necdotes. Among them one alone, told
by an actor who died sadly and suddenly at Melbourne a few weeks
later, now remains in my memory. Some time previously he had been
acting at Ottawa, and the play was Richard III. He was Richmond, and
in reply to his speech the Duke of Norfolk says, "Your words are
fire, my lord, and warm our men." On this occasion the army
consisted of one man, one woman (dressed as a soldier) and a boy,
and the very conscientious duke replied, "Your words are fire, my
lord, and warm our _man_." I tell it as it was told me, but my
friend must have made some mistake. These words do not occur in
Shakespeare's Richard III. (though they may in the acting version)
and at any rate there is no conversation between Richmond and the
Duke of Norfolk.

On arrival at Sydney I made no stay, but returned to Melbourne the
next day by steamer. However, I paid my visit of five weeks to
Sydney a short time afterwards. This time I left Melbourne by the
very fine steamer Buninyong, of 3000 tons, belonging to Howard,
Smith & Co., I believe the largest of the Inter-Colonial Steamers.
After passing Wilson's Promontory, the extreme South point of
Victoria, and indeed of Australia, the coast is in sight the whole
way. After about 54 hours we entered Sydney Heads. It was then
twilight, and quite dark before we came alongside the wharf. The
entrance to the Heads at Sydney is about a mile wide, but is
scarcely seen before it is entered. The Cliffs on each side are
several hundred feet high. The projecting points of the Cliff on the
North side, when seen at a certain angle, made a good imitation of
the Duke of Wellington's profile. A fast steamer from Melbourne
takes about 48 hours, but then fast steamers are sometimes
dangerous; most people have read of the terrible wrecks of the
Cahors and the Lyeemoon, within a few months of each other, the two
fastest steamers of the Australian Steam Navigation Co.; the latter
wreck caused the loss of 70 lives. Both were the result of steering
too close inland, to save an hour or two. To suspend or cancel a
captain's certificate, or even to prosecute him, is a small
consolation for such things as these. Moreover, when there is time
to use the boats, they are too often found to be unseaworthy. The
steamers themselves are inspected by the Marine Board, and
certificates granted for 6 months, but the boats, though included in
the certificate, are not separately examined. Being exposed to the