rawn by four horses, and I followed with the
children in other carriages. We drove first to the skating-rink,
through nice broad streets with good houses on each side. There we
were shown an excellent collection of New Guinea curiosities belonging
to a German explorer. From the skating-rink we drove through fine
streets to the Botanical Gardens, where we were given beautiful
nosegays, and there met the rest of the party, who were being taken
round by the curator. The gardens, and especially the houses, seem
admirably planned. I noticed an ingenious arrangement of water-pipes
leading to the top of the tree-ferns, by which the parasites growing
on them are kept constantly moist.

When we had thoroughly explored the gardens we bade adieu to the Mayor
and our friends on shore, and went off to the yacht. We reached
Hobson's Bay at dusk, and arrived at Government House in the middle of
dinner!

[Illustration: Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne]

CHAPTER XIII.

_VICTORIA._

_Sunday, June 12th._--The Government House of the colony of Victoria
is an enormous building, surrounded by an extensive park, situated on
the top of a small hill, which commands a fine view over Melbourne and
its suburbs. There is a complete suite of private apartments in the
house, besides rooms for many guests, and splendid reception,
banqueting, and ball rooms.

_Monday, June 13th._--My cold is still bad; and although Tom is also
far from well, he went to the town-hall this morning to receive a
deputation from the Victorian Branch of the Imperial Federation
League. The morning was a busy one until it became time to go down to
the yacht to lunch and to receive the officers of the naval forces and
Naval Brigade. Miss Cornwall and her father came later, bringing the
nugget with them which had been found on Friday not more than two feet
from the place where I was scratching. It is to be named after me. It
is looked upon as the forerunner of other and larger ones. Miss
Romilly also arrived, and we all returned to Melbourne in the evening.

_Tuesday, June 14th._--After a bad night I had to receive many
interviewers. Amongst those who called was a gentleman from the
Woman's Suffrage Society, who wished to elicit some expression of my
opinion, as he understood that I was strongly in favour of woman's
suffrage. He seemed disappointed when I told him he was mistaken, and
that I thought women already did govern the world more or less,
whereas if we