300 ALL ABOARD FOR SUNRISE LANDS.

The “distinguished lecturer” was so prominently mentioned that the
“saxton” did not feel like attaching his signature.

The Antelope Guild turned out in strong force to hear a lecture on
Australia. n

“You must not expect much from me,” pleaded Rick, his eyes twink-
ling, “cause —’cause, you know, I’m not used to it; but I’ll do the
best I can.”

With a round of applause, the fraternity encouraged their modest
brother to go on.

“ Australia is the biggest island anywhere about. It is about two
thousand miles wide, at its widest part, and its greatest length is twenty-
four hundred miles. It has three millions of square miles. You could
cut off a piece of Australia big as Great Britain and Ireland, and then
there would be enough left for twenty-five slices just like it. It is only
one-fifth smaller than the continent of Europe. If you leave out Alaska,
the United States and Australia are of about the same bigness.

“Jn Australia are Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland,
New South Wales and Victoria. The English own Australia, but they
let the people do about as they please. Jack Bobstay says that Uncle
Sam is thought a good deal of out this way, and uncle is going to annex
Japan and Australia. The outside of Australia, along the sea, is quite
nice, but away in, the land is pretty rocky and sandy and dry. They
say the inside pans out better, the more it is known. Dutch sailors
came pretty often to Australia, a long time ago, but Capt. Cook, who
was smarter than all of them, came in 1770, and hoisted the
British flag over New South Wales.

“The convicts came here first in 1788, but that was stopped after
a while, and a better class of people came. There are now not far
from three millions of people here. The people that lived here first,
the savages, do not amount to much, and are not as smart as the Maoris.