TEB AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



335 



1,000, cattle sold. Both are scarce just 

 now, and prices are high. Very few of 

 the cattle were really fat, and would only 

 be called stores in ordinary times. Cattle 

 were worth £8 to £12, and sheep from 

 10s. to 14s. each, quite 50 per cent, more 

 than the usual price. A large number of 

 the cattle seemed a cross of Devon and 

 Hereford breeds. 



I spent an interesting afternoon in 

 going all over the Fresh Food Supply 

 premises where much of the food we get in 

 Natal is frozen. One of the engines used 

 makes 80 to 100 tons of ice per day, 

 called a 160-ton engine. The beef and 

 mutton is stowed in immense cold 

 chambers. A quarter of beef takes about 

 a week to freeze properly, mutton about 

 three days, There were rooms for game, 

 poultry, fish, butter, and bacon, and 

 butter-making was also being carried on. 

 I saw some meat, marked " Natal," ready 

 for shipment. 



The Hotel Australia is a very good one, 

 on the American style. To give an idea 

 what these hotels are, I may mention that 

 the lounge in the centre of the building 

 very much resembles the main chamber 

 in our Assembly buildings, with tree 

 ferns and smalljtables all about. The hotel 

 is six storeys h:gh, not including base- 

 ment and attics, with lifts, &c. The 

 dining-room can seat 300 people. Our 

 bed-room had private bath-room attached, 

 hot and cold water everywhere, charges 

 about 17s. per day. 



The gardens and Town Hall are very 

 nice. Fruit of all kinds, grapes, pears, 

 apples, bananas, grenadillas, plums, and 

 pineapples are to be had in any quantity. 



Sydney is much warmer than Mel- 

 bourne. It rained a good deal while we 

 were there, but when the sun came out 

 it seemed much like Durban at this time 

 of the year. One man told me that up 

 at Bourke it was about 120 degs. in the 

 shade for some days while he was there. 

 It must be hot shut up in the bush. 



We left Sydney on Saturday evening, 

 and got back on Sunday afternoon. 



At Sydney, I found the horses much 

 better than the general run of horses here. 

 The mounted police are well mounted on 

 bay horses. White girls wait at the tables 

 along the railway line ; in fact, much of 

 the labour is done by white girls and 



women. It seemed strange to see a 

 white-bearded old man milking as we 

 passed one place. The smallness of the 

 cottages also struck us ; they are mostly 

 wood with iron roofs, one door with a 

 small window each side, and small shed 

 at the back for their farm cart, horse, 

 etc. Another noticeable thing is that we 

 have not seen a rabbit yet. Fences are 

 nearly all post and rail ; sometimes the 

 gum logs are piled along as a fence. 



We saw several gold mines near Sey- 

 mour Deep, working for alluvial, I was 

 informed. 



On Monday, May 6th, the celebrations 

 commenced,and right royal they have been. 

 Nowhere could they have been better. 

 They have been so fully described in the 

 press, that I will only deal briefly with 

 them. St. Kilda, where the Royal party 

 landed, is about five miles from Melbourne 

 City. The St. Kilda Road is something 

 like our Point Road. This Road was 

 decorated and railed all along. At the 

 lu'idge over the Yarra River there was a 

 magnificent arch. There, the Mayor met 

 the Duke. The City was just one blaze 

 of flags and decorations. We were 

 stationed on the steps of Parliament 

 House, and as the procession came along 

 we could hear the cheering. It was a 

 grand reception, well done, in every way, 

 and a perfect day. 



The illuminations were also grand. The 

 first night the crowd was so great we did 

 not venture out, but drove all round 

 afterwai'ds. Some of the illuminated 

 fountains and arches were very pretty. 

 Dinners, receptions, garden parties, etc., 

 were arranged for almost every day. There 

 was a great night at the Exhibition build- 

 ing — an immense place, with bands, 

 concert, etc., and a champagne supper for 

 12,000 people. It was a great show and 

 well worth seeing. 



The stockmen's procession was very 

 good, about 200 mounted men in red 

 shirts and felt hats, all cracking their 

 whips as they went past at a canter. 



The Chinese procession was very pretty, 

 any numl)er of beautiful flags, banners, 

 etc., and two immense dragons, all gilt 

 work, with about fifty men under them 

 for legs. There were also numbers of 

 wonderful gods in carriages, gongs, 

 trumpets, etc., something like one of our 

 Indian processions on a very grand scale. 



