CHAPTER I. Leaving England...
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THREE YEARS' CRUISE
IN THE
AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES.
CHAPTER I.
Leaving England--Madeira--Rio Janeiro--Cape of Good Hope.
HER Majesty's ships 'Calliope' and 'Fantome' left Plymouth Sound to relieve the squadron ('Havanah' and 'Fly') on the Australian station, Sunday, March 2, 1851. Rounding the west end of the Breakwater at 1.30. P.M. on a most lovely day for an English March, we anchored at Madeira on the 11th; the 'Pandora,' another vessel of our squadron, joining us there. Madeira is an excellent break in the commencement of a voyage, and the horse-exercise to the Corral, and other beautiful spots, does one a great deal of good after the monotonous confinement on board. We weighed from Madeira on the 16th. On the evening of the 22nd one of the largest flying-fish I have seen flew on board; he was 18 inches long, 22 inches between the tips of the wings, and weighed two pounds. We kept the trades till the 29th, in lat. 3° N. long 22° W.; when, with the therm. 872°, we crossed the sun, not to recross till on our return to
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RIO JANEIRO.
England. The S. E. trades gradually breezed up here, and we kept them strong till the 6th of April, when, in lat. 13° S., we got the variables, which took us into the superb harbour of Rio Janeiro, where we found the English, French, and Brazilian Admirals and squadrons, and letters sent by the mail-steamer that had left England after us.
The scenery of Rio is magnificent in the extreme. The peaked mountain Corcovado, and a conical hill called Lord Hood's Nose (from its resemblance to that part of the "human face divine"), towering over the tropically-luxurious green slope down to the quietly-washed beaches of the lovely harbour, studded with bright green islets; the bristling forts of Gobernador, &c, the city on the southern shore; on the north, the delicious bap of Praia Grande, and the Braganza country, form a coup d'oeil seldom surpassed. Naples, Palermo, Dublin, and even some of the New Zealand bays, I prefer for their scenery; but Rio, as a harbour, surpasses them.
Extremes meet. The scenery I saw was magnificent in the extreme; the town is filthy in the extreme; and the nearer to the Emperor's palace the greater is the stench. Whatever the true Portuguese race may be here, the people you see appear a most degenerate, sensual-looking, depraved set; which appearance the existence of that anomaly in Christian countries, Slavery, with its concomitant evils, must tend to increase and keep up. It is a difficult problem to solve--What will become of the white race in this country? Should the blacks get the upper hand of their luxurious masters, and become free, will not the innate laziness of the Brazilians (the white race) fail to keep their tenure? In that case, although one
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RIO DURING PASSION WEEK.
of the most magnificently-rich countries in the world, it would become a second San Domingo. The Anglo-Saxon race will never encroach here, so as to hold it, or indeed any other tropical country, not densely inhabited by a naturally-slavish race. India is no proof to the contrary. It is impossible that tropical India should ever be held exclusively by a white race, the black must do the work; and though in the inscrutable plans of Providence the white race may be the rulers to introduce the knowledge of truth and the records of revealed religion, the blacks once thoroughly Christianized, the white empire over them will cease.
Being at Rio in Passion-week, we witnessed the ceremonies and processions commemorating the holy season. The streets were lined with infantry, and the Emperor (a splendid man) and Empress joined in the procession. First of all was carried a coffin, followed by priests and laymen; then a full-sized figure of the Blessed Virgin Mary in immensely-valuable but gaudy robes, on a dais and large cushion, supported by bearers, followed by church and laymen, the latter in a kind of clerical dress, they being lay brethren of the orders and churches. A number of girls of about seven years of age, dressed lightly, with gauze wings like ballet-girls, tripped and danced lightly after them, supposed, I believe, to be imitating angel's movements. These were daughters of noblemen and people of high rank. Large masses of troops and militia followed. The churches were all magnificently lighted up; and the ornaments were, I think, more imposing and rich, but less gaudy, than those I have seen in Italy, France, or Spain. But I must allow that to me it all appeared a gorgeous mockery of true religion.
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CAPE OF GOOD HOPE,
H. M. S. 'Cormorant' towed us out of Rio, April 23rd, and after a noble run of 18 days we anchored in Simon's Bay, Cape of Good Hope, May 11th, H. M. S. 'Vulcan' steaming in with us, with the 74th Highlanders, despatched from Cork in the greatest hurry to reinforce the strength in the colony. I met several of the officers ashore at the hotel, but all, as soon as the 'Vulcan' had coaled, were sent off to Buffalo Bay, where they landed and were soon in action on the frontier. They had to leave the women of the regiment behind; and as there was no money in town for bills in such a hurry, they were in great trouble, the paymaster being besieged by them on the pier-head, their husbands having no time to make arrangements.
Simon's Town is a mere collection of people brought there by the inducements of a naval-station. Hotels, public-houses, washerwomen, stables, tradesmen, and labourers of all description, whose whole subsistence depends on the business made by its being the headquarters of the Royal Navy in South Africa: for it has no other trade, and merchant-ships all go to Table Bay, a long distance by sea, and about 22 miles by land. It has its church, post-office, market, &c, and a fort, ungarrisoned at this time, all the soldiers being on the frontier in the Caffre war. The stables are numerous, and in great request for conveyance to Cape Town, the capital, particularly by the young middies.
With two of my brother-officers I took a trip to Cape Town. We were a motley group in the four-horse Dutch mail-waggon: a shoemaker who had served in the army in India; an old man who was a boy at Trafalgar; a Malay woman, with the grease of a whole sheep in her coal-black hair; and ourselves.
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CAPE TOWN.
The waggon was dragged through soft sand, over which occasional rollers brought the sea up to the horses' knees, the driver having to get out often to induce the horses to work. He was a most amusing fellow; and his Dutch ejaculations to his animals were very rich; their names were, Apples, Windfull, Coffee, and Tailor --and Windfull did answer him to the purpose.
Cape Town is well built, on a flat, under the high Table Mountain; the streets are regular; the commercial rooms form a very fine building in a public parade. There are several squares; and it has its cathedral, and is the see of a bishop and the seat of government of the colony at present; but whether it is to continue so, or Graham's Town is to have the preeminence, appears doubtful. The botanical gardens are prettily laid out. The Governor and troops being absent, society was very dull. The hotels are very good and numerous. A female-emigrant ship, the 'Gentoo,' had lately arrived; her passengers had turned out very badly, and were talked of in Cape Town as the Gentoo girls: the accounts of the conduct of some of the officers of this ship were shameful.
The rides about are very pretty. On the race-course we saw some very fine horses: near it is the royal observatory--a fine conspicuous building, two miles from town. Mr. Mann, one of the astronomers, kindly showed us the beautiful measurements on the transit instruments, and the equatorial telescopes, &c.; but the day being rather heavy, we could see but little of the heavens. The villa town of Rondebosch (or Round the Bush), the retreat of the Cape Town fashionables from the hot, dusty town, is a romantic little place; and, indeed, all the environs are beautiful.
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SIMON'S BAY.
Provision were dear; but the markets were excellently supplied with fish--steinback, skate, Cape salmon, barracouta, albicore, &c.: our men caught large numbers alongside the ship. It being May (English November), only late autumn fruit were to be had. Oranges, guavas, pears, &c.
I hardly recollect any place where a greater collection of foreigners is to be seen. The town, though peculiarly English, is traversed by a heterogenous mixture of all nations, among which, after the English and Dutch, the Malay feature predominates, the true African being seldom seen. One of the most striking things to a stranger is the appearance of the turns-out of horses, tandems, four-in-hands, and the immense numbers of large, heavy bullocks in teams.
The bulbs and heaths are particularly luxuriant; the soil is very sandy, but produces large crops. The wines we got were very poor; the Constantia (the best) being light and sweet, and not so good as the wine of that name I have had at home: they charged us 7s. 6d. a bottle at the hotel for it. It ought to have been good at that price. The language chiefly spoken by the colonists is Dutch; the laws Dutch; the manners Dutch;. the bills and notions Dutch; but the climate--oh no! not Dutch, but Italian, and delicious; the sandy soil being the only unpleasantness--especially in windy weather.
A dreadful accident took place at Simon's Bay, while we were there. Two young officers, one of the 'Orestes,' the other of the 'Pandora,' were drowned, from the swamping of a small private dingy alongside H. M. S. 'Castor,' two of the party of four being saved. Poor boys! they were in excellent health and spirits just before; and the news of the affair must have
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CAPE PIGEONS AND ALBATROSS.
dreadfully shocked their friends: this had a sad, but I fear not lasting, effect on us all.
We left 28th May, taking on to the Australian colonies a mail brought out by the first or second Cape screw mail-steamer, of 13th April, which arrived a day or two before we sailed. Passing the islands of Amsterdam and St, Paul's--capital coal-depots for steamers in the Indian Ocean--we arrived, after an unfortunately long passage, off Van Diemen's Land, on the 12th July.
Large numbers of Cape pigeons and albatross followed us to St Paul's, when they left us, probably for a cruise ashore, as two days after we had an equal number about us--probably the same birds.
The albatross is indeed the king of birds; one we caught, among many, measured 10 feet 5 inches between the points of the extended wings; our boatman cooked all he could get, and ate them. I tasted some of his mess; but although it really was not bad, but like the white part of turtle, I could not fancy the coarse stuff, and merely tasted it--some of our young officers ate it heartily. Some of the small under feathers of the albatross are very beautiful, and nearly as fine as the delicate ostrich feather, or the soft down of the marabout.
