233 



above those of New South Wales, besides the important 

 circumstance of its vicinity to India, the Spice Islands, Java, 



th 



Hope 



dent of its situation as a place of call for East India and China 

 ships, are^ in the first place; The great ease with which a 

 settler can bring his land Into cultivation — the forests aver- 

 aging not more than from eight to ten trees to an acre. 

 Secondly; The facility with which he can bring his produce 

 to market, either by land or water; the coast being of easy 

 access on any part near the river, and no impediments 

 existing in the interior. Thirdly; The great abundance of 

 fresh water of the best quality, an advantage which New 

 South Wales, east of the Blue Mountains, does not possess, 

 excepting on the immediate banks of the rivers and creeks. 

 Fourthly; The great abundance of limestone. 



Ten miles from the entrance of Swan River, the Moreau 

 of the French branches off to the south, according to the 

 I'eport of the party who went to explore it. It seems of 

 equal extent with the Swan River, and the country on its 

 banks of the same description. 



The island of Berthollet, distant six miles from Buache, is 

 a barren inhospitable spot, producing abundance of hares, 

 seals, and mutton birds. Its shores present many tesselated 

 cliffs of limestone resembling the turrets of a Gothic cathe- 

 dral. There is no water on this island. 



The island of Buache is composed principally of low ridges 

 of light sandy loam, traversing the island from north to south, 

 and terminating on the south with high cliffs or banks of 

 sand, the loftiest parts of which are thickly covered with 

 Cypress, {Calytris) and the surface towards the sea is 

 considerably interrupted by limestone rocks. The ^ soil, 

 though light, appears to me, from the immense thickets 

 of a species of Solanum which it produces, and which attains 

 the height of ten feet, to be capable of producing any 

 description of light garden crops. The interior of those 

 Ji^es are singularly divided by transverse dykes or banks, 

 forming deep pits, which receive all the water from the 

 Midges; the dykes preventing its escape otherwise than by 



