A Voyage to the Australian Station

On the Prospect of Admitting Women to the University .

"Up" in the "Long;" or, a Soliloquy by a Senior Soph

Quis Desiderio

Our Chronicle

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St. John's College, December, 1864.

A VOYAGE TO THE AUSTRALIAN STATION.

I HAVE endeavoured in this account of my first voyage to give a short sketch of each place visited, and to record anything, no matter how trivial, that happened on the voyage, provided that I had not seen it mentioned elsewhere.

We left Spithead at 3.30 P.M., June 17th, 1863, and passed the Needles in the twilight; the lights of three different light-houses were visible at this time. Next morning the ship was just opposite the Start point; about 1.30 we got up the screw and proceeded under sail; hitherto sea sickness had not troubled me, but, as the sails were one after another reefed or taken in, I felt that my time was come and retired to my cabin in very dismal humour-the absolute disregard for everything and everybody is the one single counterbalancing advantage of sea sickness—though usually a severe sufferer I was only kept one day from the dinner table, and for five more was obliged to be careful in my diet. One thing rather surprised me: all my messmates in the wardroom were, with one exception, regular old sailors, and yet half of them suffered more or less.

Down to the latitude of Cape Finisterre several ships were always in sight; but they became less frequent as we sailed on, and had quite disappeared by the time we reached Madeira.

On the morning of the twelfth day (June 29th) we were in sight of Madeira, and being anxious to see a really foreign place I hastened on deck. We were coasting along a wide, shallow bay, surrounded by high hills, cultivated to their very summits, the crops consisting of Indian corn and sugar cane. In the corner of the bay the white houses of Funchal glistened in the sun; the town is made up of the usual collection of small, two-storied, flat-roofed buildings, built close down to the beach, and broken by an old

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church tower or two and one tall chimney-it exactly put me in mind of Dawlish-there was really nothing foreign about the town. On the left were some much finer houses half-hidden in bright green vegetation, so luxuriant that at once you knew it could not be matched in England.

We anchored and saluted the Portuguese flag about eight. By this time a great many boats had put off, some manned by loafers, several belonging to washerwomen (these last, with many compliments on my improved personal appearance, recognized and claimed me as a regular customer during former visits to the island), and others laden with oranges, bananas, and small peaches.

Soon after breakfast the English consul came on board to know if he could be of any use; and in the course of the day an officer from an American war ship in the harbour came to know if he could render any assistance. The same day our Captain, as the new arrival, calls to thank for the attention, and this call is returned by the Captain of the foreigner in person.

Should there be any directions to be given as to anchorage, the harbour-master comes on board before coming to an anchor.

At breakfast I made my first acquaintance with bananas; the natives are very proud of them and say they were the forbidden fruit of Eden. If so English garden fruits have been much improved by cultivation, as a good pear is very superior.

My diary tells me that the streets of Madeira are very narrow and steep, but well paved; there are no wheeled vehicles to be seen, but the carriages go on large timbers like the runners of a sledge.

All the houses are plastered, and rings, &c. laid on in bright paint; the windows are very frequently unglazed. The outside of all theatres seen by day seem to have a family likeness to an unoccupied house, and Funchal strongly reminded me of this. It is the more surprising as the place is kept up by English visitors; the very blackguards speak a kind of English; a confectioner paints that word as well as the Portugese equivalent on the outside of his shop; the publican announces in both Portugese and English that his is a "grog shop"; and yet I do not remember seeing one English word mis-spelt.

There are three places to see in Funchal: the cathedral and Protestant and Roman Catholic burial grounds.

The cathedral is built of a coarse black stone, and would be venerable had not the authorities seen fit to give the tower a thick coat of whitewash, and to top its heavy square form with an absurd pagoda kind of steeple covered with a chequer work of blue and white tiles. They have however left the west door intact, which has some fine carving upon it, and there was one wheel window in the transept with good tracery.

Smaller than any English cathedral I have seen, it is more lofty. There is a plain oak roof blackened with age; the windows are four in number (one at each cardinal point) glazed with unstained glass. Their places on each side of the nave are occupied by three niches each filled with a tawdry gilt image the size of life.

As it was a festival the chancel was laid with a turkey carpet, and the altar decorated with flowers and tinsel. We landed at the base of a steep hill; on the opposite side lies the Roman Catholic cemetery, below lies the town. The cemetery is of considerable size: near many of the graves we saw fresh bouquets or wreaths of flowers or else flowers loosely scattered on the stone. On one grave the wreath was made of expensive artificial flowers: injured indeed by exposure to the weather, but untouched out of respect to the purpose they were applied to. On the better class of tombs were placed small glazed cases containing artificial flowers, small candlesticks, &c., and in one a photograph, apparently of the deceased: but it is the luxuriant growth of flowers, planted round nearly every grave, that makes the place worth a visit. The heliotrope is almost a weed in its luxuriance and frequency; but roses, jasmine, and myrtle flourish with an abundance that can hardly be surpassed. There are but few ugly, heavy tombstones, nevertheless the place reminded me painfully of our overcrowded, neglected cemeteries. The very unrestrained luxuriance of the flowers added to the effect, contrasting with the care and order that ought to reign: but with all this luxuriance the earth is bare and parched, as there is nothing to take the place of the smooth carpet of English turf which will not grow.

Most people visit the Protestant burial ground in remembrance of the many English people laid there; it is so crowded with tombs and tablets as to prevent the growth of flowers. There is a beautiful entrance through a piece of ground, half garden, half shrubbery, with beds crowded to excess with flowers and flowering shrubs.

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Among the many new flowers I was particularly struck by a variety of the myrtle; the pair of leaves enclosing each blossom are of the usual size but more delicate and of a pale mauve colour.

Enjoying a splendid climate of most splendid summer weather, the poorer classes struck me as much the laziest people I had ever seen; our English idlers at the street corners always profess to be on the look out for a "job," and deplore their enforced idleness; but here not a soul makes even this shallow pretence.

A mob of a dozen followed us about all day; if we entered a shop so did they, mixing in the conversation with the proprietor and giving free counsel and advice; if we paid them no attention they lit cigarettes and smoked, if we wanted them they put the cigarette in their caps, cleared their throats, and were at our service in a moment.

But they bully and extort where they have a chance and are shameless cheats: almost the last incident I remember at Madeira is running down in a great hurry lest I should miss the boat, my flight impeded by a ragged native who followed hard after and besought me earnestly to purchase a spectacle-case, paper-cutter, and card-case for the same sum that I had offered for the card-case alone only the day before, when my offer had been refused with every appearance of disdain.

We made several explorations into the country and found the vegetation wonderfully luxuriant; the peaches hanging over the road so that we could pluck them as we walked along. I invested sixpence in the purchase of a pint of the best island wine, but found it undrinkably sour; it is hardly necessary to say that in consequence of the wine disease most of the vineyards were turned into corn fields. I believe however that the cultivation of the vine is being resumed.

The nuns make the most enchanting wreaths of white flowers from feathers, as well as lace and crochet work; from the woods of the island a rough imitation of Tunbridge ware is made.

We left Madeira after three days, and crossed the line July 26th. I am happy to say the day passed off without any of the riot that so often takes place.

My first sight of a foreign port was my first disappointment; my second was the heat on the line. I had anticipated something much more powerful, but experienced no difficulty in carrying on my usual duties, nor did I suffer from headache, &c. after exposure to the sun. We were,