us, but he always says he was very
comfortable there.

And now for the land. We are close alongside of a wharf,
and still a capital and faithful copy of a Scotch mist wraps
houses, trees and sloping uplands in a fibry fantastic veil,
and the cold drizzle seems to curdle the spirits and energies
of the few listless Malays and half-caste boys and men who are
lounging about. Here come hansom cabs rattling up one after
the other, all with black drivers in gay and fantastic head
and shoulder gear; but their hearts seem precisely as
the hearts of their London brethren, and they single out
new-comers at a glance, and shout offers to drive them a
hundred yards or so for exorbitant sums, or yell laudatory
recommendations of sundry hotels. You must bear in mind that
in a colony every pot-house is a hotel, and generally rejoices
in a name much too imposing to fit across its frontage. These
hansoms are all painted white with the name of some ship in
bright letters on the side, and are a great deal cleaner,
roomier and more comfortable than their London "forbears." The
horses are small and shabby, but rattle along at a good pace;
and soon each cab has its load of happy home-comers and swings
rapidly away to make room for fresh arrivals hurrying up for
fares. Hospitable suggestions come pouring in, and it is as
though it were altogether a new experience when one steps
cautiously on the land, half expecting it to dip away
playfully from under one's feet. A little boy puts my thoughts
into words when he exclaims, "How steady the ground is!"
and becomes a still more faithful interpreter of a wave-worn
voyager's sensations when, a couple of hours later, he demands
permission to get _out_ of his delicious little white bed
that he may have the pleasure of getting _into_ it again. The
evening is cold and raw and the new picture is all blurred and
soft and indistinct, and nothing seems plain except the
kindly grace of our welcome and the
never-before-sufficiently-appreciated delights of space and
silence.

OCTOBER 17.

How pleasant is the process familiarly known as "looking
about one," particularly when performed under exceptionally
favorable circumstances! A long and happy day commenced with a
stroll through the botanic gardens, parallel with which runs,
on one side, a sp