2o6
OCEANA.
CHAPTER XIV.
Sail for New Zealand.—The “ City of Sydney.”—Chinese Stewards.—An Irish Priest.—Miscellaneous Passengers.—The American Captain and his Crew.— The North Cape.—Climate and Soil of New Zealand.—Auckland.—Sleeping Volcanoes.—Mount Eden.—Bishop Selwyn’s Church and Residence.—Work and Wages.—The Northern Club.—Hospitalities.—Harbour Works.—Tendency to crowd into Towns.—Industries.—A Senior Wrangler.—Sir George Grey.—Plans for Sightseeing.
1 4 ?!
On February 26 we left Australia for New Zealand in an American steamer of between three and four thousand tons. She was going on to San Francisco, touching at Auckland on the way, and was called the “City of Sydney.” We were able to take our tickets through to London across the American continent, either to proceed at once or to stay on the route as we pleased. Our plan was to remain in New Zealand for a month, and to follow in the next monthly vessel belonging to the same line. The telegrams from England were becoming
warlike. E-who had meant to extend his tour, determined
to return with us, at least as far as the Sandwich Islands. English travellers, officers on leave, militia captains, colonels, &c., were streaming homewards from all quarters, like flights of rooks to their roosting-trees at evening, expecting that their services might be required.
In the “City of Sydney” we were under the “stars and stripes,” a flag always welcome to Englishmen when they cannot have their own. She was a handsome ship to look at, smart and well-appointed. Her captain was a man of thirty, gentlemanlike, but with the cool indifferent manners of his countrymen. We regretted our old “Australasian”—we could not hope for such quarters as we had found there ; her we left, at Sydney, taking on board the Soudan contingent. But we had been well off all along, and we took our chance with no great alarm. As we steamed out of the harbour we were attended by a large launch crowded with ladies and gentlemen who were cheering and waving handkerchiefs. Evidently we had someone on board who was a special favourite, and we distinguished the object of these attentions in a young Irish priest who was starting for home.