HOME AND BACK, VIA AUSTRALIA, CEYLON, SUEZ, NAPLES, ROME, FLORENCE, BOLOGNA, &C.

Otago Witness, Issue 2288, 6 January 1898, Page 47

HOME AND BACK, VIA AUSTRALIA, CEYLON, SUEZ, NAPLES, ROME, FLORENCE, BOLOGNA, &C.

By John Clbgg

IV. ' Oa Wednesday, the 15th of April, at 5 a.m., we were awakened by a perfect babel of 'Voices, such as is only heard in an Eastern country. Upon looking out of the port I saw four naked youths standing in a email boat singing " Ta-ra-ra-boom-deay " with might and main. We were surrounded by a whole fleet of small boats manned by Cicgalese, Tamil?, and Eurasians, chattering with might and main and efferisg for sale oranges, cocosnuts, breadfruit, limes, pineapples (tbe latter l£i each), &c. It was Colombo, th# capital of CeyloD, with a population of about 125 000, situated about sAdeg north of the equator. .The climate, although tropical, is healthy except in the low- lying j angle. The average temperature is abont Si cleg Fahr. The coolest months are December and January; the hottest are April and May. The breakwater is one of the 'finest in the world, taavirg been designed by the late lamented Sir John. Coode.- The first stone ■was liid by the Prince of Wales in October 1875 Id Colombo itself there are not many object 3of special interest, but there is a charming drive to Mount Layinia, abont seven miles distant, through groves of cocoanut palms, interspersed with limes, mangoes', and breadfruit trees. Pineapples grow almost like weeds along the roadside. Oue gets a capital idea of tropical vegetation and its wonderful luxuriance along this road. We pass through a native village en route, the inhabitants of which mos-tly gain their living by fishing. The photos taken by Mr T. Ross, of Danedin, on the spot, and published in the Witness Christmas number, give an excellent idea of the scenery and native architecture. The Mahommedan mosque, with its background of palms and typical group of natives, is very realistic; the Buddhist Temple is a striking and handsome example of Oriental architecture, whilst "A Familiar Scene" represents a group of natives of various ages and conditions. A couple of girls in the centre of the group, it will be seen, are carefully engaged in searching for live stock in the heads of their companions. This is a picture frequently to be seen in the cool of the evening, bat which does not say much fox the cleanliness of the Cißgaleee. Tbe natives do not drink the milk of the cccoaHut known to us, but prefer that of the king cocoaout, which contains milk only and in large quantity and of delicious flavour. My clerical friend and I took a couple of jinrickshas or native carriages, drawn by men, and visited the cinnamon gardens and museum, returning by the Jake andalorg the esplanade facing the sea. Here the soldiers were playing cricket and football with great zest. This, in a tropical country, looked to us rather too much like bard work. After lunch at the Hotel Bristol and a delicious lemon squash we had another stroll through the town, and then on board the steamer once more, where the usual bargaining was going on. I bought a writing desk of king cocoanut wood for 10?, the price asked being 253. This is the usual custom in the Sast, and very often in Italy also they ask twice as much for an article as they really intend to take. SunStroke is very prevalent at Colombo, and there is a conspicuous notice on the wharf warning people not to expose themselves to the sun, the back of the head beiog particularly susceptible. Happily &U ont pa&sengers escaped. At 8 p.m. on the 15 eh of April we were once more afloat, en route for the Red gea and Suez — distant 3102 rmloß. On tha following morning the engines broks down. causing a delay of four hoi.<ra»

The voyage from Colombo is devoid of interest. Owing to the great distance from land there is no bird life to be seen in the Indian Ocean ; and whole weeks pass by without the eight of either bird or ship.

My diary of April 17 says. — Last night was the most trying we have had — the perspiration literally poured out of me. Weather close and muggy ; temperature, 86deg ; latitude, 917 N; longitude, 67 4 E j distance run, 340 milea. Af ril 19 (Sunday). — Weather fine, almost a dead calm ; temperature, 86deg ; distance run, 334 miles. Attended divine service, had many thoughts on life, death, and eternity. The Bible seems to give tha only satisfactory explanation of it all. The phosphore-.cent l'ghr, or in other words the luminosity of the sea, was this evening exceedingly beauful, taking the form of large balls of light about the size of Chinese lanterns, which quite illuminated the sides of the vessel. The Orient Guide says:--" Mr Collingwood has an admirable chapter upon the 'Luminosity of the Saa,' in which he classifies the diversified forms which this luminosity assomes. The most frequent are the sparks xjr points of light which appear and disappear in disturbed water, not alone in the open eea, but even high up in tidal rivers ; the rarest is what he terms the milky sea, a phenomenon we ourselves had once the good fortune to witness, when on a perfectly calm and sultry night the whole gea in every direction, except in the steamer's wake, presented a soff, white appearr.nce, reflecting a faint l ! ght upwards, illuminating the ship, and rendering every part of the rijg'ng visible, the white light contrasting strangely wifcb the. blaclasesa of the denselyclouded sky. So ftir as is at present known, the luminosity, in whatever form it eppearp, is not affected by vegetable, but by various animal organisms." April 21 — Distance run, 347 mile?. Temperature, 83deg ; weather perfect, with beautifnl sunshine; sea, dead calm. Passed Cape Guardafui, distant 376 miles from Aden, at 7 a.m. It is the north-eastern point of Africa, and is a rocky cape 900 ft high. Expect to reach Aden about 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. Tbe s.s. Ormviz passed us, about half a mile distant", at 5.30 p.m. ; we exchanged signals.

April 22 — Distance run, 346 miles. Temperature at 8 a.m., 83dfg; 7 p.m., 88deg. Red Sea weather has already begun ; passed Aden at 8 a.m. Aden is owned by G.eat Britain, and occupied as a military station. The principal objects of interest are the water-tanks, which at one time were estimated to hold 30 million imperial gallons, but now that condensation is available a large portion of the water supply is obtained from the sea. "In the Straits of Babel Msndeb" (the Gate of Tear*), says the Oiient Guide, " a mile and a-half from the Arabian and eleven miles from the African coast, is the island of-Perim, beld by a small detachment of British troops furnished from Aden. Its area is about seven square miles, and it contains barely 250 inhabitants, including the garrison. There is a good harbour on the south-west, which affords sufficient anchorage .for ships at all seasons. In 1861 a lighthouse wa3 erected on it, and in 1885 it was made a signal and telegraph station from which vessels could be reported Home. The advantage of the position to England is great, both in a political and a commercial cense."

We have now reached the entrance to the much-dreaded Red Sea, of which we have read and heard so much. My own experience, based upon five journeys through i"-, is that, pro?ided you are in ordinary health, live abstemiously, and drink no intoxicants, there is no danger whatever. The atmosphere is damp and muggy, and at night far from agreeable ; but in two days you come out of the extreme heat, and in the month of February I was very glad to put on an overcoat in the evenings. July, August, and September are the hottest months, January and February the coldest. For the first three days after leaving Perini only a few barren islands are ssen. Again quoting the Orient Guide : " When we are above 300 miles south of the Gulf of Suez we are abreast of the first cataract of the Nile. Here, standing alone ia the middle of the sea, is the famous Daedalus lighthouse. Ie rises from the centre of a reef which is never visible above water. A little masonry surrounds the foundation of the iron framework of the lighthouse, and above it we see the men's quarters. Except in very clear weather the shoal is out of sight of land. The Red Saa lighthouses are po far maintained by the Government of Egypt. Four Europeans are attached to each, one in turn being always on leave. The loneliness of the situation in such a place as the Daedalus must be extreme, yet some of the men have held their appointment for 10 years or more. They are visited once in three months by a steamer, which brings their supply of fresh water ; and, in addifcioD, gome of them have condensing machines in case of need." AU but tfee Daedalus bore an excellent reputation for health, bnfc there the climate js tior, damp, and trying. And now we enter the Gulf of Sac-z. The steamer keeps well out to sea, but voyagers by a coasting vessel report that the mountairs nearest the entracce o£ the gulf consist of a mass of hematite of a deep red hue, rising apparently to a height of 1530 ft. It is go powerfully magnetic that it affects the compass of a ship passing near. As we advance the gulf narrows, and the land is clearly visible on each side — ranges of weird and rocky-looking mountains devoid of vegetation, and having a strange yellowish tinge which I never saw elsewhere. A fine view is to be obtained of the Peak of Sinai on the eastern side ; and ib is said that a glimpse may be obtained in passicg of Jebel Moosa, the mountain where the law was given to Israel. The town of Suez is next reached, at the entrance of the world-famous Suez Canal. The works were commenced in ISSG under the supervision of M. de Lesseps, and on November 16, 1869, the canal was opened for traffic by the Empress Eugenic. Seventyfive per cent, of the ships ueing it aießiitisb, and 5 per cent, more are plying to and from British ports. The caoal is about 87 miles in length, and the average time taken to pess throogh is 16 hour*. Vessels having an electric projector that can throw light 1300 yds are peimitted to travel all night, the average speed being five miles per hour, there not being sufficient; water to allow of a large steamer travelling

at a greater rate. The temperature in the canal is hotter than in the Red Sea by day, but much cooler at night, and time pauses rapidly away, a3 at one time we watch a caravan of camels crossiDg the desert, at another we witness a eand-storm, huge pillars of Band stalkiDg like phantoms across the sandy waste. The mirage of the desert is another strange optical illusion. I was once passing through the canal when I suddenly exclaimed, " Why, there is the sea ; we must be close to Port Said." The delusion was perfect. There were the little wavelets shimmering in the sun, whilst in the distance were trees *and islands. In reality there was nothing but a sandy desert, and we were 20 miles from Port Said.

Port Said is a dir'y town of some 14,000 inhabitant?, and ifc seems to be a rendezvous for the scum of the whole earth, and ladies would do just as well to remain on board . Great bargains are to be had in ostrich plumea, however, and the temptation ia irresistible. So ashore we all go whilst the coaling of the steamer is effected amid a perfect pandeincniuin of yells and shouts. An old Arab with a big stick bosses each gang, and wback goes the stick on the poov fellows' well-}isgb bara backs if they don't hurry up with their batkets of coal. We left Port Said at 3 a.m. on April 27 with the temperature at l-ideg, which fell the next day to 68cieg as we coasted along the Isle of Oandia with its snow-clad pet ks. It was dirk when we passed through the Straits of Metsina, the passage through which ia one of the most interesting sights of the voyage. Tie everburning island of Strornboli is next sighted, and then the Island of Capri, about 20 miles distant from N&ples, and for raany years the humble homo ot that noble &rd disinterested Italian patriot Garibaldi, who in conjunction with Mszz : ni and Count Cavour made a united Italy an accomplished fact. And now we steam up the Bay of Naples, with grand old Mount Vesuvius in the distance belching ont clouds of smcke by day and streams of molten lava by night.

The scenery of the I3ay of Naples is very line, and the situation of the town itself, with the casile of St. Elmo in the distance, is well-nigh perfect. No doubt the contour of the mountains, with Vesuvius in their midst, tcgather with the splendid weather which mostly prevails, adds much to the beauty and novelty of the scene. Hence the saying, " Fee Naples and die."

At 11 a.m. on the 30th April we cast anchor about half a mile from the land, and make has'y preparations to go ashore, my cabin mate, Mr Higge, and myself having decided to travel overland to London. We are detained some little time on board awaiting the certificate of the health cffioer, and then I inquire how we are to get on ehora and why the Orient Company's steam tender is not in evidence. lam told that it is now customary to land in small boats, o£ which there are several dczon in waiting, co down I scramble into one of them. No sooner did I get seated than the cheatiog for which the Italians are notorious began. I am told in Italian, of which I do not understand cne single word, chat I must take a return ticket— cost, 2 lire, which equals Is 63, but; in English money, 2*. I reply in the best Fieach I can muster that I am landicg and do not with to return. No matter, I must pay for a return ticket. This I positively refuse to do, telliog them to take me back to the vessel. In the end they give in, and take Is. My friend shrugged Mb shoulders, said it was the custom of the coualry, and we had better pay ; but I was obdurate, and said it was a most iniquitous cusicm, and one that I would never give in to. After having our bags examined by the custom-honse officer (oar heavy baggage was sent on by the steamerjwe drove to the Hotel West End, a most fashionable establishment, the dicing hall alone being as large as a small two-storey colonial hotel. Everything was in the same lordly style, not forgetting the charges, which were at the rate of £1 per day. This, I told my friend, was more than I cared about, as comfort, not splendour, was all that I required, and I would therefore look out for more humble quarters. This was somewhat difficult owiog to my entire sgDorance of the language. Having obtained the address of what appeared a suitable pension or boarding house, the trouble was how to get there. My first directions carried me about 100 yds. I then said to the first person I met, " Parque MUrguarite." " Parco Margherite," he replied, which was evidently the Italian pronoumciation. Then followed full instructions, of which, alas I I could not understand a sirgle word, accompanied by sundry gesticulation?, of which I understood as little, which carried me a further 50j>ds, and so I struggled on. At last I got to a trattoria, or restaurant, where the girl spoke French. She did not kDow of any such place, and thought I must have mistaken the way, but 3he would ask the other girl, who spoke Italian. She said it was all right, the Parco Margherite was up there (pointing to the side of a high hill with several long flights of steps). Up these I strnggled 3 and found at the top a polite little man who spoke French, and directed me to the pension. The landlady was aa English woman, her ] husband beiDg The charge for a very cicely-furnished bedroom, including board, was six lire a day, equal to 4s 6d, with a couple of windows and a fine view of J Mount Vesuvius thrown in. After engaging a room I rejoined my clerical friend at the Hotel West End, remaining there till tb.B following morning, when we had a couple of hours' drive in the country. I then said good bye, and walked in the dfrecHon of my pension, only to find, to my great consternation, that my purse, containing £40 in gold, was missiog. I had left it under the pillow iv my bedroom, and as it was now 11 o'clock, I gave it up for lost. I walked back to the hotel, took the lift, went to the room, and there was the purse untouched, the bed not having been made. lat once deposited the money with Messrs Cook and Sons, where I took precious good care to keep it ever after. In the evening I wended my way back to the pension Pinto, where I found at the table d'hote Russians, Frenchmen, Germans, and Italians, all chattering away at a great rate. Tea is hardly ever drunk in Italy, wine or cafe noir (black coffee) taking its place ; but opposito to me was a, teapot, cream ju=r, &c, The geat was empty. A lady remarked, " The gentleman who drinks tea is rather lats this evening" when ia walked th@

gentleman, who, to my greafc astonishment, was my fellow townsman, Mr H. Turton, of DunediD, Now Zealand. His surprise equalled my own. He had just arrived, after making

a tour through Palestine and Greece. TkS world is not so very large after all, is it 1 (To be continued.)