sir, I will show you the road to master's; you might, perhaps, pass it, for it turns off the road when you are within half a mile of it."

"Thank you, my good fellow; I shall be glad of your company. They never told me of the turn-off."

"No, they never do. They know it so well, that they forget to mention it. I have been served that sort of trick fifty times; they say you can't mistake the road;-follow the beaten track, and then you are sure to come to two beaten tracks, and you take what looks the most used, and you lose yourself. We had a gentleman come up to one of our stations once to treat' with master about some sheep, and he took the left road until it ended, thirty miles off, in a deserted station, where the gentleman had to pass the night with nothing to eat. Next day we found him coming back again; he had the sense to do that, and to keep the road, or it might have been a case of died in the bush from starvation. He was a stout young fellow, and there was great fun about the number of mutton chops he ate-the frying-pan was hissing away for a full hour." "You, perhaps, don't mind waiting half an hour, while my nag gets a mouthful of grass, and I smoke a cigar ?"

"Oh, I can accommodate you for that, sir, for I incline to a pipe myself."

My companion now seated himself on the grass. He had slipped his bridle off his horse's head, and crossed the stirrups over the saddle. "You don't fear leaving your horse to himself," I said, as the animal began to pick out the best grass with great judgment.

"A stockman's horse is worth nothing if he won't stay by his rider. I had great work with Bobby at first; now he minds my voice more than whip or spur. See, he knows I am talking about him; do you observe how he stops and looks round at me? You may safely let your horse go, sir."

I had attached the bridle to the thong of my whip, so enabling my nag to feed, while I could draw him in whenever I might want him. "He will not be disposed to be off such a day as this from the good quarters he is now in; besides, he will stick alongside my horse."

I accordingly let him off, and the two nags drew towards each other in an amicable way; their heads were soon in the same direction, and you heard their jaws in concert over the green grass-green from its neighbourhood to the irrigated soil of the spot we had chosen as our restingplace. The two riders were both busy smoking-myself a cigar, the stockman, who I observed kept himself at a respectful distance, the invariable short pipe. If I am somewhat particular in narrating this scene, it is that it is one which has dwelt on my recollection as very suggestive of how an ordinary day is spent in the squatting regions of Australia.

I now obtained from my companion an account of the country within a radius of fifty miles, and heard all his descriptions of where "good feed" was to be found-and water-and where "dogs" were numerous (the sheep-killing native dog, more like a fox than a dog)- and where the "natives" were troublesome. I tried to draw him out upon other topics, for I soon began to regard him in a favourable light. He seemed a shrewd frank chap, not without a touch of thoughtfulness, the result of a life and occupation generally lonely, and whose mind was little likely to be warped by any bookish or newspaper theories concerning the out

landish world he was sojourning in—the kind of fellow whose instinctive promptings as to right and wrong I have often found worth listening to, while they are not infrequently of great use in the formation of sound views upon matters falling within the range of his observation and experience.

"And so you have been eight years in the country?" quoth I.

"I have, sir, last January; and during that time I have lived more hours on horseback than afoot. But I was always fond of a horse. I once heard master, speaking of me to a friend of his, say that Bobby and I made up a Centaur..... and it happened that I knew what he meant." 66 Do you not at times wish yourself in England?"

"I do now and then, when I look over these hot plains without a cottage or a cottage-garden upon them, still less a village or a churchyard. But then, when I am mounted on Bobby, and have a fifty miles' ride before me -nothing to pull me up-no turnpikes or park-walls-all free and wideBobby fresh-a new cracker to my whip-a good breakfast inside—a fresh breeze-then I like my work. Besides, I have better prospects here than ever I could have in England; and I am wise enough to bear that in mind-my mates are apt to forget it.'

"And you miss the churchyards?"

"I do, sir; they tell men that others went before them in this world. They tell us that we had fathers. We all seem here as if we had dropped from the clouds. Then I do at times yearn to be back in an English village and hear the noise of many children."

"Well, but you will have all that in time up here; and if you don't like waiting, you might go to the Hunter..."

"So I think; and meantime I can afford to stay a few years longer. I have already lived long enough in the colony to see all the changes between the country as God made it, until we got to a police-station and a public-house. That took place at master's old station; and now they are even getting something like a village there, and I have heard that a parson is likely to be placed there and a church built. But it was because the country was getting filled up that drove master away. That was his second move. Master is a proper one for plenty of elbow-room. He finds one day that the feed is getting scanty since the last dropping, and he and Mr. M'Tavish, whose sheep are also increasing fast, begin to have disputes about who has a right to the run on the other side of the Stoney Rise. Master bids me over-night get the two horses ready by break o' day, and we start the first thing in the morning on an 'expedition.' An old black, master is kind to, gives us a notion where we are likely to find good country.' Two days we journey, going to the right and the left. On the third, about sixty miles from the station, and where never white man's foot trod before, we reach fine ranges, with good cattle feed in the flats, and plenty of water; and we find how a dray may be brought all the way. Master has taken good account of how we steered, and the bearings of the hills-for he is as great a dab with his compass as any government surveyor-and we get home again. I promise master to say nothing of our discovery, and I keep my word. Nobody knows where we have been. Then we muster two or three thousand sheep, to make a beginning with, and we get a couple of drays and a mob of cattle, and off we start for the new run. Master is an active gentleman, and in a week we have formed a new station. Then the natives, knowing nothing

of the Commandments, begin to plunder us; but master is averse to bloodshed, and goes amongst them without fear, always laughing-and he throws a spear as well as any of them-and so he conciliates them, as they call it, which is better than shooting them down.”

"And that is the present state of affairs with you here ?"

"Yes; but we shall soon have the old story over again. Neighbours grew up around us at the last station; so master sold it, and came on here."

"And the natives are pretty quiet with you now hereabouts ?"

"Yes; master manages them well. He has got a gift that way, as I have known some gentlemen have. But no lasting good can ever be done with them, I fear, sir. They are born vagabonds; but our stockmen often behave like great blackguards to them, there is no doubt of that. Master always tells his stockmen, Now always try and find out a reason for not shooting them. I know some of you are too ready for an excuse to defend yourselves, which means killing them—now mind, I give you fair warning, I'll have you hanged if you hurt them.' I tell you, sir, there is great difficulty in getting our stockmen to be quite sure that they are as much human beings as we white men are. They look at their odd monkey faces, their skinny limbs, their dirt and red ochre, and the things they eat, and they never can believe that they are the same as people who wear shirts and breeches, and eat mutton-chops, drink tea, and read newspapers. I am sure there are few of the stockmen who are so ready to click their triggers at a native but would have a very different feeling if they pointed their pieces at a white man, in white man's clothes. But they must be taught better; and what with Governor Gipps and the law, and the Methodist preacher and the gospel, they will at last learn that a black native is not to be shot down like a kangaroo."

Here let me say a few words respecting these people, the result of some pretty extensive knowledge of them. Their general history, since their country has been intruded upon by the whites, seems to be this: they are more or less ferocious when their country is settled by Europeans. They slaughter sheep and shepherds, and are in turn slaughtered. It may happen that the aggression is sometimes commenced by the whites; but more frequently I fancy the sheep and the stores in the huts of the shepherds are inducements to the natives to commence first. Then the police are called on to interfere, and a campaign gives the natives a foretaste of what a "gubbernor" can do. Then come the "protectors of aborigines"-a peculiar species of man, called into existence by the government of late years; part religious missionary, part civil functionary-a paid philanthropist, who soon gets a turn of phrase peculiarly his own, and thoughts and habits peculiar to his newlydiscovered vocation. I believe he does some good, but not nearly the amount he complacently "reports" that he does. He is not the imposter he is often thought to be; at any rate, he greatly imposes upon himself. He tries to inspire himself with hope that, amidst all their barbarism and degradation, the natives are, through his medium, picking up some notions of religion and morality. By degrees the runs fill up, and the settlers increase in numbers. The natives become used to their presence, and sensible of their power, and of the power of the "police." All these influences together bring about peaceable relations;

but the protectors are apt to look upon the whole as proceeding from themselves-from the "protectorate, as they grandly designate their institution, corporately considered. On the other hand, the civil officers of the government and the settlers very generally deride the pretensions of the protectors, regarding them as men whose interest it is to talk in a certain way, and who, under the guise of benevolence and piety, think chiefly of the "main chance." The general opinion is, that the natives are hopelessly a vagrant and debased race, of whom nothing whatever can be made in the way of Christianisation or civilisation. The protectors and their followers are a small minority, thinking that something may be made out of them in both respects. But all appear to agree that they must soon disappear from the face of the earth!

My companion and I had had a pause in our conversation for a few minutes while we smoked in a musing mood.

"Hush," said the stockman; now lift your eyes, and look to the

top of the rise before you."

I raised my eyes accordingly, and there, at the top of the hill, I saw a large bullock's-head-merely the head-staring at us.

"You villain, I see you," said the stockman ; "I thought I should find you-I thought I could not be far out in my reckoning."

Here the bullock tossed his head.

Ah, Master Boxer, you know it's all up with you."

By this time we had before us seven or eight other heads, all intently regarding us.

"They don't attempt to bolt from you, I see."

"Oh, they know quite well they are caught. I thought I heard them stealing gently to the top of the rise-I have had my ears open since I came-I thought they couldn't be very far off. If I hadn't caught Boxer's eye, he would have quietly stolen back again. Come down, you thieves, you may now come and drink your fill."

Hereupon the whole lot, about a dozen fine large bullocks, all came demurely down the hill like a parcel of schoolboys who had no chance of playing truant any longer, and were soon drinking out of Dolly's pond; the stockman, with a mixture of anger and good-nature, abusing the ringleader, Boxer, who seemed to have a sly consciousness that he was singled out as the chief object of reproof.

In a few minutes the stockman and I were mounted on our horses, when one crack from the former's long thong brought the bullocks in a mob before us; and in this way we proceeded at a leisurely pace to my friend's "station."

REVOLUTIONARY ITALY.

*

AT the present moment, when Sardinia is about once more to enter into active hostilities with Austria, it will not be uninteresting to seize from the pages of an able writer, many years familiar with Italy and the Italians, under all their various phases, some traits illustrative of the progress of Italian revolutionary feeling. Mr. Macfarlane was, at the time of the advent of the reforming Pope, in a part of Constantinople which is itself an immense Italian colony. Among these are throngs of political refugees, unfortunate reformers, or baulked revolutionists, and great has always been the trouble of their respective ministers and consuls to keep peace among them. As the Pope took further strides on the road of reform, and as Charles Albert assumed a more warlike and defiant attitude towards Austria, these expatriated patriots became louder in talk, and higher in pretensions. They began to wear tri-coloured ribbons, and placarded the streets, while a goodly crop of beards, whiskers, and moustaches grew, and underwent a still greater increase, after the French revolution. To shave was considered a certain sign of monarchical and aristocratical tendencies. Political opinions were also strongly announced by hats." And how contemptuously," adds Mr. Macfarlane, "did they look down upon us, peaceable, matter-of-fact Englishmen, who wore none of those fashions or emblems! When these hats first came out, we could scarcely walk through the streets of Pera, or through those two Perote paradises, the smaller and the great burying-ground, without the risk of being insulted otherwise than by looks. But if there was little harmony between these haughty liberals and the English, there was little more among themselves. Old jealousies broke out anew, and fresh discords arose as affairs advanced, and as they constituted themselves into political circles or clubs.

At Smyrna the Republicans were equally busy and noisy in setting up tri-coloured flags, holding Te Deums, and taking oaths to die for the union and independence of all Italy; there had been many signs of disunion and jealousy among them, although there had been no such disgraceful scenes as at the Turkish capital. Mr. Macfarlane remarks of the quarantine at Malta-"The people about the place were very negligent and uncivil; they were all Maltese. Our Whig reformers have not left a single Englishman on or in the establishment. The Smiches love to execute authority over those whom in former days they considered as their superiors and masters." We shall smart some day for this socalled "liberal," but exceedingly mistaken, policy towards the Maltese. Landed at Messina, Mr. Macfarlane states that there were few signs of the much-talked-of bombardment, and equally few traces of the havoc of war.

We landed. Still not the slightest sign of bombardment, not the weakest trace of the havoc of war. O fabulous journalists! Mendacious newspaper correspondents! It was not until we came to a place of arms, near the harbour, Fort Reale, that we saw any evidence of a conflict. This fort was breached in two places, and the gaps were yet open and ragged; but these breaches had

A Glance at Revolutionised Italy, &c., &c., in the Summer of 1848. By Charles Macfarlane. 2 vols. Smith, Elder, and Co.