont reids theory of the law of storms


i was fain the next morning to lay it on the deck and rub it down with fair water before ii wns in a condition to be worn again


between five and siv oclock in the morning we got up nnd some of us went on deck to give them an opportunity of taking the shelves down while others the morning being very cold crowded round the rusty stove cherishing the newly kindled fire and filling the grate with those voluntnry contributions of which they had been so liberal at night


the washing accommodations were primi tive


there was a tin ladle chained to the deck with which every gentlcmnti who thought it necessary to cleanse himself some were superior to this weakness fished the dirty water out of the canal and poured it into a tin basin secured in like manner


there was also a jack towel


and hanging up before a little lookingglass in the bnr in the immediate vicinity of the bread nud cheese and bis cuits were n public comb and hairbrush


at eight oclock he shelves being taken down and put away and the tables joined together cveiybody sat down to the tea coffee bread butter salmon shad liver steak potatoes pickles ham chops black puddings and sausages all over again


some were fond of compounding this variety and having it all on their plates at once


as each gentleman got through his own personal amount ot tea coffee bread butter salmon shad liver steak potatoes pickles ham chops blackpuddings and sausages he rose up and walked off


when everybody had done with everything the fragments were cleared away and one of the waiters appearing anew in the character of a barber shaved such of the company ns desired to be shaved while the remain der looked on or yawned over their news papers


dinner was breakfast again without the tea and coffee nnd supper and breakfast were identical


there was a man on board this boat with a lightfreshcoloured face and a peppcrandsnlt suit of clothes who was the most inquisitive fellow that can pos sibly be imagined


he never spoke other wise than interrogatively


he wns an embodied inquiry


sitting down or stand up still or moving walking the deck or taking his meals there he was with a grent note of interrogation in each eye two in his cocked ears two more in his turned up nose and chin at least half a dozen more about the corners of his mouth and the largest one of all in his hair which was brushed partly off his forehead in a flaxen clump


every button in his clothes said eh


whats that


did you speak


say that again will yon


he was always wide awake like the enchanted bride who drove her husband frantic always restless always thirsting for answers perpetually seeking and never finding


there never was such a curious man