 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
Englishman is never content to do anything that he undertakes, by halves; he will pull all
surrounding influences up to his level; he never descends to them. It is the genius of the British
colonist to reproduce in the most distant regions, and under the most unfavourable auspices, the
minutest details of early associations, to surround himself at the antipodes with the atmosphere
of home.'
87
!t seems to have rained a lot in Melbourne about this time, as 'rnucT is mentioned twice in the
next three days.
'12 July: Breakfasted with Mr N
, the truly excellent incumbent of St
Peter's Church. He lives in a pretty house, quite close to the church. The mud renders the
streets almost impassable; it rears itself up above the boots.
'13 July: Saw the Bishop of Melbourne (Dr Perry), a thin and very acuie-!ooking prelate.
Bought a Queen's head for a letter. The portrait of her Majesty is a wonderfully coarse
production of art, very much like a public-house sign reduced.
'Sunday, 14 July: Waded to church through mud four inches deep. St James's is the first church
that was built in Melbourne. Its external architecture is very hideous; internally it is, if anything,
worse. The prayers are read, and the sermon preached, from two lofty desks of polished wood
in front of the chancel. The font is placed between these, so as to impede the view of the
communion table. The service was celebrated with great decorum, and the Bishop preached a
clear, logical, and impressive discourse, of what is termed the low-church school...
'16 July: Mr La Trobe, the Superintendent or Deputy-Governor of the Colony, did me the
honour of calling on me. This gentleman is a Swiss by birth, and has distinguished himself by
publishing several amusing and instructive works, such as "The Alpenstock", "Travels in
Mexico", etc. It requires a great dea! of temper to be governor of a colony. The game of
"ministerial" and "opposition", "Conservative" and "Liberal", is played out here just as in the
mother-country. But it is done in a coarser and rougher spirit. The head of the government is
always the butt of the most personal and virulent attacks from the opposition journals, which,
like mosquitoes, are always buzzing about his ears, and sometimes they sting very sharply. A
nervous, irritable, or a refined, fastidious man, had much better stay at home than accept such
an office.
'17 July: Hear that the climate is very variable. Last autumn influenza was very prevalent in
Melbourne, and all the blacks retreated from the city and immediate neighbourhood into the
bush. When questioned on their reasons for leaving, they replied: "No good stay. White man too
much sniffle." Hear that shepherding is such a solitary, idle life, that some of the men become
half-witted and foolish. Walked to Richmond, a pretty village, partly seated on a gentle
eminence, close to the Yarra. In going I passed a stately house, haif-finished, which is being built
as a palace for the Bishop. In Richmond abound weatherboard cottages, nestling in flower
gardens.
'20 July: Walked over the fine bridge to a pretty village on the shores of the bay called St Kilda,
about three miles from Melbourne. Bathing would be delicious here, if the locality were free of
sharks. Formerly, there were none here; but now so much offal floats down the river from the
boiling-down establishments, that these monsters prowl about everywhere. Wherever the
carcase is, the vultures congregate.
'21 July: A most brilliant, elastic day. I attended divine service at St Peter's Church, a plain,
 |