Marshall MacDermott

“ The gradients are so easy that a carriage may be trotted up nearly to the summit—above 8,000 feet over the sea level—passing through a few short tunnels, where rocky spurs of the mountain intervene. Here a monastery is situated, where the noble dogs are trained to search for lost travellers in the snow. No description is capable of conveying to the mind the magnificent scenery of the Alps, which is ever varying. ”

“ Lawrence, when it was my turn to be the last man of my division. A violent snow-storm commenced early in the day, and after marching about eight miles, a man was seized with convulsions. What was to be done? The snow was drifting in eddies and circles, obliterating the path in front. No wood was accessible to light a fire, and the man must not be left behind. Fortunately, the party had with them an Indian contrivance, called a “tobaugan,” being a thin board twelve feet long turned up in front like a skate, used to relieve sick and weakly men of their loads. ”

“ The discoveries of gold in the Province of Victoria were so rich that a perfect exodus of all classes of the male population of South Australia, except the old and young, took place. It was a time of great anxiety, on account of the numerous helpless families which were left slenderly provided for. The Adelaide men were generally successful, and having collected large quantities of gold, began returning to their families in about six months, when the scenes occurring in Adelaide were quite marvellous. A dozen weddings almost daily taking place ”

“ I had a handsome portable brass bedstead which Lord Byron was desirous of having, and on that bedstead he died, in the fortress of Missalonghi, opposite the coast of Cephalonia, which withstood a long siege by the Turks.
It may here be mentioned the very general opinion held as to the character of the belligerents. The Greeks were considered a lawless race, in whose veracity or integrity no reliance could be placed. The Turks, on the contrary, although sometimes fanatical, were held to be a people of integrity, on whose word you might rely. ”

“ After marching for twenty-two hours until daylight next morning, the division had only progressed eight miles, having been partially travelling in circles with the drifting snow.
The divisions struck the St. Lawrence ninety miles below Quebec, and the spontaneous kindness of the French Canadians could not have been exceeded. The carrioles, sleighs, and sledges of the whole district were assembled, and no man was suffered to march. They also fed the whole regiment during the route. ”

“ The Turk, having been crippled in his rigging, found that he could not weather a certain headland, and observing the red coats of a few soldiers, who had been sent there to maintain the quarantine laws, he ran his ship ashore to obtain their protection. He had fought a most gallant action. For nearly two hours those sixteen ships had in succession been pouring in broadsides, raking in crossing his bows, firing again on the opposite side, and again raking in crossing his stern, and yet he never struck his colours. ”

“ They are not allowed to be shot. The population of Gibraltar—about 16,000—is entirely dependent on rain for their supply of fresh water; but from flat roofs, and tanks under every house, besides large public reservoirs, they have sufficient and to spare for supplying ships of war.
During my visit to England the 8th Regiment was removed from Malta to Corfù, one of the Ionian Islands, and previous to my rejoining it overland I made arrangements for a tour extending over several months through France, Switzerland, and Italy. ”

“ Some time after the Lord Bishop (Dr. Short) arrived in Adelaide, a Conference of the several Australian bishops was summoned to meet the Metropolitan at Sydney. A new dogma was declared at that conference to be an article of faith, after some opposition, namely, baptismal regeneration. The Bishop returned, and on the day previous to the annual meeting of the “Church Society” (the then governing body of the affairs of the Church of England in South Australia) , the proceedings of the Sydney Conference became known. ”

“ There can be no doubt that the land system of South Australia, which provided that the country should be surveyed and sold in sections of eighty acres, was the means of saving the province from temporary ruin. The facilities for acquiring land by the labouring classes were very considerable. The discovery of the Burra Copper Mine gave the first great impulse to the progress of the colony; the produce of that mine alone having exceeded £4,000,000 sterling up to a recent period. ”

“ An opinion prevailed in the colony that the interests of religion would be greatly promoted were Western Australia erected into the See of a Bishop, and I proposed a scheme to create an endowment for that object by means of subscriptions of land, to which I contributed 500 acres. After an interval of several years the object was happily accomplished by the appointment of an excellent man, Dr. Matthew Hale, formerly Archdeacon of Flinders, in South Australia, to be the first Bishop of Western Australia. ”

“ A sufficient supply of coin was gradually obtained from the Government expenditure, and the shareholders for some time divided profits of forty per cent. on their nominal capital, which was simply the credit of their names.
The system which enabled settlers to obtain enormous grants of land was found in practice to be neither advantageous to those persons or to the colony. They could not make a profitable use of them; they became a drag upon their resources to meet necessary expenditure, and the lands were locked up from those who might have turned them to better account. ”

“ The churches and public buildings are also very fine, and some of the monuments of the knights are beautiful; altogether the city is very handsome. The ditch, before referred to, had been converted by the knights into a beautiful garden, the soil of which had all been conveyed from Sicily in ships; and the walks had been so skilfully laid out as to convey a strong impression of extent.
While at Malta I was recommended for the appointment of Pay-master of my regiment, which I accepted, my prospects of promotion during peace being remote ”

“ Richard Nash, we formed a Vineyard Society, the object being to prepare and trench a nursery for vines, to procure a collection of the choicest varieties, to preserve their names and identity, and to distribute them gratis to all who engaged to plant them in trenched ground. Some gentlemen reduced the rents of their lands to their tenants in proportion to the extent of their vineyards. ”

“ From Rome to Naples you pass through Frascati, Velletri, Frosinone, Pontecorvo, and Capua, once the winter quarters of Hannibal and his army. Shortly after leaving Rome you cross the Pontine Marshes, extending south about thirty or forty miles, which infect the air to such a degree in summer as to resemble a plague. Although apparently fertile, it is almost depopulated, and with few habitations. The malaria arises from stagnant swamps, and their few inhabitants are wretched objects, emaciated and pot-bellied, generally dying prematurely from dropsy. ”

“ One evening some one referred to Lord Byron having swam across the Hellespont, from Sestos to Abydos; but Trelawney made light of it, and challenged Lord Byron to swim with him across the channel from Cephalonia to Ithaca. The challenge was accepted, but afterwards Trelawney drew back. At the end of three weeks, Lord Byron discharged his yacht, and took a villa about four miles from the town. He usually rode in in the afternoon, and took his wine at the mess, after which he frequently joined small parties of officers in their rooms to smoke cigars. ”

“ Some time previous to this, the Suliotes, an Albanian tribe of Greeks, obtained information that Ali Pasha of Yanina was preparing to burn their villages as a punishment for some outrage they had committed; the whole population, therefore, abandoned their homes, and took refuge in Cephalonia. The small Peninsula of Asso was assigned for their temporary residence, and there they encamped. Their number, including women and children, was about 2,000, and they could muster above 400 fighting men. ”

“ The colony of Western Australia was being formed at this time; and the large concessions of land offered to the settlers by the Government on easy terms induced me to select that colony for my future residence. Two officers of the Rifle Brigade, Captains Molloy and Byrne, proposed to accompany me. And it was agreed that they should join me in purchasing a ship, to be loaded with wooden houses and boats, and to convey the three parties and their establishments to the new settlement. ”

“ Busby’s vineyard, in New South Wales, but the progress in distributing plants was rather slow, until a few of the settlers produced wine, which gave a rapid impulse to the operations of the society, and within a few years some of them were enabled to distribute a pint of wine daily to the men in their employ. ”

“ Travellers enter Milan through a beautiful marble triumphal arch, erected in honour of Napoleon. The Duomo or Cathedral is a wonderful building of white marble, the façade of which was not completed until he had conquered Italy, although the remainder of the building, which has been very costly, had been commenced in the year 1386. At the top of each pinnacle, and in various recesses, are placed marble statues, said to be 3,000 in number. This building should be viewed at night during the full moon, when it has the appearance of ivory, and is a sight rarely equalled. ”

“ During the year 1812 the Americans declared war against England, at Washington, having previously ordered their army on the frontier to invade Upper Canada, on the same day, being several days before the intelligence could be known at that place. They signally failed, however, in their first attacks. Reinforcements being urgently required, and the River St. Lawrence being frozen up for the season, the 2nd Battalion 8th was ordered to attempt the winter march on snow shoes to Quebec ”

“ The Greek insurrection having now become very general, the inhabitants of Zante manifested a strong disposition to join in the revolt. The 8th Regiment was suddenly ordered to embark for that island, having only four hours’ notice. The officers had only time to pack up their portmanteaus, leaving the remainder of their luggage behind, and some officers who had been out shooting were obliged to embark in their shooting-dresses. ”

“ Heavy rains then descended, followed by a dead calm, when an enormous sea arose—ships on the crest of the waves, finding others in the gulph below them under no control, and in imminent danger of crushing each other. Damages were repaired, and without any serious losses the fleet proceeded on its voyage.
The united force sailed from Barbadoes for Martinique, accompanied by the West India squadron, commanded by Sir Alexander Cochrane, who took up a position with the West Indian Division of Troops outside of Port Royal Harbour, on the west side of the island. ”

“ Frigate, volunteered to take them there, inviting half the officers into his own cabin, the remainder being guests in the wardroom.
The regiment landed at Argostoli, the capital of the island, situated on a fine harbour—Colonel Charles Napier being then Commandant. It is the largest of the Ionian group, and produces the Zante currant, wine, and olives. An elevated range of hills divides the island from north-east to south-west, cutting off the two sides from intercourse with each other, there being neither roads across the range or wheel carriages. ”

“ The Ionian Greeks had always been in the habit of carrying long muskets and pistols, even when pursuing their daily labour. Sir Frederick Adam immediately issued a proclamation for disarming the population. In every district, town, and village the inhabitants were ordered, under severe penalties, to bring in their arms, which were piled in heaps and burned in the presence of English officers appointed for that purpose. ”

“ Large fires were kept up the whole length of the huts; poles being staked down at proper distances on each side, against which, the sleeping soldiers rested their feet—their couches being formed of layers of spruce boughs on the snow, which made capital elastic beds. The march was successful, having only lost one man from the fall of a tree, and fourteen men afterwards discharged disabled from being severely frost-bitten. ”

“ An early visit was made to Herculaneum and Pompeii, on Mount Vesuvius. After being buried in lava or ashes for 1,600 years their discovery was remarkable. A nobleman residing near Portici, a spot of high elevation, thought that if he could penetrate the various beds of lava by sinking a shaft he might find water. After sinking about seventy feet, the workmen came upon a flight of marble steps, which, being followed, led into a theatre in Herculaneum. There had been a statue near this place, which had been thrown down, and in the lava which had flown over it was found a fine cast of the statue. ”

“ The Province of Lombardy is very beautiful, situated between the Alps and Apennines, and watered by many rivers. The country generally is divided into square blocks, and extensively irrigated. These blocks are surrounded by mulberry trees planted at regular intervals, and grape vines are festooned from tree to tree. The fruit, being ripe at this time, presented a rich and lovely scene. The fertility of the soil, consequent upon irrigation, is very great, producing generally three crops annually. The culture of silk is very valuable in many respects. ”

“ When the snow was deep it was necessary to march in Indian files, that is, only one man in front to tread down a path, the leading man falling in rear after fifteen or twenty paces, the next then leading, and so on in succession, the fatigue on snow shoes being great. Another rule was, that the last man of each division should be an officer, to keep up stragglers. There happened to be a long march of twenty-five miles across Lake Tamiskwata, next to the grand portage between that lake and the River St. ”