THE CITY OF MELBOURNE. 



419 





town, where the largest steamers from Europe receive and discharge passengers and 



cargo, partly on account of the greater depth of water on the western side of the 



harbour, and partly on account of the 



sheltered position of its many piers, 



the largest of which is an extension of 



the somewhat circuitous line of rail- 

 way which connects this sea-port with 



Melbourne. The stately vessels of 



the P. and O. and Orient Companies, 



of the Messageries Maritimes, and 



the Norddeutschcr Lloyd are berthed 



at this pier. One of the sights of 



Williamstown is the Alfred Graving 



Dock, which is four hundred and 



fifty feet long, and is to be still 



further extended in order to meet 



the requirements of modern shipping. 



It is faced with freestone, and its 



caisson, in the construction of which 



two hundred and thirty tons of iron- 

 work were used, is pointed to with 



pride as a specimen of local manu- 

 facture. The first vessel to enter 



the dock was the Nelson. From an 

 obscure " fishing village," as it used 

 to be slightingly designated, Williams- 

 town has grown into a place of con- 

 siderable importance an arsenal, a 

 sea-port and a railway terminus com- 

 bined. Its business is mainly nauti- 

 cal its hotels have nautical signs, 

 the contents of many of its shop- 

 windows denote that the retail trade 

 of the place is associated more or 

 less with the provision of sea-stores 

 and objects that are associated with 

 ship-building and the necessities of 

 a long voyage ; and the atmosphere 

 is redolent of the ocean. Most of 

 the men on the piers and in the 

 streets have the fresh complexions of those who are habituated to feel the sea-breeze 

 and the salt spray beating on their bronzed faces, and they turn quick glances of the 

 eye skyward, as is natural to persons who are closely observant of the weather. There 

 is certainly a strong maritime element in the population, which becomes much less obvious, 



