of us is Norfolk Island, formerly used for the very worst of the convicts; and a long way ahead of us, but north of our track, is the lovely Pitcairn Island."

17. "Pitcairn Island!" I answered, "I remember the story: how the crew of the 'Bounty' mutinied, and sent their captain adrift, and then went off, and settled on that island. Are they still there?"

"Their descendants are, or some of them; some were removed to Norfolk Island."

18. So ends my trip to Australasia. I will send this long letter, when I have a chance; and then, I don't know how long it will be, before you can hear again.'

SECTION VI.

BRITISH NORTH AMERICA.

I. NEWFOUNDLAND.

'Halifax, August 15.

I. SAFELY arrived, Johnny, after a long voyage from New Zealand! What a change! No more green islands, or glittering seas, or fragrant forests! It is not really cold here yet: indeed, they tell me I shall find it hot in Canada. But all looks dreary, after the bright sunshine and gay flowers of the Pacific!

2. ""You've seen Fiji, the youngest of our colonies, Charlie," said Mr. Campbell, as we passed Cape Race, and came in sight of St. John's harbour: "it's quite right that you should see the oldest. Newfoundland has belonged to England for exactly 300 years. You will find that it is a better country than it looks at first sight."

3. 'I did not quite believe him; for I had heard from some of the sailors a great deal about the fogs of Newfoundland, and the coast did not look

inviting. St. John's, the capital, looked poor, after Melbourne and Sydney. But I have taken a little journey, partly by railway, into the middle of the island, and was quite surprised to find how pretty some parts of it were.

4. First, we had to cross a peninsula, and a narrow isthmus. I thought of you, Johnny; but it would not do to cut a canal across it!! For St. John's stands on the peninsula, and is joined to the rest of the colony by the isthmus.

5. 'There were some nice bits of sea-coast, as we crossed; but, soon after we left the coast, we came to a thick forest, which shut out our view. When we came out of the forest, this is what we saw below us: a bright green plain, with woods and lakes scattered over it, stretching as far as the eye could reach.

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'Why, Mr. Campbell," I exclaimed, "this is like a great deer-park, such as I have seen in England, only so very much larger."

6. "It is a deer-park, of Nature's making," he answered; "and if we were to go down into those plains, we should find beaten deer-paths crossing them in every direction.2

7. "All this is good fertile land, fit for growing

Geography Reader, pt. ii. p. 98.

2 Rae's Newfoundland to Manitoba, pp. 38, 39.

oats and barley, turnips and potatoes. On the western side of the island, the soil is still richer; and perhaps it is a pity that the first settlers landed on the eastern shore, instead of the western."

8. "But is not the climate very bad?" I said. "Look about you," was his answer. "There's no fog here, and the sun is shining brightly. Those patches of oats and barley that you see may stand till the end of October, without getting any harm. The springs are late, no doubt, and so every crop is backward; but, to make up for that, the autumns are fine, and last a long time."1

9. 'I thought over this for a little while. Then I asked: "Why is the eastern shore so much colder and foggier than the western?"

"Chiefly because it is open to the cold winds and currents from the Arctic Ocean; and the icebergs, floating southward, often pass along this coast."

10. "Then, why did the first settlers choose this cold side of the island?"

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They were tempted, I fancy, by the cod fisheries."

"The fisheries!" I exclaimed; for it seemed strange that fishing should be the chief thing thought of, in choosing a spot to settle.

G. IV.

1 Rae's Newfoundland to Manitoba, p. 41.
0

"Yes!" said Mr. Campbell, "for many years, Newfoundland was thought good for nothing but fishing. Even now, the merchants of St. John's think so much of it that it is hard to make them believe that their island has more wealth on its soil and below it, than it can ever gather from the sea." II. ""Below it?" cried I.

""Yes! Though you may not think so, there are great quantities of minerals here—some gold, some silver, and lead, and iron; but the only metal that has been much worked is copper. We left the copper-mines behind us, when we turned back just now from our view of the plains: they lay to the northward, to our right, as we stood on the height. 12. "There is also, I believe, plenty of coal, which will be worked some day. So, you see, I was right when I spoke of the hidden below the soil."

riches that are

13. 'One thing only disappointed me in this little trip. I had heard a great deal about Newfoundland dogs; but, though I saw a great many dogs, there was not one fine one.

"No!" Mr. Campbell said, "I believe the breed is lost: there are none of those noble blackand-white heroes, which we have seen, now and then, at home, and which came originally from this island.