[La Maison John Bull et Cie.] John Bull & Co. The Great Colonial Branches of the Firm: Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa

Front matter

JOHN BULL & CO. THE AUTHOR "WITH A GOLD CONVOY ON THE WAY TO DURBAN [From a Photograph by H. S. Ellekbeck, Natal.) MAX O'RELL JOHN BULL & CO The Great Colonial Branches of the Firm : Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa BY THE AUTHOR OF "JOHN BULL AND HIS ISLAND" "JOHN BULL, JUNIOR" "JONATHAN AND HIS CONTINENT" ETC. ETC. LONDON FREDERICK WARNE AND CO. BEDFORD STREET, STRAND 1894 [All Rights Reserved] Copyright Entered at Stationers' Hall Entered according to Act of Parliament of Canada* in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-four, by Frederick Warne & Co., at the Department of Agriculture Tel MY TRAVELLING COMPANIONS ROUND THE WORLD MY WIFE AND MY DAUGHTER PACE xvii 1 8 16 21 CONTENTS An Introductory Reminder

Chapter I

France, the First Country of the World — Foreigners, and what is understood by the Term — Britishers — Englishmen at home and Germans abroad — Branch Establishments of John Bull k Co. .......

Chapter II

French Canada — Quebec — A Bit of France buried in the .Snow — The French Canadians are the French of the Seventeenth Century — Puritan Catholicism — The frozen St. Lawrence — Montreal — Canadian Sports — I meet Tartarin

Chapter III

Ottawa — Toronto — The Canadian Women — Winnipeg and St. Boniface, or England and France, ten minutes' walk from each other — The Political Parties of Canada .

Chapter IV

Flying through the Far West — The Prairies — Colorado — Denver —The Rockies— Salt Lake City— The Mormons— The Desert — The Sierras — The Plains of California — .San Francisco — China Town — Impressions confirmed — A Branch of the Firm, John Bull & Co., started in Business for itself & CO. X PAGE 29 40 61 69 78

Chapter V

The Pacific Ocean— The Sandwich Islands— Honolulu — The Southern Cross — What a Swindle ! — The Samoan Islands — Apia — Mr. Robert Louis Stevenson — Auckland — Arrival of the Philistines ......

Chapter VI

Sydney — I have seen the Harbour — The Australia Hotel — The French in Sydney — The Town — The Parks— Cupid in the Open Air — Little Clandestine Visits to the South Head — ' ' Engaged " — Melbourne — Activity — All Scottish — The Holy Tartufes — Adelaide— Brisbane — Ballarat— Bendigo — Geelong .......

Chapter VII

People of Society, People in Society, and "Society'' People — The "Sets" — Society Papers — "Miss A. looked thrillingly lovely in electric blue " — The Australian Women are beautiful — Imitation of the Old World — A Tasmanian Snob — Darling Point, Pott's Point, and Sore Point — A Melbourne Journalist on his Townspeople

Chapter VIII

Hospitality in the Colonies — Different People at Home and Abroad— Extreme Courtesy of the Australian — Childishness — Visit to the Four Everlasting Buildings of the Colonial Towns — Impressions — Wild Expenditure — Give us a Prison — "Who is Bismarck?" — "Don't know." — In the Olden Time ........

Chapter IX

Colonial Cheek— Mutual Admiration Society— An Inquisitive Colonial — A verbatim Conversation — An amiable Landlord — Modest Politicians — Advice to England by an Australian Minister — Provincialisms — Napier — Opinions on Madame Sarah Bernhardt — Mr. H. M. Stanley and the Municipal Councillor — The Czar had better behave himself— I introduce Sophocles to the Colonies and serve Corneille a bad turn— An Invitation accepted with a Vengeance CONTENTS XI TAGE 92 107 113 124 132 143

Chapter X

The Curse of the Colonies — A Perfect Gentleman — A Town full of Animation — A Drunkard begs me to give the Audience a Lecture on Waterloo — A Jolly Fellow — Pater Familias on the Spree — An Ingenious Drunkard — Great Feats— -Taverns and Teetotallers — Why there are no Cafes in the Colonies — A Philosopher — Why a young English Girl could not get Engaged .......

Chapter XI

Types — Caprices of Nature — Men and Women — Precocious Children — Prehistoric Dress — Timidity of the Women — I shock some Tasmanian Ladies — Anglo-Saxon Contrasts .

Chapter XII

The Bush — The Eucalyptus — The Climate — Description of the Bush and its Inhabitants — The Concert of the Bush — The Tragedians and the Clowns of the Company — The Kangaroo — The Workers and the Idlers of the Bush — Beggars on Horseback .......

Chapter XIV

The most Piquant Thing in Australia— Aspect of the small Towns — Each takes his Pleasure where he finds it— Australian Life — Tea, always Tea — Whisky or Water — Favourite Occupation — Seven Meals a Day — Squatters

Chapter XV

The Australian Natives — The last Tasmanian is in the Museum —A broken-down King accepts my Penny — Diana pays me a Visit The Trackers — The Queensland Aborigines — The Boomerang ; Curious Rites — The Ladies refuse to wash for the Bachelors ...... & CO. XII TAGE 149 157 164 173 187 191

Chapter XVI

Politics and Politicians— The Price of Liberty— The Legislative Chambers — Governors — Comparisons between American and British Institutions— The Politician and the Order of St. Michael and St. George— An eloquent Candidate — The Honourables — Colonial Tcerage — Sir Henry Parkes — A Word to Her Majesty Queen Victoria ....

Chapter XVII

The Resources of Australia— The Mines— 2500 % Dividends— Wool — Viticulture — The Wealth of Australia compared to the Wealth of most other Countries — Why France is richer than other Nations ......

Chapter XVIII

The Workman Sovereign Master of Australia — His Character — The Artist and the Bungler — A sham Democrat — Government by and for the Working-man — Public Orntors — Stories of Workmen — End of the tragic Story of a Russian Traveller . ......

Chapter XIX

The Religions of the Colonies — The Catholic Church and its Work — The Baptists and the Sweet Shops — Good News for the Little Ones — A Presbyterian Landlady in Difficulties — I give a Presbyterian Minister his Deserts — Christian Association of Good Young Men — The Big Drum, or the Church at the Fair — Pious Bankers — An edifying Prayer

Chapter XX

The Australian Newspapers — The large Dailies — Weekly Editions — The Australasian — The Comic Papers — The Society Papers — The Bulletin .....

Chapter XXI

Amusements at the Antipodes — The Australian gayer than the Englishman — Melbourne — Lord Hopetoun — The Racing Craze — The Melbourne Cup — Flemington compared with Longchamps and Epsom ..... CONTENTS XIII PAGE 198 205 210 214 223 231 243

Spirit of Nationality and Independence — Local Patriotism — Every man for himself and the Colonies for the Colonials

Chapter XXV

Tasmania — The Country — The Inhabitants of other Days and the Inhabitants of the present Day — Visit to the Depots — Survivors of the "Ancien Regime" — A tough old Scotchwoman — A touching Scene — Launceston and Hobart

Chapter XXVI

New Zealand — Norway and Switzerland at the Antipodes — The Point of the Earth's Surface that is farthest from Paris — No Snakes, but a great many Scots — The small Towns — A curious Inscription ......

Chapter XXVII

The Maoris — Types — Tattooing — Ways and Customs — Native Chivalry — The Legends of the Country — Sir George Grey — Lucky Landlords — The "Haka" — The Beautiful Victoria — Maori Villages — New Zealand the Prettiest Country in the World .......

Chapter XXVIII

From Melbourne to the Cape of Good Hope — The Australasian — Sunday on board Ship — Conversions — Death of a poor Mother — Ceremony — Table Bay — Arrival at Cape Town JOHN BULL & CO. PAGE 248 256 260 263 274 282

Chapter XXIX

Anglo-Dutch — John Bull charged with the care of the Cape for the Prince of Orange. Keeps it for Himself — Mixture of Races — Cape Town — The Town and its Environs — Paarl — The Huguenots — Stellenbosch — Happy Folk — Drapers' Assistants — Ii.de]:iendence a Characteristic Feature of South Africans .......

Chapter XXX

The Dutch Puritans — "The Doppers" — A Case of Conscience — The Afrikander Bond — Its Relations with John Bull — Tickets at Reduced Price — John Bull lies Low — "God Save the Queen " in the South African Republic .

Chapter XXXI

Mr. Rhode's, Premier of Cape Colony — The Man — His Work His Aim

Chapter XXXII

.South African Towns — The Hotels — The Usefulness of the Moon — Kaffirland — Kimberley — The Diamond Mines — The De Beers Company — A Week's Find — Life in the ' ' Compounds " — A disagreeable Week before going to buy Wives .

Chapter XXXIII

The Country— The "Veld"— The Plateaus— The Climate— The South African Animals — The Ant-hills — The South Coast — Natal — Durban, the Prettiest Town in South Africa — Zulus and Coolies ......

Chapter XXXIV

The Natives of South Africa — First Disappointment — Natives in a Natural State — Scenes of Savage Life — The Kraals — Customs — The Women — Types — Among the Kaffirs and the Zulus — Zulus in "Undress" — I buy a Lady's Costume, and carry it off' in my Pocket — What strange places Virtue hides in ! — The Missionaries gone to the Wrong Place CONTENTS XV PAGE 295 303 310 316

Chapter XXXV

The Orange Free State — The Transvaal — A Page or two of History — The Boers at Home — Manners and Customs — The Boers and the Locusts — The Boers will have to ' ' Mend or End" — Bloemfontein, Pretoria, and Johannesburg .

Chapter XXXVI

Johannesburg, the Gold City — The Boers again — The Future of the Transvaal — Miraculous Development of Johannesburg — Strange Society — Stranger Wives and Husbands — Aristocracy in Low Water — The Captain and the Magistrate

Chapter XXXVII

"Oom" Paul, President of the Transvaal — John Bull's Redoubtable Adversary — A short Interview with this Interesting Personage — A picturesque Meeting between two Diplomats .