1839.] COMMERCE. 273 



tion of which was taken from the basin it protects, — and 

 Bathurst, beyond the Blue Mountains, on the river Mac- 

 quarrie, are the only other important towns in New South 

 Wales. 



Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, lies on the east 

 side of the Gulf of St. Vincent. Its construction was com- 

 menced in 1837, and, in 1841, it contained about six hun- 

 dred houses, and four thousand inhabitants. It has a bank, 

 with an extensive circulation, and dealing in exchange on 

 Europe, India, and Cape Town. It has, also, two newspapers, 

 and is quite a thriving business place. Port Lincoln, founded 

 in 1838, on the west side of Spencer's Gulf, is said to possess 

 still better natural advantages, and to be increasing with 

 equal, if not greater, rapidity. Perth, on Swan river, and 

 Albany, on the southern coast, in West Australia, are small 

 towns ; and the same is true of Victoria, in North Australia. 



(13.) The commerce of the Australian colonies has made 

 wonderful strides. Nine tenths of the trade is probably car- 

 ried on through the ports of New South Wales. The imports 

 into this colony, principally consisting of liquor, grain, pro- 

 visions, and manufactured goods, amounted to over two and 

 half million pounds sterling in the year 1840. The exports 

 for the same year fell a little short of two millions. Wool is 

 the great article of export : the amount sent out of the coun- 

 try, in 1840, was 7,668,960 pounds, valued at fifteen pence, 

 sterling currency, per pound. Next in importance is oil ; 

 about two thousand tons of sperm, valued at eighty-five 

 pounds per ton, and over four thousand of black whale oil, 

 valued at eighteen pounds per ton, were exported in the same 

 year. There were two hundred and fifty tons of whale bone, 

 worth one hundred pounds per ton, also exported. The ex- 

 ports of Van Diemen's Land, amounted, in 1840, to nearly 

 one million pounds sterling, of which wool was the principal 

 article ; and the imports exceeded eight hundred and fifty 

 thousand pounds. Timber is also an important article of e 

 port, particularly to the mother country, from all her Austw- 



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