terior of the building, the party
climbed to the cupola, which is one hundred and fifty feet above the
level of the street below. From their point of observation they had a
fine view in every direction. The whole city was in sight, and also a
good deal of the surrounding country. The magnificent harbor, too, was
at their feet. Fifteen miles to the westward, they could see the pretty
town of Paramatta, which is a favorite resort for Sydney merry-makers;
while to the eastward, the broad line of the Pacific Ocean was spread
before their gaze. They remained there for half an hour or so in the
cupola, taking in the view in general, and also in many of its details.

As they were about to descend, Ned remarked that the harbor fully met
his expectations, and in some points exceeded them. Afterward he wrote
as follows in his notebook:--

"The harbor may be said to consist of a series of coves or bays, uniting
together in a single body of water, which opens to the sea between two
promontories, called The Heads. Whether viewed from an elevation like
that of the tower of the city hall, or from points along its shores, or
from the deck of a vessel passing over it, Sydney harbor presents a most
admirable view."

After leaving the city hall, our friends drove to Circular Quay, whose
character in one respect is described by its name, as it is of
semicircular shape, and encloses the most important of the divisions of
Sydney harbor. Harry and Ned were unable to say whether the amount of
shipping at Sydney was greater than that at Melbourne or not, but in one
thing they were agreed, that neither city had a right to be jealous of
the other on the score of marine business. There were ships of all
nations at Melbourne, and there were also ships of all nations at
Sydney. Sydney has the advantage of being the terminus of most of the
great steamship lines, and consequently their vessels are in port at
Sydney for a longer time than at Melbourne. There were great steamers
of the Orient line, of the Peninsular and Oriental (familiarly known as
the "P. & O."), the French line, or Messageries Maritimes, the North
German Lloyd, and other lines of lesser note. There was a steamer there,
from San Francisco, and there were several vessels belonging to the
Australian Steam Navigation Company.

As our friends were looking at the forest of masts and funnels, Harry
was the first to break the silence.

"You could start from here," he remarked, "for almo