Letter from William Wilson to his father, 1856
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| Title: | Letter from William Wilson to his father, 1856 |
|---|---|
| Identifier: | archives.org.au/Letter_from_William_Wilson_to_his_father,_1856 |
| Parent item: | Wilson newspaper clippings |
| Storage location: | H.M. Wilson Archives/Box 1 |
| Date: | |
| Authors: | William Wilson |
| Source: | |
| Format and extent: | |
| Publisher: | |
| Coordinates: | |
| License: |  This work is free of known copyright restrictions.
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| Related people: | William Wilson · William Wilson snr. |
| Related places: | |
| Keywords: | H.M. Wilson Archives |
| Description: |
Transcription
COPY OF A LETTER WRITTEN BY FATHER SOON AFTER HIS ARRIVAL IN 1856.
My dear Father,
I have long had the idea of writing you a description of Melbourne, which I have no doubt would interest you very much, and at the same time give you a faint idea of the capital of the Southern Hemisphere, also the chief town of the adopted country of some of your children.
The City of Melbourne lies at the head of Hobson Bay, about 40 miles from the ocean. it is built on the banks of the Yarra, a stream about the breadth of the Dee at Cupar Angus, and very much resembling it, having the same dark and sluggish appearance. Melbourne, lying as it does about seven miles from the Beach and the river not being deepened yet, large vessels such as the Red Jacket and the Donald McKay are prevented from coming up, and have to discharge in the Bay, which is accomplished by the means of lighters.
Coming up the Yarra, a new chum is struck by the foreign appearance of the trees and vegetation, they are quite different to anything usually seen in Scotland, the trees are growing right down to the water's edge, and some with their roots actually in the water. Coming up the river nothing is seen but trees and scrub on each side, and so think that it would be almost impossible to penetrate. Great quantities of snakes take up their abode here, which compels anyone who may be on the bank to look well to their feet. The new chum is thinking now that this is a strange wild looking place, and he is straining his eyes to get a glimpse of the long looked for Melbourne. However, what smoke is that, he exclaims, as the dull haze of the City begins to darken his eyes - in a few minutes more he is standing thunderstruck on the deck of the steamer that tkaes him from the ship, with eyes and mouth wide open, the very picture of amazement. Goodness alive, is this Melbourne, why it cannot be, the voyage from home is like a dream and a delusion - I don't see the Melbourne of my imagination. Where are the tents and the men with the pistols at their sides and the great big knives, and all the stuff and nonsense that was stuffed into my head before leaving home.
These are just the feelings of one seeing Melbourne for the first time - the people at home have the strangest ideas of Australia and the most nonsensical, even the newspapers which one would believe ought to have a little knowledge on the subject display great ignorance of Australian things in general. The people at home have an idea that Melbourne is a big wild place inhabited by all sorts of rowdies, and in fact almost dangerous to walk abroad after dark, taking their notions from some absurd picture of if which they have seen, and which only existed in the imagination
of the designer. A stranger entering Melbourne can hardly bring himself to believe that he is out of Britain, evertthing appears so like home, the streets, the shops, stores, the businesslike air of the place and the money-making countenances of the shopkeepers all attest the fact that the place is English and inhabited by the Anglosaxon.
Well now, suppose we go away back to the wharf where we landed from the Steamer and take a stroll through this mushroom City of Wondertimes.
The vessels consist of the Colonial traders chiefly, and the lighters discharging the cargo from the Clippers, all here is bustle and activity, goods are landing from all parts of the world, principally from Britian, they are carted from here to the Merchants' stores and perhaps in a day or two put up to auction and sold for less than they actually cost in England.
The places of business on the opposite side of the street consist chiefly of Bonded Stores, Hotels and eating houses and the usual adjuncts of a thoroughfare bordering on a wharf where goods are discharging and steamers and other vessels arrive and depart.
On our right is the Melbourne and Hobsons Bay Railway Station, and facing Elizabeth Street, Step in here for a moment and you will hear the old Time bell and a shrill whistle of the engine, then take a look at our railway carriages, and at the same time just say if our third class is not better than what is called the Second class in the Old country. This railway runs to Sandridge and St. Kilda, both on the Bay. At the latter place the railway Company have run a pier out into the Bay at which the large Clippers can discharge alongside. The goods being run up to Melbourne on the railway, which is a source of great profit to the Company.
Facing the Station is Elizabeth Street, one of the great arteries of Melbourne. In this street are situated the wholesale stores which supply the diggings and the different towns in the country, or Bush as the country is called, though the place may be a vast plain as far as the eye can reach without a single tree or bush on it.
It is perfectly amazing the quantity of goods that leaves this street every day, before every door almost backed right into the pavement are large drays drawn by bullocks whereon the storemen of the different stores are piling tea, sugar, spirits, tobacco, porter and ale in bulk and bottle. Machinery for crushing rock so as the gold may be extracted and all the necessary wants of a gold digging population, both inwardly and outwardly. The bullock drivers are a rough set of fellows with a tremendous lot of hair on their faces and an equally large number of oaths on their tongues.
Walking along Elizabeth Street, the first cross street that we come to is Collins Street - here are some splendid shops, indeed this street will vie with any almost in the Old Country.
If you want to see the beauty and fashion of Melbourne, drop into Collins Street of an afternoon, and I am bound to say that you will meet more pretty faces than you will in any town of the United Kingdom in the same time.
A great many important buildings are situated in the principal pert of this street, such as Banks, Auction rooms etc., where a ship's cargo is sold off in the course of a few minutes, then one notices the Chamber of Commerce and the Electric Telegraph Office, togheter with a great many handsome Drapers shops all congregated in this part of our City.
In the Eastern end of the street are also two Presbyterian Churches, and nearly opposite stands the Argus Newspaper Office, a paper that has as much influence here as the Times has in London. At the extreme west end of the street stands the Station of our main line of Railways, a handsome edifice that would grace almost any town in Scotland. The Refreshment Rooms here are quite charmingly got up - you can go in and have a nobbler of port or sherry, lemonade or ginger beer or anything else you may prefer, and then you can get the morning's paper, and having stuck a cigar in your mouth, drop quietly on the cushioned seats and lounge away the time until the train starts. This line, when finished, will go up to the very banks of the Murray, a distance of nearly 200 miles up the country. At present only some 21 miles are fit for passenger traffic, the rest is expected to be finished in the course of two or three years. There is also a branch from this to Geelong and Williamstowm, which is very much patronised by the public. Before our Government took this Geelong line into their own hands the Directors were making a complete bungle of the concern - their railway carriages were being brought to the hammer almost every day, however, our Parliament set aside a sum of money for the purchase of the line and it now belongs to the Colony of Victoria.
Continuing along Elizabeth Street, the next important thoroughfare we come to is Bourke Street, and at the corner stands our new Post Office, which is now in course of erection; this building will entirely put in the shade any Post Office I have ever seen in Scotland, not baring the General in Perth. Long lines of cars are constantly stationed here plying to all the different suburbs of the City. They occupy the middle of the street which is considered an improvement - the owners being thus prevented from congregating on the pavement and otherwise impeding the side walks.
This is one of the busiest parts of the City here, constant stream of people quite as large as that of Argyle Street in Glasgow is ever flowing, here you see men of all countries and colours. Nothing I like better than to stand in this locality for an hour and watch the different physiognomies of the passers by, the cheerful and happy look [illegible] and the equally destitute and broken-down looks of others.
Victoria being a gold country and capital so plentiful yet we hve people here in destitute circumstances, t here being plenty of men in Melbourne at the present time who cannot get any work.
[Typed up left side:] Unfortunately the balance of this letter is missing.
