Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil (Melbourne, Vic. : 1873 - 1889), Wednesday 14 January 1885, page 1


A SATURDAY SUBURBAN LAND SALE.

OUB SUPPLEMENT : LADY LOCH AND HER CHILDREN. We give portraits of Lady Loch, the highly popular and esteemed wife of His Excellency the Governor, and of her three children. Lady Loch, whose graciousness of manner and kindliness of feeling have so much endeared her to those of the people of Victoria who havo had any experience of these qualities, is the daughter of the late Hon. Edward Ernest Villiers, brother of the Earl of Clarendon, the distinguished Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and of the Hon. Elizabeth Liddell, daughter of Lord Ravensworth. Her children are : — Edward Douglas, born April 4, 1873 ; Edith Elizabeth, born November 1C, 1874 ; Evelyn, born July 29, 1870. The portraits we, give of Lady Loch's children ? aro from a photograph by tho Imperial- Photo graphic Company, Elizabeth-street, and that of her ladyship is taken from a photograph kindly placed at our disposal by Messrs. Johnstono and O'Shannessy. A SATURDAY SUBURBAN LAND SALE. On our first page we give some sketches taken by our artist at one of the recent big Saturday land sales. This particular one was known as Fairfield-park, or Alphington Extension, situated on the Heidelberg-road. About a dozen four-horse coaches and a numbor of other vehicles, decorated with flags, were laid on by the vendor, and carried to the ground in the course of the afternoon fully 2,000 persons. Mr. James, the proprietor of the estate has had a tramway constructed, commencing at the Alphington railway, and running for fully a mile over land that has been sold to the furthest block that is ready to be run under the hammer. This is the first tramway opened in Victoria, and the ceremony was duly performed, and the first carful sent on its journey. Arrived at the ground, the usual "champagne lunch" was there, but it was a reality in this case. Wine of the best brands was in profusion, and three large tents were provided, wherein the gifts the gods provided could be partaken of ad libitum. At the conclusion of this necessary business, an adjournment was made to the large auction tent, and a genial auctioneer, steadied by the tent pole, tells the story of the land, how "it was bought cheap" by its present long-headed pro prietor at the worst time of the Borry blight, and "will be sold cheap— for whatovor you like to offer, gentlermen." With these little formalities the sale starts, and the blocks are put up in rapid succession, and knocked down before the proverbial "Jack Robinson" could be uttered. There is no time wasted, the bids are spirited, and the competition keen. A little after 6 the auctioneer blandly announces "That is the lot, gentlemen, for to-day, and we shall be pleased to, see you, here again on some future occasion."

On making inquiries of the auctioneer, it was found that in the short space of three hours £11,000 worth of land had been sold. Rather a good afternoon's work. And the buyers. They were from every class, from the countryman, in his blue smock-frock, to the young Collingwood artisan with his intended. Some bought for a speculation, some to build on, and others bought because the land went so cheap and was so near the Alphington railway. The return journey was quickly made, and town reached with flags flying and the band playing "There is a happy, land." - /the rev. w. g. lawes, of new guinea. The Rey. W. G. Lawes, F.R.G.S., of Port Moresby, New Guinea, whose portrait appears in our present number, is a native of Aldermaston, near Reading, in Berkshire. At the completion of his college course he was ordained at Trinity Chapel, Reading, on November 8, 18G0, and shortly after, under the London' Missionary Society, left England, in the John Williams. On his arrival in Samoa he was appointed to Savage Island, and there he laboured for 10 years. He translated into the dialect of the people the whole of the New Testament, and parts of the Old, and exerted over the natives, who had been notorious savages , an influence which entirely transformed the social life of the community. On the 8th of April, 1874, .after a furlough in England, he sailed for New Guinea to co-oporate with the Rev. S. Macfarlane in planting a mission upon that unknown shore. With his devoted wife he settled on the . mainland at Port Moresby on December 1 of the samo year. His judgment about the healthy character of tho spot 'which1 he selected for the base of . ^is operations has been fully justified, although in the process of acclimatising both he and his wife suffered very severely from fever. In November and December, 1875, ho made several journeys of exploration into the interior, and in April, 1S7C, in company with Mr. Macfarlane, visited China Straits in- tho .^?missionary' steamer Ellangowan. In the beginning of :1S77 HoodPoint and Bay wore visited, and by the location of teachers a new group of stations was commenced. During the last four years Mr. Lawes's infiuence at Port Moresby has ,borne very marked fruit. Testimony of this has been supplied by the most recent visits paid to tho coast by triivollors, notably by Commodore Erskino, who, speaking at Mr. Lawes's reception meeting in Sydney Lately, eulo gised in tho highest terms the humanising' effects of tho Christian teaching and Christian lives of Mr. and Mrs. Lawes and their coadjutor, tho Rov. James Chalmers. Mr. Lawes not only has those qualifications which have made him a successful pioneer missionary ; he is, 'on an English platform, an elegant and effective speaker. He is at present carrying through the press in Sydney a translation uy himself of the Gospels in tho Port Moresby dialect, and he hopes to return to his station about March. Wo ai'o informed that he will visit Melbourne again, and. will probably lecture on the natural features of New Guinea. DEVOURED BY A SHARK .'SKETCH OF THE SHARK. On the 13th or li^hMDfjDjp^pjbS'&.A fatal yachting'accident occurred in PortkJT^llip^Bay, onftjieVastern side, by which . two sons of MjiMsfcJ'J. Browne^ otj Eipt Melbourne, and a sailor riamedy^Lurray, wAife,V3lrbwJi£d/ The body of one of the brother/,CWilliAi|L wVhs fouiw-^n December 20 on the beach at PitoicvjPdYnt, anji^.^fik^ days afterwards some remains of hi\br^i^-HUg^a^oj:e/iound under the following remarkable cJr^Huarfstaiiceiui^tjn Christmas Day a largo shark was seen of ftlie jetty at Frankston. Mr. E. Coxall, butcher, and others, who make the catching of these fish a sport, threw moat and bonita into the water to induce it to haunt the spot. The food was taken, (and tho shark showed itself again next day. Late at night, a specially . made hook was baited, and the fish caught shortly before 1 a.m. on Saturday, the 27th. It was killed by a gunshot, and hauled ashore. The shark measured 14ft. In the afternoon, Mr. Coxall cut the fish open, and in the stomach found the lower part of a human arm (the right), with .a hand complete ; a coat, with a wooden pipe and meerschaum stem in the pocket ; a vest, having a gold watch attached to it by a chain, and pair of trousers, wanting bne leg, with a( bunch of keys and 10s. Gd. in silver in tlie pocket. Tho watch was old-fashioned, and had numerals instead of letters on the dial. Mr. Thomas Browne, :,bi'other of the ? doceascd young gentleman, on Jhearing of' tho discovery, wont to Frankston on Saturday night by the last train, and . identified the clothes, watch, -Jta, as those of Hugh Browne. ' The hand was not recognisable. It may be that of William Browne, whose body, when found off Picnic Point, was without the right arm. The shark's stomach also contained tho fragment of a human neck. All the clothing was more or less torn. Tho internal parts of the watch were loose and much rusted ; the hands were standing at 9 o'clock. Mr. Coxall states as one reason why so fow traces of a body were left in the stomach that the shark vomited as soon as it felt the hook. This is the first means of escape ; that a shai'k tries. A puppy thrown to the fish1 and swallowed just beforo tho bait was taken was so ejected. Though 14ft. long, this- is far from being tho largest shark caught off Frankston.' One 22ft. m length was captured two years ago. It also .had been feeding on human remains, as a finger with a ring on was in its stomach. Tho shark, ?in which tho ronmins of poor Hugh Browne were found, was brought up to Molbourno and exhibited, , and tho engraving wo give is taken from a ^careful sketch of tho monster. ? ;f ; A NIGHT AMONG THE ALLIGATORS. ' The incident depicted by our artist in this engraving was thus described scmo timo ago by the Brisbane correspondent ,/if The Aiistmliman : — Tho lifo of a tolegraph-lino repairer is not, I think, a very happy ono anywhere, but in Northern Quoonsland a man filling that position must need bo o. . ? voritablo Mark Taploy. Extracts from tho reports of ono of theso hard-working fellows havo been rocently published. r ? ?; Ho is employed in tho districts about tho Lower Burdckin, whore recent heavy rains and consequent, floods caused much danmgo .to tho wives, and tho watercourses swarm \\ , with alligators. Swimming a flooded branch of tho river .' to a sandy island, ho found ono of theso h'tirriblo monsters waiting for him 'with jaws open.' Escaping this^jierilho passed the night alone in a deserted 5 station hut by tho waterside. JElo barricaded tho entrance to tho hut with slabs,, but oxluiita ho did not sleop much bocauaQ '.' th.o

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' .'lET YOUB BEADERS FANCY THE SCENE. THE SMOKY HOT FILLEO WITH MOSQUITOES, LIT WITH THE FITFUL GUAM OF THE FIBE, AND THE SOLITARY MAN, LISTENING TO] IHE HUNGBY BEPTILES EOABING ODTSIDE.'! . : . ' .. .A NIGHT AMONG THE, ALLIGATORS. ' ' - '' .' ' ' . ]' »?- ?' '. ? ' . - ? -

' .'lET YOUB BEADERS FANCY THE SCENE. THE SMOKY HOT FILLEO WITH MOSQUITOES, LIT WITH THE FITFUL GUAM OF THE FIBE, AND THE SOLITARY MAN, LISTENING TO] IHE HUNGBY BEPTILES EOABING ODTSIDE.'! . : . ' .. .A NIGHT AMONG THE, ALLIGATORS. ' ' - '' .' ' ' . ]' »?- ?' '. ? ' . - ? -

- alligators were roaring all round him.' Let your readers fancy the scene. The smoky hut filled with mosquitoes, lit ? with the fitful gleam of the. fire, and the solitary man, \ listening to the hungry reptiles roaring outside. And all : that a man gets for work which includes such experiences i is less than £4 a 'week. i| i ' -JHl. ROBE'S BTJILDIXGS, CORNER OF COLLINS AND'KIXG ?\'-l . ? STREETS. } j These buildings are being erected by Mr. John Robb, ? t]ie well-known railway contractor, and have a frontage to , J Collins-street of 132ft., and to Bang-street of- GGft.- They : y are divided into five storeys. Each, has two tiers of lofty ; t . cellars, below the level of Collins-street footpath, but as the ;!j I land is very much lower at rear, the lower cellars 'are j: | entered 'from right-of-way, whilst the upper tier is entered I- | from Collins-street. It is intended to use the ground and ]; jj first floor as offices. The corner building will contain ori '; ,f ground floor a spacious aud handsome office and other rooms 't- -sj in connexion therewith, and will be suitable for a bank or ;j shipping oflices, being very - adjacent to shipping in the f! river, and will have a handsome flight of stone steps at the j . corner of the two streets. Two flights of wide stone stairs ;i give access to the first floor oflices, under which are large ?J *?' strong rooms' for the use of ground floor oftices. The floors !? between cellars and the ground floors 'are of 'fireproof' j - construction, with iron girders and cement arches. . There i are three storeys above the -first floor, which are intended \ for stores and showrooms. The elevations are in the $ 'Italian style,' starting from a handsome Malmsbury i*l stone base, andabove.bold Corinthian columns. The whole § will be brick, cemented. .The total height from paving to I top of parapet will be over 80ft. at the eastern corner in 1 Collins-street, and nearly 90ft.' at the lower corner in.ELingj street. Mr. Robb is constructing the whole entirely by day | labour, and all the work will be of the most substantial Is character. All the floors will be carried by iron girders, ] strong enough to go from, wall to wall without any interj mediate support by iron columns. The cost will be about I j £30,000 when completed. - Messrs.. Thomas 'Watts and g Sons are the architects, and Mr. Simpson is in charge of j the works and supervises the construction. | . .. ' SEASONABLE MELBOURNE FASHIONS. ' j | ? At last, after a slow and cold and tardy spring, the Aus' tralian summer has fairly' visited us, and has brought with | it to the fair sex the necessity of conforming themselves to i the requirements of summer costumes. Of these a number, selected with a view to the necessities of holiday and festive | midsummer, with its tours and its seaside retreats, are here delineated by our artist, arid we give the following notes towards their elucidation : — 1.— Rustic or seaside hat, made of brown straw* of seal shade, with a bow of Algerian ; material, striped with ,red. 2. — The Angelo hat, for garden ;' party or seaside wear. Ivory lace over pink tulle, and a long'garland of roses and berries. 3. — Girl's smock-frock, made in any material, from flannel to bishop's lawn. 4. — j The Paysanne capot, , composed of batiste, studded with j summer flowers, trimmed with ribbon and lace to match the batiste.*' This model makes up very effectively for children. 5 and 6. — Bathing dresses. These look 'well made up -in' Turkey red, twill or serge, trimmed with braid. 7. — Young j ! girl's tucked seaside sailor costume, in navy blue,- and blue i S ? and white stripe material. 8. — Baby costume, suitable for j indoor Avear at watering-place. Looks well made up' in any I i material, with the addition of a coloured ' silk vest. -9. — : Tourist costiime, made in shot tweed. Skirt is kilted. ! Long jacket body, ornamented with braid. Felt' hat, with 'i awing at the side. Dust veil, folded round the throat. $ 10.— -Tennis dress. The skirt is tucked, and at the back Ki . full in the housemaid style, panels at the side, ornamented', with embroidered rackets ; Tarn 6' Shariter hat. 11. — Boy's seaside costumes, knitted or made up in serge. A MELBOURNE ROTTEN HOW : THE DRIVE IN AXBERT-PARK. A' movement which for some time past has been on foot to i establish a kind of Rotten Row in Melbourne' was first put I .in practice on December 12, at Albert-park. ; The result of I the experiment was most successful, and promised well for i the future. The locality selected is suitable and. picturesque. | Margining the Albert-park lake there are three or fpur miles of road, which with a- judicious outlay have every facility ' * for conversion- into an admirable and fashionable drive. At present, however, .the road is in places very defective., more particularly in that part of. it lying between the two gates opening from Emerald-hill and the St. Kilda road respectively. Many complaints have been made to the ; , Government on the subject, but hitherto nnavailingly, for | the thoroughfare continues in such a neglected condition I . that it is more like a bush road than the smooth level of \ Rotten Row, which' is to be its prototype. It is unformed, ? boggy in wet, and rugged in dry, weather. . A strong effort \ ? was made, some time ago to induce the Government to unite with private subscribers in putting the road in order, but the* work was deferred, and ultimately shelved, owing to the necessity of preparing plans, of which nothing further ; I has been heard. It is probable that the matter will be ugain agitated, and mo'ro successfully now that the proposal ? p to convert the road into a fashionable drivo has taken : practical shape. The young plantations which fringe the ' ? road are flourishing, and the foliage, which at this time of „ tho year is seen at its best, already throws mf agreeable shade ; /while the beauty of tho surroundings is enhanced by tho refreshing verdure of the turf and the sparkle of tho waters of the lagoon, which in fine weather are always adorned] with the white sails of pleasure yachts. The display pf carriages between 4 and G o'clock on the afternoon . of the d^y. mentioned, the time appointed for the opening drive, must havo been gratifying to those who desire to see theproject generally taken up. IJ is Excellency tho Governor '- and Lady Loch were present during ;i portion of the after- noon. The carriages were very numerous, and their occu. . pants were ladies and gentlemen well known in social circles. Mo3t of the equipages had a bright and handsome ' appearance. Tho horses, too, would bo a credit to any city m the world. A great attraction, both to thoso in vehicles j and to i:(|ue.si.n\'ui.H, was the band of llerr Plock, consisting i , of IS picked purformei-H, which played through a well? oeloctod programme on the .southern shore of tho lake. 'It i. formed u focus for those who had como o.utto pass tho afternoon in thu open air, and during the whole of the two ?' :i '

hours it was surrounded by dozens of equipages and horsemen and horsewomen, many persons preferring to listen to the well-played marches and waltzes to continuing their drive or ride. MOUNT LOFTY KAILWAY. We give a description of this series of views in this page.

i . L. ,.'.,? Vao.BB'S BUIIiPINOS, . CORSE&

i . L. ,.'.,? Vao.BB'S BUIIiPINOS, . CORSE&

IOLt(1NS '*WD ^Q ^KEE^ ' '?''- ^™

IOLt(1NS '*WD ^Q ^KEE^ ' '?''- ^™

SEASONABLE MELBOURNE FASHIONS. ' ^

SEASONABLE MELBOURNE FASHIONS. ' ^

:*i ?',. f'.'-.-A 'MELBOURNE ROTTEN ' ll^rfTnE pniVE IN ALBEIIT-PABK. - r ^

:*i ?',. f'.'-.-A 'MELBOURNE ROTTEN ' ll^rfTnE pniVE IN ALBEIIT-PABK. - r ^

MOUNT LOFTY' It AILWAY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA;

MOUNT LOFTY' It AILWAY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA;