A NEW ZEALANDER ON TOUR.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XIX, Issue XIX, 30 October 1897, Page 604

A NEW ZEALANDER ON TOUR.

NOTES OF TRAVEL BY MR GEORGE HARKER.

Onr London correspondent, writing on the 4th of September, says : — ‘Mr George Harker, of Auckland, has just returned from the Rhine and Swiss trip, which he appears to have enjoyed immensely. I hunted him up for an account of his doings, and in response to my inquiries he furnished me with the following interesting summary thereof : — ‘We remained a fortnight in Plymouth, touring lovely Devonshire and Cornwall, arriving in London on Ist May and putting up at an hotel South Kensington, but finding it very expensive and too far from the city, took a furnished flat at Gloucester Place, Portman Square, where we remained till our departure for the “Continong.” You cannot imagine the vastness of London until you try to get out of it. It seems impossible to get away from the bricks and mortar. I was impressed with the great wealth of its inhabitants, especially that of the upper middle class. There are miles and miles of streets in South Kensington alone, containing thousands of mansions commanding rentals of from £l5O to £1,500 per annum, and occupied by carriage folk. Rotten Row in the season is quite a pageant, the horses beautifully matched, and the bonnets indescribable. On the reverse side, the slums are particularly slummy, and the drabs and denizens of Drury Lane eonld scarcely be equalled anywhere for debauched vileness. Of course we saw the Jubilee Procession. London was mad about it. In every space and window facing the route platforms were erected.and the modest price of from 3 to 60 guineas per seat was asked. The papers predicted that London would be so crowded with visitors that a famine would ensue.

Of course we caught the panic, and not feeling good enough to die a violent death by outward pressure, secured back seats in the Strand for 8 guineas, from which we had a very good view. It was very grand and impressive, but not spectacular. My predominant feeling was pride in our army as it marched by and the handsome boys com] osing it, so perfectly horsed and dressed, comparing so favourably with the slouching undersized and badly fed runts of which the foreign armies appear to be made. We have been to most of the theatres and to the opera, and have heard Albani, Patti, Melba, De Rescke, and all the great stars. The theatres were most disappointingly small, dirty, and badly ventilated, and the productions only mediocre considering the Jubilee jollifications. The drama has evidently degenerated here into a medium for introducing music hall songs and dances. The prices for admission are most exorbitant—boxes 5 guineas, stalls 12/6, and 5/- for back seats in second gallery, where your view is liable to interruption from the “'igh ’ats” of the more fortunate ladies in the front rows. The opera this season has been a very “one hoss” show, mostly Wagner (which the people pretend to like), with no stars of any magnitude, the principal prima donna being Emma Eames. I have heard no singer here (in my opinion) who could compare with Trebelli or Patey.

‘We have been staying with friends and have altogether had a real happy time in London. Had a most enjoyable trip on old Father Thames, lasting four days. We went by train to Oxford, where we thoroughly inspected the ancient colleges and halls, and were hugely delighted, and then started by boat for London, passing through a lovely, well-wooded valley, with occasional parks and mansions with perfect lawns and flowers ad lib. lunching and sleeping at inns in old-fashioned waterside villages, passthrough 33 locks and descending 180 feet.

‘On 12th June we started for our German and Swiss tour, journeying from Queensborough to Flushing, through Belgium to Cologne, thence up the Rhine to Mayene, thence to Heidleburgh, Baden and Freiburgh, where we took coaches and drove for three days through the Black Forest to the Rhinefalls at Nieuhaven, and then travelled right through Switzerland, going home lia Paris, Rouen, Dieppe, and Newhaven. I never thought that at my blase time of life I was capable of so much enjoyment. We had no trouble; everyone could apparently understand English, even the shopgirls, and in the uncivilised places our bad French was of vast assistance. In Belgium -re visited the principal cities, with memoirs of the bad old times of the Spaniard and Inquisition, saw miles of pictures, principally Rubens, Vandyke and Co., and visited ancient cathedrals with wonderful carved oak pulpits and screens. The Rhine was disappointing, and I think overdrawn, although the vine-clad hills and crags with ruined castles of robber barons of mediaeval times were beautiful enough. The Black Forest simply enchanted us—steep hills and gorges clothed with sombre pines, with here aud there a little village or homestead carved out of the forest, the houses being of huge size, built of logs, balconied, and lodging not only the fanner and his family, but his produce, eows. pigs, poultry and beasts of burden (meaning his dogs and his wife), each house having a picturesque and odorous dungheap under the drawing-room window.

‘The Swiss mountains and lakes are simply delightful, and we did thorough justice to them. We scaled the Rigi, Stanzerhorn, and Schiedegg mountains, played snowballs on the Jungfrau, and crossed a glacier on Mont Blanc, penetrated the wonderful gorges of the Aar and Trient. voyaged the full length of the principal lakes, lived and fared sumptuously, and enjoyed everything immensely.’

Mr Harker purposes starting for Scotland, the English lakes. Matlock and the North generally on next Monday, and will be away for about a month. He has taken passage for Auckland by the Himalaya, which leaves London on 15th November.