China, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, in the Years 1855-56 (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. BALLARAT. In order to shorten the distance by land, I proceeded by the route of Geelong to my destination, to which place, a distance of forty miles by sea, steamboats were plying daily from Melbourne, and making the passage in about four hours. The boat in which I took my departure (the " Duncan Hoyle "), was crowded with passengers, ?squatters, diggers, and emigrants of all descriptions, together with merchandize of every kind: much freedom of speech and general conviviality prevailed, and champagne corks were popping in every direction. The beautiful Bay of Geelong was soon gained, and soon this infant city (far superior to Melbourne as to position), appeared, rising gracefully upon the waters. I took up my abode at Mac's Hotel, a very handsome edifice facing the sea, and where the accommodation was very superior to what I had experienced at Melbourne; but at prices to which the charges of the " Clarendon " or " Mivart's " would sink into insignificance. I found this establishment, like every other, full to overflowing, but contrived to secure a stretcher in a small room, with two other occupants, one of whom was also en route to Ballarat, and whose company I was fortunate enough to secure on the journey. My next object was to purchase a' horse, which I effected at an outlay of thirty-five pounds, and to ah1 appearance and description a tolerable roadster. Too much caution cannot be used in the selection of a steed in Australia, as under the most flattering exterior the most terrible vices are often concealed; and the apparently quiet hack, that has been jogging along for miles in the mildest of moods, suddenly serves a summary ejectment upon his rider by a complicated performance of a species of gymnastics called "buck jumping," to which, from early habits i...