CHILDREN S DRESS. DONKEYS. 65 



As J. and I were standing this noon by the window of a curi 

 osity-shop, a lady addressed us : &quot; This is very curious ; have 

 you noticed it ?&quot; (pointing at something within the window). 

 &quot; I wish you would help me to read what is written upon it.&quot; 

 She spoke exactly as if she belonged to our party. She was 

 not young or gayly-dressed, but had all the appearance and 

 used the language of a well-bred and educated woman. We 

 conversed with her for a minute or two about the article, 

 which was some specimen of Australian natural history. 



There are a good many soldiers moving about in fine un 

 dress uniforms ; one regiment is in blue, which I did not 

 suppose the British ever used. The men look well more 

 intelligent than you would suppose. Many are quite old, 

 grey-headed, and all are very neat and orderly in the streets. 



The children look really punchy. It strikes me the young 

 ones are dressed much older, while the young men are clothed 

 much more boyishly than in America. Quite large children, 

 of both sexes, are dressed exactly alike, and whether girls or 

 boys (they look between both), you cannot guess girls 

 with fur hats, such as full-grown men wear, and boys in short 

 dresses and pantalettes. 



There are lots of the queerest little donkeys in the streets ; 

 some of them would not weigh more than Nep (my New 

 foundland dog), and most of them are not as large as our two- 

 year-old steers. They are made to draw most enormous 

 loads. I saw one tugging a load of coal, on the top of which 

 two stout Irishmen sat, and stopped them to ask the weight. 

 It was 1200 (besides themselves), and the top of the donkey s 

 back was just even with my waist. The driver said he bought 

 her five years ago for two pounds ($10), and she was then 

 called an old one. Here is one now coming up the hill with 

 a great load of furniture, a man on behind it, and a boy on 



