tarpaulins, and inquire dimensions and prices.
Felt quite surprised at myself and my
aptitude for all these novel inquiries.

From King's Cross to the Strand and Fleet
Street, to look again at a number of things I
had previously examined—such as waterproof
clothing, revolvers, double-barrelled guns,
Minié rifles, and the mariner's land compass.
Waits told me that Arrowsmith intended to
"explore" during the season when you cannot
dig, and the information was not lost upon
me. Did not wish to personate the Babes in
the Bush. Returned home to lodgings, dirty
and fagged. Went to see aunt in the evening.

May 3lst.—Mind made up as to the best
house for shirts. Thought seriously about
that all yesterday. Fixed on Spankerly's
noted warehouse, and ordered six dozen of
white calico (two shillings and sixpence per
shirt, pretty well sown, except that the
buttons all hung by a couple of threads); three
dozen blue-checked shirts, and one dozen
fancy ditto, fine material and better
workmanship, at three shillings and sixpence each
—not dear. Likewise two London rowing-shirts,
for the Yarra Yarra river, or
elsewhere. Sent them all to aunt to get
worked and marked with name. Reminded
of fishing by the rowing shirts. Went to a
capital shop close at hand, and bought a
quantity of tackle—hooks, lines, floats, and
artificial flies for all rivers and all sorts of
Australian fresh-water fish, so far as I could
learn about them from the shopman, an
extremely intelligent young man. Could not
agree with him as to necessity for taking
fishing-rods: the "Bush" where I was
going certainly furnishing abundance of fine,
graceful shoots for the purpose, or it was
not the place I took it for. Paid for fishing-tackle,
as the young man said it was the
constant rule of that particular trade. Went
to Tower Hill. Bought waterproof coat, hat,
and trowsers—all of cheap sailors' material,
but good and durable—also pair of long
fisherman's boots, and red night-cap, at
Moses and Aaron's shop; where I had seen
several sea-chests standing out before the
front door, when I first met Waits. Selected
one of the chests—very good and strong, too
strong, indeed, and having a oppresive smell
of fresh paint inside; but this latter defect, I
was assured, would evaporate in a day or so,
and I shouldn't know it. Went into
bedding-department upstairs, and chose a pair
of cabin blankets, a coverlid,—in fact, all that
was proper to rendering a berth comfortable
without effeminate luxury. Turned aside into
another smaller room, which certainly had a
very close smell of a very peculiar kind, and
there made choice of worsted stockings and
two blue flannel shirts, for cold weather, and a
pair of thick extra long stockings, to wear with
the fisherman's boots. Had all these articles
put in the chest and addressed to me, to go
by Parcels' Delivery, if they would take it.

June 1st. Went to haberdasher's for needles,
thread, shirt-buttons, bodkins, tape, &c., and
then to stationer's for foreign letter-paper,
pens and ink, and sealing wax—of which
last considerable stock, being sure there was
none in Australia, or none so good. Also
bought a pocket-book, memorandum book,
ruled book for Diary, two large patent clasp
purses, and an ornamental glass globe paperweight
with the "Great Exhibition" inside, as
a present to Miss Hopworth, the daughter of
a mercantile gentleman in Melbourne, to
whom I expected to have letter of introduction.
Went again to Pickland's, the colonial ironmonger.
Warehouse full as before. Mr.
Pickland looking hot and confused amidst a crowd
of customers, and his foreman leaning against
a newly painted red cart-wheel, wiping his
forehead with the back of his hand. Examined
gold-washing cradle very carefully, as also
new patent zinc turnabout machine, which
somewhat resembled great tin milk-pail with
handle at top on the plan of the coffee-mill.
Ordered one of each, together with
iron sieves and fine brass wire sieve, for
gold dust (as explained by Mr. Pickland's
clerk), and extra wire for both, when the
larger lumps of gold quartz have worn out
the first, as strongly recommended by Mr.
Pickland himself. Went down to ware-room
in cellarage, and saw tents of three
or four sizes and qualities, all erected and
fitted up just as they would be in Australia.
One of them had cot slung inside, with
curtains to it; also little table and lamp, looking
very complete and cozey. Longed to
be there. Chose an iron bedstead (to fold up
flat, and only fourteen shillings) and almost
decided on folding wheelbarrow, but deterred.
Returned home, dirty and fagged.

June 2nd.—Met Waits in Fleet Street.
Congratulated me on my adroitness as to
the cabin, but exclaimed against the sum I
had paid, and the extortion of Saltash and
Pincher. Went home, and passed the rest of
day in sorting books, and looking over old
letters, burning some, and giving away old
clothes, pausing now and then to wonder how
I could be so foolish as I was reminded had
occasionally been, by many of these old things
I rummaged out. Before going to bed wrote
to Arrowsmith.

June 3rd.—Received reply from Arrowsmith,
as follows: "Dear Dixon, if you wish
to be at the head of a party, as leader and
manager, let me know, and I will give you
my idea of the amount of money you should
take, and furnish you with my own list of
articles; but if you go as one of a party, with
me or anybody else, and as an intermediate
passenger, then this list will be useful to you.
Clothing, according to private fancy; only take
care to have some for cold as well as warm
weather, both under and over clothing, and
also some waterproof. For tools, take two
light picks, one hammer-pick, one shovel, one
clay shovel, one spade, one large iron plate
full of holes (for cradle), one large shallow