IN AND AROUND SYDNEY.

Clutha Leader, Volume XVII, Issue 875, 24 April 1891, Page 6

IN AND AROUND SYDNEY.

(By N.Z.) (Continued.) The zoological gardens claim a full afternoon, and it is well spent. A threepenny ride in a tram takes the visitor right to the gates ; entrance fee, 6d. Once inside the galvanized fence, which surrounds about 10 acres of ground, there is plenty to feast both the eye and the mind. The children take great delight in having a ride on the elephant's back, while the older boys and girls mount the donkeys or ponies. Here can be seen the I trophies of war brought home by the Australian contingent in the shape of a cuddy and two camels. The animals, especially the lioi-.s, tigers, pumas, and leopards, as well as the boars, are really fine specimens, and look the picture of health. These gardens offer facilities for imparting-to school children an extent of knowledge which no amount of book-read-in? or tuition could impart. • The art gallery contains a collection of choice pictures, some of which the New Zealand visitor calls to memory, having seen them at the Dunedin Exhibition. One or two of the pictures are particularly striking. " Widowed," for instance, is indeed a study, where you see the workman left with a young family, and the youngest child very ill or dying in his arms. Another (" Rejected"), the artist has just finished his picture after hours of hard toil °nly to iind that it wont pass muster. Then the far-famed picture of the "Defence of Rorkes Drift." Five minutes walk across the domain brings you to the technilogieal museum. Here an hour can be whiled away in looking over the exhibits, principally products of the different colonies. Saturday nicrht anived, and I will now rrivo my renders a fuw things we see in ; Sydney when we go out without our gun. | A night at "Paddy's market," I should I call it pandemonium, for I never heard ; such an unearthly row in my life. As I j write I in fancy hear the yells cf the varief Qiiti-d vendors of the different articles. j The h'rst place entered is an open land of ', shed with benches of a very primitive nature on each side The people simply swa'iYi up and down the centre, while the ■ aforssaid cosiermongors hold forth on the benefit to be derived from purchasing at their particular Ptall. Nearly overy description of household, article is to be had here, and it seems to be the rendezvous of J the, workinermen and their wives, who roll j up in grant force to purchase their Sunday's dinner. To enumerate a few articles which found a ready sale — old clothes, pictures, fruit, fowls, hams, bacon, j chees s and butter. Oh the sight of I the latter. High is not the word for ! it. Whon we reach the place of exit 1 j am forcibly reminded of my pilot's remarks as we entered, for I feel a decided I cr-'.ftping fe.e'ing, ' and I realise to my j distrust that I am taking awny a few very ! lively members of thn pulex family. Across the road we enter a large open-air space lit nn with flare-ups, and every I here and th^re is to be seen moveable t»nts or rough platforms. The cry of " Hokey pokey, penny a lump ; once you cops Hie. flavour you never leaves it off"; I or " Hot peas ppnny a plate '' strikes the j ear. One tent we looked into was enough. A Greek or an Italian, very grimy looking about the face and hands, with an article on which evidently was once a white shirt, was busily engaged in paring, slicing, and boiling in fat, potatoes of a v-tv indifferent quality. These chips are sold in pennyworths, and it is astonishing the number of clie.nts he has. Passing along we pause to listen to a man spouting out at the top of his voice. I recognise tho face as a late Dunedin tobacconist. Unfortunately for me he recognises mo also, and bawls out, •" Hulloa, Mr , when did yon arrive 1 ? Come in and see our show — the two-headed baby ; we give all New Zealanders a free pass." At this time we are standing alongside an ice cream stall presided over by a massive lady of about 14st Her creams are spread out on a flat board, which is resting on an empty case. The push, as I afterwards learned they are termed in Sydney, on hearing I came from New Zealand, hustled round me, and before I could realise what was their intentions -a shove from behind dispelled any doubts I may have had, for over I went, very much in a heap, with ice creams, jellies, and fat old ; »woman. On regaining my feet ray first act was to extricate the fat old lady and apologise, but imagines my disgust and discomfiture when, instead of accepting my apology, she let me have one straight from the shoulder, which dealt destruction to my new half-guinea hat. To make matters worse the crowd gathered round, and in my troubles I lost ray pilot, and here I was left a target for the irate ice creamer, but after some severe struggling I got away, none the worse of my encounter as far as my body was concerned, but my clothes — Half a sovereign cab hire saw me home. [ (To be continued,)