A REMINISCENCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2539, 12 November 1902, Page 82

A REMINISCENCE.

PORT ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, IN 1846.

Being an Extract from an Old Colonist's Diary. What was it like in 1846? That straggling, wretched place was in its infancy; without the innocence of the infant. Ifc consisted of a Customhouse, a grog shanty,' 17 bullock drivers, and a few others, mostly groggy, some Vandenidnians or exconvicts, and 14 natives. There were some bullocks, drays, horses, and sun-strokes. Nothing more, but cockroaches and sandflies in myriads, grasshoppers, bugs, and fleas, the latter hungry and vigorous enough to lift one off the ground. As for the grasshoppers, they scattered like spray right and left as one walked along. There were tarantula*, centipedes and other beasts too numerous to mention. The city of Adelaide lay .panting and sweating mr the distance, some few miles off, hot a» Hades. There are plenty of bulldog ant«i about lin long. They bite spitefully. Some wag asserted that these ferocious ants sit upon the trees and bark — probably he meant sit upon the bark. Some bullock drays were near the landing place, waiting patiently and carelessly for a job. One of my fellow passengers, a Methodist preacher named Dalwood, wanting to get his goods and chattels up to the town, procured a dray and decided to drive the bullocks himself. Poor man! He cracked his whip and cried "Gee up!" Not a bullock moved. He tried again and again persuasively ; the animals only gave a contemptuous smije — that was alt the notice they took. A bullockdriver standing by expostulated with our friend. Said lie, "You must swear at those bullocks if you want them to go." "No," salfl Dalwood ;• "I never swear, and never ■will." .Again he tried persuasion and "Gee up" all to no avail. The good-natured bullockdriver offered his professional services,-. andb they, were thankfully accepted by- Dataood-rr but not by the Bullocks. Their began" the driver to curse and to swear, and then began the intelligent bullocks to move on. Each bullock had his special name. One was surnamed "Gawler," his Christian name was not mentioned. Well, poor Gawler, named after a former Governor, got most of the oaths and most of the whacks, and so our friend got his household to Adelaide by swearing by deputy. I wonder where Dalwood is now, and where is the administer of oaths, and where are we all at this present moment?

— Ordinary glass can be used as a most deadly poison. It only needs to be ground into powder. Some years ago a pernicious fashion existed of powdering hair, dresses, and flowers at dances with powdered glass, which looked like diamond dust. Luckily it ceased, for the mere inhaling of this duet set lip horrible inflammation of the throat and other portions to whioh. it adhered.