50 LETTERS FROM DR. HARVEY. 
useful correspondent. By the way, he is very anxious about some par- 
cels of plants and MS. descriptions sent to you by Governor Latrobe, 
to whom they were entrusted so long back as October, 1853, and of 
which he has never since heard.* I told him I was sure you would 
write to him as soon as you received them. His great object is to pre- 
pare a Flora of this colony, for which purpose he travels for five or six 
months every year, and has explored many new localities (particularly 
among the Snowy Alps), from which he has added several interesting 
genera and species to the Australian Flora, He considers he has already 
got together some 3000 species—from this colony and South Australia 
—collected in the last six years. I think he deserves every encourage 
ment, as he works up-hill every inch, in such an expensive country as 
this is. 
I have been very little in the country as yet, except backwards and 
forwards to the Garden, which lies about a mile from the city, on the 
river-banks. The ground contains thirty acres, about twelve of which 
have been laid down in an ornamental garden, with broad gravel-walks 
and flower-beds, which are wonderfully well kept for a colony where 
labour is so high. As yet the collection is small, and at present the 
chief show is from the Acacias, several of which are in blossom. There 
is a large lagoon full of water-plants in a state of nature, and capable 
of much improvement, The Garden is plentifully supplied with excel- 
lent water. 
The country round the city is very open, covered with grass, with 
. scattered gum-trees, or in cultivation. There are many villages on all 
. sides, and numerous road-side inns every mile or two. The fields are 
. as well fenced as in England, and the roads macadamized* The first 
_ railroad was opened the day before yesterday ; it is two miles long, and 
the charge 1s. 6d. A friend of mine, about two miles from town, turns 
= about £2000 per annum out of an orchard-garden and eleven cows, 
= kept on a very few acres of rich land. He had 21 tons of cherries last 
. year, besides apples, plums, pears, grapes, ete. He gets ls. 8d. per 
quart for all his milk, which is much cheaper than the retailed price of 
the watered milk in town. Lam living at a boarding-house in a very 
Ls rough sort of style, sleeping in the room with two others, and dining 
= with a rough set of young men; but I get on very well, and have the 
: comfort of knowing that I am with honest people. The person who 
* They were all safely received.—En. 
