d have immolated us on the altar of his hospitality had we not
discreetly retreated to the ship.

A single day was passed at the Bluff, a place so small that one could
"do" it in an hour; and yet there was much of interest here to be
observed. One is paid for ascending the high point of the Bluff, some
nine hundred feet, by the fine view afforded of land and sea. Many
half-caste people were observed, born of intermarriage between Europeans
and the aborigines. Some of the young women of this descent were
remarkable for possessing fine eyes, rich brown complexions, white
teeth, clear-cut features, and a great wealth of long black hair. These
answer to our quadroons of the Southern States in appearance, having the
same dainty touch of color on the cheeks and lips. In figure they were
tall and well-formed; but we were told that, like our quadroons, they
are a short-lived race. There are a few half-breed men to be seen about
the town, mostly engaged in service to the whites as boatmen and
fishermen. They are said to make excellent and intelligent seamen.

Taking the cars at the Bluff one can run up to Invercargill, a distance
of seventeen miles, consuming, however, a full hour in the transit. This
was found to be quite a pleasant and busy town of about eight thousand
inhabitants, which has grown to its present condition very rapidly. We
were told that twenty-five years ago it had less than a hundred
inhabitants. It is now the chief town of what is known as the District
of Southland,--a large and fertile district. The town is built upon a
perfectly level plain; the streets are unusually wide, and the place is
neat and thrifty. The principal thoroughfare is Dee Street, in which are
the banks, insurance offices, the Post-Office, and the Athenaeum. A
liberal provision by those who laid out the town was made for its future
growth, which is reasonably expected to be rapid on account of its
commercial advantages. The buildings of Invercargill are substantial and
handsome, including several fairly good hotels. Some building was
observed to be in progress, and other evidences of growth and prosperity
were manifest. The town is situated one hundred and fifty miles south of
the city of Dunedin, with which it has considerable trade, and is the
terminus of the Southern Trunk Line of New Zealand. The neighborhood is
mostly taken up for pastoral and agricultural purposes, fruit-raising,
and the like. There are valuable coal-fields here, an